apple: egremont russet
Over on the other side I was commenting on the lack of taste in food you haven't grown yourself. Whether this is real or imagined, nowhere is it truer at the moment than in the world of apples.
This has been an outstanding year for apples for us. Our trees have now been in the ground for five years and so have reached maturity - and the weather blessed us. No late frost to destroy blossom and then moist soils to encourage fruit.
We have six cordoned desert apple trees and they can produce up to 40 fruit per small tree. 240 apples.
By choosing carefully, you can have a range of apples from those that should be eaten early, like Greensleeves, to those that finish later, like Red Falstaff that are good for storing and eating around Christmas.
At the moment I am enjoying a wonderful apple: Egremeont Russet. For some, the rough skin of a russet (slightly reminiscent in texture to that of a pear) is unappealing. So, peal 'em! Me, I like the texture of the skin, but it is the dense, yellow flesh of the apple that I like. There is a little necessary tartness to set against the sweetness of the flesh. A beautiful eater and great when cooked with porage on cold winter mornings.
5 comments:
Hi, Rob-
I'm so impressed that you're harvesting apples from 5 year old trees. I'm not sure why we aren't incorporating cordoned apples in small gardens here, but they continue to be something that's a specialized fruit for home gardens, even in areas like ours that are decent for apples.
I had planted a Golden Delicious apple tree in our former garden in SE GA, planted in my early gardening days, that happily produced apples in a Zone 8 climate in the last couple of years before we moved to SC.
Thanks for the encouragement!
Couldn't agree more!! I have two family fruit trees with 3 varieties on each. Egremont Russet is unmistakable! Such a wonderful English treasure.
Lisa
I have a dreadful feeling that my growing apple interest afflicts 'men of a certain age'! When we were in Hereford, there was a group of retired gentlemen with a compendious knowledge of apple varieties. I feel the bug biting me!!!
In my defence, I do love your compatriots 'The Kings of Leon' and will be seeing them for the third time on Tuesday.
So, I'm not completely crusty!
Grow apples!
Cheers
Rob
Oh, dear -- I had to Google 'The Kings of Leon' so you're clearly way more hip than I am. I see they recently played at Madison Square Garden -- hmm, I definitely live in a small town!
But I'm inspired by your apple-growing -- the Egremont Russet from your friend in your latest post looks wonderful.
It seems like apples respond to seasonal variations like many fruits? Lots of moisture at the right time, with good photosynthetic capacity produce bigger glossier fruits? It sounds like it was an excellent apple year for you in England.
Lisa, I have to tell you that your compatriots, The Kings of Leon, were utterly immense on Tuesday in Nottingham. They took the trent fm arena by the scruff of its neck and shook it!!!!!
Rob
Post a Comment