GREY PIPPIN A rare old variety which came to us from the Tann family apple collection at Aldham, near Colchester, Essex. It seems to be a variety local to a part of Essex, but nothing was known of its history, until we discovered a reference to it, by Mortimer, in 1707. It might also be the Gray’s Pippin of Forsyth (1810). A medium sized apple, grey-green with attractive russeting, turning golden when fully ripe. It is a late dessert apple; crisp, juicy, sweet and packed with complex flavours. Part tip bearing. The accession in the National Collection has recently been DNA profiled and found the same as Cockle Pippin. These two apples seem distinct, but we retain an open mind. Pollination Group 5
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

GRIMES GOLDEN Originating from before 1802, the most reliable history is given in ‘Old Southern Apples’ by Calhoun. In about 1790 Edward Cranford planted apple seeds at his farm in Brooks County, West Virginia and then sold the farm to Thomas Grimes in 1802. He found this apple and sold it to traders, who took it down river to New Orleans, achieving considerable popularity along the way. It later became one of the parents of Golden Delicious. In 1872 trees were being sold by Scott who described it as a top quality, late season dessert apple, best from December and keeping to March. The skin is rich golden yellow, thinly sprinkled with small grey and light dots. The flesh is yellow, compact, tender, juicy and rich with a spicy subacid flavour and unusual aroma. The tree is very hardy and never breaks its limbs, being supported by peculiar knobs at the base of each branch. It is a very productive tree. Apples have also been used for cider in America, and Barron, in 1883, considered it also a cooker. We have been impressed by it. Pollination Group 4

 

  

HAGLOE CRAB Raised by Mr Bellamy before 1796, at Hagloe. Thought to date from the 1720s. A late season cider bittersweet, smallish, with long-stalked fruit with red skin striped and flushed brown, patched with broken russet. Sometimes the skin is dark all over. The more mature the tree, the more yellow the apples become. A chewy apple but really quite pleasant with a sweet and rich flavour, but some bitterness. Storing to January. Pollination Group 5

    
 

HAMBLEDON DEUX ANS Syn. Green Blenheim. Discovered at Hambledon, Hampshire in the mid eighteenth century; there are still said to be many old trees in the area. A culinary apple with large, sweet, fruit, that keeps its shape or will mash to a rich purée. It is also a sweet and tangy dessert apple when fully ripe. Famous for its long keeping properties - it was said that it could keep for two years, hence the name. Very long-lived trees, with a spreading habit and pretty deep pink blossom. Part tip bearing. T*. Pollination Group 3

    
 
HANWELL SOURING A late culinary apple known since the early 19th century. It originated at Hanwell, near Banbury, and was once grown all over Warwickshire and the West Midlands. Hogg, in his Fruit Manual, called it a ‘first rate kitchen apple’, and its crisp greenish flesh was valued by those who enjoyed a sharp cooking apple. The apples will last into the New Year, staying rich and acid, but a bit sweeter and more lemony, cooking to a purée. Moderately vigorous trees, with a spreading habit. T*. Pollination Group 4
    
 
HARGREAVE’S GREENSWEET An 18th century variety first recorded by Hogg, who was introduced to it by Hargreave’s Nursery, Lancaster. A tree, which was very old in 1846, still stood in the nursery. It is a middle season dessert apple, with medium-sized oblong fruit, angular on the sides and ribbed around the eye. The skin is yellow, tinted green in the shade, and dark yellow with green tints and a few faint red streaks in the sun. The flesh was described as yellowish, tender, juicy, sweet, and perfumed, but lacking acidity. Ripe in September and October. The variety had not been heard of since Hogg’s report, but was rediscovered by Philip Rainford in Lancashire. He came across an old tree and was told it was called Green Sweet (which is another distinct apple). Since the apple he had discovered did not accord with the descriptions of Green Sweet it occurred to him that it might be Hargreave’s Greensweet. The characteristics tallied completely with Hogg’s description. He kindly sent scions to us. Pollination Group 5
   
       
 
HARRY SISSEN’S YELLOW Harry Sissen, when a lad, (he is now in his 80s) had a favourite old apple tree in the orchard attached to the farm where he lived at East Cowton, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire. He came to own the farm but moved to a nearby farm and wanted a tree of his ‘favourite’ at his new home, so he grafted a new tree – in 1981. The very old original tree, with three trunks and 10ft before it branched, has now gone - to make way for a tennis court. He sent us apples at the end of October, in 2018, proving it a good eating and culinary apple. It is medium sized, pale yellow when ripe, with prominent spots, lightly ribbed, with a deep, open eye and a stubby stalk. It might be ripe earlier in the South and the apples sent suggested they might be crisper and juicier, if gathered earlier. The apples were sweet and with a strong, rich flavour, with a good balance of acid. When cooked the flesh broke down to a very soft texture, almost to a purée, quite quickly, with the sweetness more pronounced and a very rich flavour, well balanced and with no need for added sugar. Harry says it is a regular cropper with all the fruit of uniform size, though sometimes larger than the ones he sent. A very good apple and, thankfully, preserved by Harry Sissen. Pollination Group 6
    
         
 
HARVEST LEMON One of several old fruit varieties discovered and saved for posterity by Hilary Wilson of Appleby-in-Westmorland, who sent us scionwood. She rediscovered it a few years ago at Cumwhinton, near Carlisle. The tree (now dead) at Stoneraise Farm, Armathwaite, was in an old orchard owned by the grandmother of the wife of Jim Armstrong, a retired agriculturist. Harvest Lemon was first recorded at the Apple and Pear conference of 1934, when it was exhibited from Cumberland, the only occasion upon which it has been noted. It is both a dessert apple and cooker, middle season, of medium size and with green skin turning yellow. Ripe in early October, it is a lemony, but sweet eating apple and when cooked it will keep its shape, becoming richer. Apples will last to December, but lose condition by then. Pollination Group 3
    
 
HARVEY Syn. Dr. Harvey. It was named after Dr Gabriel Harvey, who was the master of Trinity Hall College at Cambridge. A very old apple, described by Parkinson in 1629 as "a faire great goodly apple, and very well relished". A large culinary apple, with a russeted skin and sweet flesh; though we have previously said it makes a rich tasting purée, longer experience suggests it keeps its shape and is a bit ordinary. It was widely planted in East Anglia and is still found in Norfolk. Heavy crops. Stores until December. Trees are vigorous and part tip bearing. Pollination Group 4
    
 
HAUT-BONTÉ A fine dessert apple said to come from Poitou in France and believed to date from the 1200s. It was first recorded in England when included in Philip Miller’s 1724 “The Gardeners and Florists Dictionary”. Our scion wood came from the French national collection, at Angers, in 2006. A green, lightly russeted apple with a broken tawny flush in the sun, ripe very late in the year and often only at its best in late November. The flesh is juicy, very sweet, with a rich flavour and the apples store well. Highly rated by all the historic writers who knew it. Pollination Group 6
    
 
HAWTHORNDEN An old cooking apple, popular in Scotland in the eighteenth century, also called Glory of Scotland. Rogers (1837) said it was the best Scottish cooking apple, early, prolific and healthy and thrives in any soil. It was not known around London until introduced by the Brompton Park Nursery in 1790. Medium to large fruit, with crisp, juicy, white, fragrant flesh, which keeps some shape when cooked and makes good baked apples. By mid September the apples develop sweetness and become pleasant for eating. Vigorous trees, with good crops. Middle fruiting and storing to November. Dark buds and attractive blossom. Pollination Group 4
    
 
HELMSLEY MARKET APPLE Sent to us by fruit enthusiast Hilary Wilson, of Appleby-in-Westmorland. It is an old variety that she noticed and later acquired from a garden in Wass, North Yorkshire, close to Byland Abbey. The owner said her two trees were bought, by the old man who lived there before her, from Helmsley Market. It is an interesting looking, long apple of medium size, golden green on one side, with a warm amber red blush on the side in the sun, not striped. The small open eye is set in a very deep basin, slightly puckered. There is a short medium thick stalk, with russet veining at the stalk end. The body is slightly ribbed. The flesh is pleasantly sweet, slightly acidic and tender. It is mainly of culinary use, but it is a pleasant eater, when fully ripe. The nature of this apple varies quite markedly with the location, climate and the length of storage. If picked too early or sun is lacking, it can be very sharp, but it sweetens up considerably (and quickly) with storage. Cooked, it keeps some shape and is very rich, sweet but perhaps wanting some sugar. By the end of November it is crisp, sweet, rich, slightly acid and a very good eating apple. Mid-late season, storing for a while. It has been suggested that this is the Lady’s Finger of Lancaster, but without sufficient reason. Pollination Group 5