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'Woody tasting' eating apples
Hi,
in our gravel 'n dust back garden here in the Kennet Valley we have tow eating apple trees (variety unknown). They have been neglected over the last few years and are overgrown but they are both cropping heavily. The bright red one (Worcester Permian?) has a huge crop and has been dropping apples for ages. http://gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_... _permain.htm Although the apple looks redder than the pictures, more like http://web.ukonline.co.uk/suttonelms/devonshire.jpg The apples seem ripe in many ways - good red colour and of course they are dropping. However, if gently twisted they refuse to come off in the hand, which suggests they may not all be ready for picking. The main issue is the taste; the ones we sampled are sweet and quite juicy but the underlying texture is between wood chip and blotting paper - much like under-ripe apples. The description of the Worcester Permian says 'on the dry side' and recommends leaving on the tree to ripen. However the apples are throwing themselves at the floor (which can be quite disconcerting when sitting out on these warm summer nights - "Rustle rustle THUD" from the darkness ;-) Has anyone experience of this type of apple? Should then be picked and stored to give them time to mature? It seems sad to have a huge crop of shiny, sweet red apples which are basically inedible because there is only so much blotting paper I can chew before I start to wonder why I am doing it. I also don't want to waste a lot of effort picking and storing them if they are going to turn out old and woody instead of fresh and woody. Any suggestions appreciated. Cheers Dave R [Unfortunately I don't have the time this year to make wine or cider or apple jelly] |
'Woody tasting' eating apples
"David WE Roberts" wrote in message ... Hi, in our gravel 'n dust back garden here in the Kennet Valley we have tow eating apple trees (variety unknown). They have been neglected over the last few years and are overgrown but they are both cropping heavily. The bright red one (Worcester Permian?) has a huge crop and has been dropping apples for ages. http://gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_... _permain.htm Although the apple looks redder than the pictures, more like http://web.ukonline.co.uk/suttonelms/devonshire.jpg The apples seem ripe in many ways - good red colour and of course they are dropping. However, if gently twisted they refuse to come off in the hand, which suggests they may not all be ready for picking. The main issue is the taste; the ones we sampled are sweet and quite juicy but the underlying texture is between wood chip and blotting paper - much like under-ripe apples. The description of the Worcester Permian says 'on the dry side' and recommends leaving on the tree to ripen. However the apples are throwing themselves at the floor (which can be quite disconcerting when sitting out on these warm summer nights - "Rustle rustle THUD" from the darkness ;-) Has anyone experience of this type of apple? Should then be picked and stored to give them time to mature? It seems sad to have a huge crop of shiny, sweet red apples which are basically inedible because there is only so much blotting paper I can chew before I start to wonder why I am doing it. I also don't want to waste a lot of effort picking and storing them if they are going to turn out old and woody instead of fresh and woody. Any suggestions appreciated. Cheers Dave R [Unfortunately I don't have the time this year to make wine or cider or apple jelly] I suspect its no where near ripe yet, even Beauty of Bath is not ready yet. As to the dropping, I don't know about elsewhere, but here because of a wet May we did not get a "June drop" and I suspect its just the apple getting rid of excess a bit later than normal. -- Charlie, gardening in Cornwall. http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs) |
'Woody tasting' eating apples
David WE Roberts wrote: [...] Has anyone experience of this type of apple? Should then be picked and stored to give them time to mature? It seems sad to have a huge crop of shiny, sweet red apples which are basically inedible because there is only so much blotting paper I can chew before I start to wonder why I am doing it. I also don't want to waste a lot of effort picking and storing them if they are going to turn out old and woody instead of fresh and woody. [...] No experience of the one you describe (which doesn't sound like a genuine Worcester), but some apples do, as you suggest, need to ripen further in store before they're ready to eat. I did have a nameless one, a russet, which was indeed rather woody till it had been stored: it would be worth trying once, and if you still don't like it, you can get rid with a clear conscience. At least one kind is best at Christmas or after, I believe. I think these anonymous varieties we find are often seedlings, which are rarely worth the effort. -- Mike. |
'Woody tasting' eating apples
Just speculating, I don't really know, but could it be the dry conditions
and hot weather? Perhaps there are too many apples for the tree to provide sap for, so it is maybe shedding a few? So in other words, the apples aren't ripe, hence the 'woody' taste but are being shed simply because there is not not enough water to sustain the number of apples on the tree? -- David .... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk .... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/ |
'Woody tasting' eating apples
The message . com
from "Mike Lyle" contains these words: David WE Roberts wrote: [...] Has anyone experience of this type of apple? Should then be picked and stored to give them time to mature? It seems sad to have a huge crop of shiny, sweet red apples which are basically inedible because there is only so much blotting paper I can chew before I start to wonder why I am doing it. I also don't want to waste a lot of effort picking and storing them if they are going to turn out old and woody instead of fresh and woody. [...] No experience of the one you describe (which doesn't sound like a genuine Worcester), but some apples do, as you suggest, need to ripen further in store before they're ready to eat. I did have a nameless one, a russet, which was indeed rather woody till it had been stored: it would be worth trying once, and if you still don't like it, you can get rid with a clear conscience. At least one kind is best at Christmas or after, I believe. I think these anonymous varieties we find are often seedlings, which are rarely worth the effort. -- Mike. My understanding is that it's only later apples which mature in store, i.e. early apples (August and into September) are best straight off the tree and deteriorate quite rapidly once picked, often within a week or two, whereas the ones picked from October will store well and many are unpalatable until a month or two after being picked. In other words it seems unlikely that apples picked now will improve after being picked. Also, as Charlie says, in spite of the hot weather even the earliest apples - Beauty of Bath and Discovery - aren't quite fully ripe here yet (S. Lincs) As David suggest the dry weather might be affecting things. You could accept the falling of the apples and see what the remaining ones are like when they will yield easily to a small twist. Then see whether fewer fall next year and make a final decision about the future of the tree then. Janet G |
'Woody tasting' eating apples
David WE Roberts wrote: It seems sad to have a huge crop of shiny, sweet red apples which are basically inedible because there is only so much blotting paper I can chew before I start to wonder why I am doing it. I also don't want to waste a lot of effort picking and storing them if they are going to turn out old and woody instead of fresh and woody. Any suggestions appreciated. Cheers Dave R [Unfortunately I don't have the time this year to make wine or cider or apple jelly] At the risk of stating the obvious, have you tried cooking them? I find this necessary with my eater windfalls. Don't ask me for a recipe, but dicing them and boiling with sugar doesn't take much effort and seems to make them edible (just about -- better suggestions welcome). Chris |
'Woody tasting' eating apples
Have you tried selling them to supermarkets?
They tend to specialise in selling dry tasteless apples. "David WE Roberts" wrote in message ... Hi, in our gravel 'n dust back garden here in the Kennet Valley we have tow eating apple trees (variety unknown). They have been neglected over the last few years and are overgrown but they are both cropping heavily. The bright red one (Worcester Permian?) has a huge crop and has been dropping apples for ages. http://gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_... _permain.htm Although the apple looks redder than the pictures, more like http://web.ukonline.co.uk/suttonelms/devonshire.jpg The apples seem ripe in many ways - good red colour and of course they are dropping. However, if gently twisted they refuse to come off in the hand, which suggests they may not all be ready for picking. The main issue is the taste; the ones we sampled are sweet and quite juicy but the underlying texture is between wood chip and blotting paper - much like under-ripe apples. The description of the Worcester Permian says 'on the dry side' and recommends leaving on the tree to ripen. However the apples are throwing themselves at the floor (which can be quite disconcerting when sitting out on these warm summer nights - "Rustle rustle THUD" from the darkness ;-) Has anyone experience of this type of apple? Should then be picked and stored to give them time to mature? It seems sad to have a huge crop of shiny, sweet red apples which are basically inedible because there is only so much blotting paper I can chew before I start to wonder why I am doing it. I also don't want to waste a lot of effort picking and storing them if they are going to turn out old and woody instead of fresh and woody. Any suggestions appreciated. Cheers Dave R [Unfortunately I don't have the time this year to make wine or cider or apple jelly] |
'Woody tasting' eating apples
On Sun, 06 Aug 2006 10:29:11 +0100, David WE Roberts wrote:
Hi, in our gravel 'n dust back garden here in the Kennet Valley we have tow eating apple trees (variety unknown). snip It seems sad to have a huge crop of shiny, sweet red apples which are basically inedible because there is only so much blotting paper I can chew before I start to wonder why I am doing it. snip Much to my relief, the woodiness seems to be abating. Many of the apples which fall are still not really good, but some on the trees are now getting good to eat. Thanks for all the information - if earlies aren't keepers then I will shortly be importuning strangers to take away bags full of them. Cheers Dave R |
'Woody tasting' eating apples
David WE Roberts writes
On Sun, 06 Aug 2006 10:29:11 +0100, David WE Roberts wrote: Hi, in our gravel 'n dust back garden here in the Kennet Valley we have tow eating apple trees (variety unknown). snip It seems sad to have a huge crop of shiny, sweet red apples which are basically inedible because there is only so much blotting paper I can chew before I start to wonder why I am doing it. snip Much to my relief, the woodiness seems to be abating. Many of the apples which fall are still not really good, but some on the trees are now getting good to eat. Thanks for all the information - if earlies aren't keepers then I will shortly be importuning strangers to take away bags full of them. Turn them into apple juice and freeze them. (Freeze the apples whole and thaw - that makes them soft enough to put through a fruit press) -- Kay |
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