STURMER PIPPIN Raised by a nurseryman called Ezekiel Dillstone in Sturmer, near Haverhill, Essex, about 1800. A cross between Ribston Pippin and Nonpareil, introduced in 1831. Dillstone's grandson took scion wood when he emigrated to Australia. The dessert fruit has very firm flesh, usually juicy, and with a strong, rich taste. It likes a warm summer to develop a full flavour. Its preference for warm summers and its good storing qualities make it a favourite in Australia and New Zealand, and for export from there. It is often not fully ripe until late in November, and will store until April. It is high in vitamin C because of its Ribston parent. Pollination Group 3
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

SUGAR LOAF Scions of this old tree were sent to us by Hilary Wilson of Appleby-in-Westmorland, many years ago. She learned of the tree from Jim Armstrong, a retired agriculturalist, from near Carlisle, who was also the owner of the rediscovered Harvest Lemon. After many years of not fruiting well, 2015 saw very good quality apples and it is a fine cooking apple, sweet and mild enough to eat raw. Cooked, it keeps all its shape, becomes sweeter and with a strong rich flavour, not so sharp as to need sugar. The cut apples hardly discolour, so apples can be part used and stored. The white flesh might suggest a ‘sugar loaf’ that existed in the days before granulated sugar. Ripe in mid September, but not keeping more than a few weeks. It is not the same as Sugar Loaf Pippin. Pollination Group 6
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

  

SUGAR LOAF PIPPIN An old variety, ‘lost’ in Britain and the subject of some detective work to re-discover it. It was originally named Dolgoi Squoznoi and also called Dymond’s Sugar Loaf and Hutching’s Seedling. Hutchings was a market gardener in Kensington at the start of 19th century. He may have introduced it from its home in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was in the first catalogue of fruits at the London Horticultural Society’s garden at Chiswick, Middlesex, in 1826. Dolgoi means long, Squoznoi means transparent, amply describing the apple. A culinary and eating apple, ripe in August, that doesn’t keep. The apples are ovate-oblong, tapering to the eye. The skin is light yellow with greenish dots, and on the sunny side becoming nearly white when ripe. The flesh is juicy and crisp with “a most agreeable lively, sweetish sub-acid flavour” according to Lindley in 1831. Although all the historic writers acknowledge it is sweetish, they all classify it as culinary, the sweetness and uncooked flavour not being sufficient to consider it to be a dessert apple, despite its name. In fact, if caught just right, it is most delicious to eat. We found and retrieved versions from both Belgium and Tasmania and they are identical, in fruit, blossom and flowering times. The apples can be variable, sometimes with a swelling at the base of the stem, which is not recorded in historic descriptions. Sometimes, and in some soils, they can also develop a red blush. We are now certain it is true to name. Free flowering, with pale pink blossom. Pollination Group 5

    
 

SUGAR PIPPIN A late season, dessert apple, found as an old tree at Minsterworth, Gloucestershire. Small to medium sized and rounded to conical, with green skin, turning yellow, sometimes with netted russet. In late October or November it is very juicy, crunchy and sweet, but not blandly so, as there is an agreeable acidity to balance it. A refreshing apple. It will store to December and perhaps longer. Rich pink blossom. Pollination Group 5

    
 
SUMMER GOLDEN PIPPIN This apple was noted as early as 1728 when R.Bradley, in the Dictionarium Botanicum gives a list of apples ‘as are accounted the best for Eating and Baking from Mr. Whitmill’s catalogue, Gardiner and Nursery Man at Hoxton’. A small dessert apple with shining golden skin, streaked orange-red and crisp, juicy, sweet flesh, with a good lemony flavour. It was very popular throughout the nineteenth century. Pretty blossom, and once widely grown in pots, due to its modest vigour. Good Crops. An early apple, ready in August, but it does not store. Pollination Group 3
    
 
SUMMER PEARMAIN One of the oldest English apples, at least dating back to Gerard’s Herbal (1596) and believed ‘lost’. There was probably more than one different Summer Pearmain. The name was last recorded at an exhibition in 1883. Trawling through foreign collections, we found this Summer Pearmain at the Grove Research Station in Tasmania, and have now grafted new trees from scionwood kindly sent by them. In the 19th century, writers transformed Summer Pearmain into Autumn Pearmain, probably due to Lindley (1831) describing a Summer Pearmain as being ripe from October to Christmas! Parkinson says “The summer pearemaine is of equall goodnesse with the former (Great Pearemaine), or rather a little more pleasing, especially for the time of its eating, which will not bee so long lasting, but is spent and gone when the other beginneth to be good to eate.” Forsyth (1810) says “This Apple is striped with red next the sun; the flesh is soft, but soon turns mealy; so that it is not much esteemed. It is in eating in August and September.” Other early writers have also made it a summer apple. Hogg makes Autumn Pearmain a synonym of Summer Pearmain, makes it a keeping autumn apple too and calls it an excellent dual purpose apple, with trees vigorous and upright. It is likely that Lindley and Hogg were describing another apple, Autumn Pearmain. We have found many early references to Summer Pearmain being a Summer apple, even in modern times. In 2007 we met the late Mr Martin Stevens of Holmer Green in Buckinghamshire, then in his 90s and the fourth generation to be closely involved with local orchards. He still maintained some unique old trees. He clearly remembered Summer Pearmain from his youth as being a summer, not autumn, apple. We also now have another Summer Pearmain, as Pearmain D’ Été, from France, as yet unfruited. Summer Pearmain is ripe in early September, lasting for a short while, the rounded apples having a ground colour of green with pink and full red streaks. The flesh is crisp, fairly juicy though not in abundance, sweet and with a fair amount of acid, with a good flavour for an early season apple. Pollination Group 3
   
 
SUMMER QUEEN More than one Summer Queen has been known and it is difficult to track whether the oldest is English or American. We have received scions of this from America and it appears to be the same described by Coxe in 1817 in America. Yet it was listed as being in Southampton in 1818, by Page, and was in the London Horticultural Society collection in 1826. It also seems to be the one described by Scott in Somerset, in 1872. A very pretty and refreshing, medium sized apple, ripe in September and lasting to the end of November. Sweet, juicy and crisp, with a good flavour. Pollination Group 3
    
 
SUMMER STRAWBERRY There are four different apples with this name recorded in the literature and listed in the National Apple Register (1971). All are now believed to be extinct in Britain, none having been recorded since the 19th century. We found it listed in Tasmania, at the Grove Research Station collection of Heritage Apples and having received scionwood, the first trees were grafted in 2005, for reintroduction. Having fruited, it accords closely with Summer Strawberry 1 of the National Apple Register and that in the Herefordshire Pomona which ascribes it to Lancashire and northern areas. It is an early August to September dessert apple and doesn’t keep well, without growing dry and mealy. The fruit is sweet, juicy, tangy and with a pleasant flavour. The skin is yellow, largely covered with blood red streaks, more faint in the shade. The origin is unknown but the earliest reference is 1831. Pollination Group 2
    
 
SUMNER IMPERIAL We wrote under Packington Summerling the following – “We were informed of this old apple variety by Jeremy Winter who knew of a tree with this name at Swepstone. Packington (just over a mile from Swepstone) is a village close to Ashby de La Zouch, in North-West Leicestershire. His information came to his mother from a farmer’s wife, now deceased, called Mrs Carter of Carters Farm, Swepstone. The tree is growing on an adjacent farm behind the church at Swepstone, owned by Mrs Brenda Sumner of Manor Farm. She was unaware of its name. Jeremy Winter asked permission to take scions and sent some to us. Coincidentally, Brenda Sumner said she had a very old tree in a small orchard at the rear of her house and she recalled her grandfather telling her that it had been planted by his father and that it was called a Sumner Imperial, a cooking apple which keeps well. Jeremy also sent us scions of this. A happy chance finding of yet another old apple”. Sumner Imperial is ripe in late September into October and is medium sized apple with clean, matt, pale yellow skin. The skin is a little thick – always an indication that an apple will keep well – and the flesh is very juicy, crunchy and crisp, refreshing with lively acid, but also sweet. It is actually very pleasant to eat raw, when fully ripe. The apples are quite juicy but when cooked they give up little juice and are slow to soften, but will do so. The flavour is now very rich, fruity and zesty with a lemon overtone. It is almost sweet enough without added sugar but some might wish to add some. Pollination Group 5
    
 
SUNSET Raised at Ightham in Kent in 1918, it is one of the many varieties bred from Cox's Pippin, and with a similar flavour. It is more reliable to grow than Cox’s Orange Pippin, though not particularly vigorous. The flesh is firm rather than crisp but juicy and with a very rich flavour. Fruit is small to medium sized, heavily flushed with red and orange and ripe in September. The flowers have dark buds, contrasting with paler open flowers. The trees crop well and the apples will store into November. Pollination Group 3
    
 
SUNTAN An apple raised in 1956 by H.M. Tydeman or in 1955 by Dr Alston, both at East Malling Research Station, Kent. It was said to be a cross between two very traditional varieties, Cox's Pippin and Court Pendu Plat. Attractive appearance, with bright orange-red skin, streaked with red and with russet patches. The apples are crisp, sweet and aromatic, but with fruity acidity. Vigorous, hardy trees, which are late flowering, and therefore good for cold areas. Apples will store until late winter. T. Pollination Group 6