CORE VALUE OF A CRISP FAVOURITE
I CAN still remember the attacks of the collywobbles brought on as a small boy by eating unripe apples. But when the fruit reach full size and look appetising, the temptation to pick and eat a few straight from the tree is immense.
It’s easy to get it wrong. Of course you can cook them with plenty of sugar, for pies and puddings but most eating apples (and all cooking apples) need to spend a lot more time on the tree yet. The sort that are stored and kept to use in winter when they’ve continued to ripen to the peak of their eating quality should be left until October before picking.
But for anyone who can’t wait to tuck in there are several superb early varieties that are ready to eat straight from the tree now. The earliest is Beauty of Bath, yellow with a reddish blush and a sweet taste livened up by a sharp fruity tang, which is at its best for a few weeks around the start of this month. George cave is another classic. It has crisp, mediumsized apples with green and red stripes, which some enthusiasts start to eat from the end of July, though mid-August is best.
Discovery is a deservedly popular small, sweet, red, crunchy, modern apple that’s a great favourite, ready to eat from late August to the middle of September and Worcester Pearmain is a sweet, conical, aromatic fruit, a tad small but ready to eat in September.
Even if you grow a range of apples, including cookers and keepers to store for winter, make sure one of them is an early so you don’t have to wait too long for your first taste.
Find early varieties in garden centres, fruit specialists and by visiting “apple days” promoted by orchards, growers and nurseries where you can taste fruit before deciding which trees you’re going to buy.