ALEXANDER
 A large sized apple that appeared in Ukraine in the 1700’s and quickly spread through Europe, valued because of its hardiness and heavy regular bearing. Alexander is brilliant orange/red on the sunny side and eats and cooks well for about the month of March. |
BELLE CACHEUSE
 There is no mention of this “beauty” in any apple literature. Assumedly French, absolutely huge in size and very giving. Greenish skin with red and orange stripes. Coarse sweet flesh and obviously a cooker but never the less appreciated fresh too. Matures March here in Tasmania. |
BELLE de BOSKOOP
 This is a large Dutch apple from about 1850. Brownish red skin with russet, cream flesh, quite coarse, with distinct aromatic flavour and cooks just beautifully. Biennial bearer, matures May. Remembered with nostalgia by many European immigrants to Australia. |
BLENHEIM ORANGE
 One of the most famous English apples, originating around 1740 near Blenheim Castle. Rather large in size with orangey yellow skin striped dull red. Flesh coarse and yellow, but rich and aromatic in taste. A true dual purpose apple - great fresh or cooked. Ripens early March. Triploid (needs pollinator). |
BRAMLEY'S SEEDLING
 England's most popular cooking apple - and for good reason as when cooked produces a puree that is unsurpassable. It has firm tart acid flesh, with green flushed brownish-red skin on the sunny side. Large in size with irregular shape, stores well. Matures March. Triploid (needs pollinator). |
CALVILLE BLANC D'HIVER
 A true historic apple as old as possibly 1600 with a yellowish russeted skin. Rich aromatic flavour - wonderful eaten fresh and known in Normandy for being a great cider apple. When cooked holds it's flesh and has a remarkably good flavour - the essential ingredient for a French "tarte au pommes". Ripens late Autumn. Triploid (needs pollinator). |
CATSHEAD
 An unusual old English cooking apple, very large in size and long and narrow in shape. Catshead is primarily a cooker (a costard) and develops a wonderful spicy flavour. |
COURT PENDU PLAT
 This is considered the oldest apple known, introduced into Europe in Roman times. It's small in size, yellow skin flushed orange and red, sometimes russet. Creamy, brisk acid flavour. Flowers very late (avoids frost) and is really great for a 1500 year old apple! |
GRAVENSTEIN
 One of the world's more esteemed old apples along with Cox's Orange, Calville Blanc, Ribston Pippin and McIntosh. Widely grown particularly throughout Europe but just about everywhere else we've visited including Mexico, California, South America and of course Tasmania. They achieve a good size and lovely colouring, with crisp light sweet flesh when left on the tree to ripen. However, they are often picked too early to catch good early prices. Excellent cooked or fresh and make a very pleasant cider too. Gravenstein is a triploid (needs pollinator) and start to bear in year three on our rootstock. |
PEASGOOD'S NONSUCH
 In our apple tastings, Peasgood's Nonsuch is always met with disbelief. Huge apples of almost grapefruit size. Coarse, very sweet flesh, cooks well and a great eater. Great name too. |
PRINCE ALFRED
 This apple is HUGE, the winner of many an apple competition. It's quite a light fruit despite it's blocky conical shape, dull red in colour, and when ripe may reach the size of a baby's head. Some people enjoy it fresh to eat, and cooks splendidly. |
REINETTE DORÉE
 Also called Golden Reinette, one of Europe's most famous old apples. It ripens fairly late, has a russeted skin and dense aromatic flesh. For eating and cooking, Reinette dorée was typically one of those apples cellared to be used from Christmas onward through an European winter. |
STURMER
 Feedback from our customers rates Sturmer as one of the most satisfying apples to grow. It's extremely late, very acid, great eaten fresh, cooked and great for cider too. By modern standards it's no beauty; orange/yellow russeted skin, dense yellowish flesh, medium in size. It's a very heavy cropper and stores well. An essential apple for the home gardener as it extends the apple season well into late winter when most others have finished. |
There is a whole culture of cooking apples that is virtually unknown today - apples that are perhaps bland and uninteresting when eaten fresh but come alive with delicate flavours and consistencies when cooked or baked.
