Egremont Russet
Egremont Russet (Malus domestica ‘Egremont Russet’) apples were one of my father’s favourite apples. They’re not available very often and when they are it is for a very limited period.
Russetting is the partial or complete covering of an apple with rough patches of colour ranging from greenish to yellowish-brown. Many apples display russetting but it is aesthetically undesirable in modern varieties.
Egremont Russets are the most well-known of the russet apples and are completely russetted. They are golden-green in colour and ready to pick in October. They are tasty and sweet but not stickily so, with a firm flesh that some say tastes and smells of nuts, though I can’t say I’ve noticed that in particular. I am told it tastes superb with cheese. I haven’t tried one with cheese yet, but I’ve found most crisp apples partner cheese very successfully.
Egremont Russet trees were first recorded in 1872 by the Earl of Egremont in Petworth, Sussex. They are hardy, vigorous trees and can be grown in a variety of locations and soils, doing well in wetter soils and in colder and more exposed areas. Another advantage is that they are resistant to disease. They are also partially self-fertile but perform better and crop more satisfactorily if grown near a pollinator.
Russet apples are also known as ‘rusticoats’ and ‘leathercoats.’ Shakespeare made reference to them in Henry IV, part 2, when Davy tells Bardolph, ‘There’s a dish of leathercoats for you.’
The other fruit that my father particularly liked but found almost impossible to find was the Medlar (Mespilus germanica).
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Medlars are closely related to apples and, like them, belong in the rose family. They have been cultivated since Roman times and the fruits are harvested in the winter. They are hard and inedible when picked and have to blet before they can be eaten, either raw to accompany cheese and port, or made into jellies to complement rich meat dishes.
Bletting occurs in most fruits after they have ripened, as a stage between ripeness and fermentation.
Medlars are full of vitamin C and were a popular fruit in mediaeval winters, when there were no other fruits available. They were a sweet treat, before sugar had arrived in Britain.
Medlars bletting. Bletted flesh is brown and edible. Unbletted flesh is white and inedible.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Medlars are attractive, trouble-free, easy to grow small trees. They grow well in most soils.
