winter greening
Description
An old and valuable apple, assumed of Oxfordshire origin, but once widely grown. History has wrongly concluded that Winter Greening and French Crab were the same. The first reference we have found to Winter Greening, was by Abercrombie in 1779, who described it as 'A very large green apple', (which could not be French Crab). No references to French Crab predate that, and it seems that Forsyth (1810) was the first author to note French Crab. It was believed that French Crab was imported to Britain in the 1790s, or perhaps a little earlier. The confusion seems to have arisen with Scott (1872) and was carried forward by Hogg (1884). It is one of many examples where confusion between varieties leads to their being merged and a synonym being created. In this case Scott gave Winter Greening as a synonym of French Crab, but this did not mean that Winter Greening did not exist as a separate apple. Hogg assumed they were the same, in error. Later writers tried to make the facts fit the naming and the National Apple Register of 1971 took both together and merged all of their synonyms. Winter Greening seemed not to exist. Yet we have two very different apples, one named French Crab and the other Winter Greening. In the first London Horticultural Society catalogue of 1826 French Crab and Winter Greening were included separately. The same applied to their 1842 catalogue. Yet Taylor in 1946, referring directly to both catalogues wrongly says that Winter Greening was included as French Crab. He, however, lists both with different descriptions, albeit with a lack of confidence. In the catalogue of the Apple and Pear Conference of 1934, both were exhibited and kept separate in the catalogue. They had French Crab, with a synonym of Winter Greening, and also Winter Greening, with a synonym of John Apple. The true John Apple was known to Shakespeare and is now 'missing'. Winter Greening at The Apple and Pear Conference was exhibited from both Staffordshire and, interestingly, Oxford - where ours came from. Lindley in the 1830s, wrote of French Crab under the name Easter Pippin, but did not make it synonymous with Winter Greening. Somewhere between Lindley and Scott (1872) they became confused, later they were merged to become the same. The full evidence requires that they be separated again. It may be that Winter Greening and the historic John Apple are the same. It may also be that Winter Greening and Somerset Stone Pippin are the same. Scott's good description of the latter is in full accord with our Winter Greening and Somerset Stone Pippin is a known synonym of Winter Greening. The apple we now have as Winter Greening was introduced to us by Joy Midwinter of Witney. Her grandfather planted an orchard at Wolvercote Church, near Oxford, in 1911 and, while living there from 1937, she remembers her father calling one of the varieties 'Winter Greening". Two old trees of it still bear well. It is a superb culinary apple, as well as a delicious eater when fully ripe. It is quite a dense apple - crisp, very juicy and with sweet, fragrant flesh. It is ripe in October and will keep well into the Spring. At the end of the year it is still a good crisp dessert apple with full flavour. When cooked it softens quickly, but keeps its shape. The flavour is excellent, without the need for sugar. A medium to large, conical to oblong apple with skin of pea green, becoming golden, streaked with deep red. The body and eye cavity are ribbed. A very attractive and useful apple. Trees have an ornamental arching habit."
An old and valuable apple, assumed of Oxfordshire origin, but once widely grown. History has wrongly concluded that Winter Greening and French Crab were the same. The first reference we have found to Winter Greening, was by Abercrombie in 1779, who described it as 'A very large green apple', (which could not be French Crab). No references to French Crab predate that, and it seems that Forsyth (1810) was the first author to note French Crab. It was believed that French Crab was imported to Britain in the 1790s, or perhaps a little earlier. The confusion seems to have arisen with Scott (1872) and was carried forward by Hogg (1884). It is one of many examples where confusion between varieties leads to their being merged and a synonym being created. In this case Scott gave Winter Greening as a synonym of French Crab, but this did not mean that Winter Greening did not exist as a separate apple. Hogg assumed they were the same, in error. Later writers tried to make the facts fit the naming and the National Apple Register of 1971 took both together and merged all of their synonyms. Winter Greening seemed not to exist. Yet we have two very different apples, one named French Crab and the other Winter Greening. In the first London Horticultural Society catalogue of 1826 French Crab and Winter Greening were included separately. The same applied to their 1842 catalogue. Yet Taylor in 1946, referring directly to both catalogues wrongly says that Winter Greening was included as French Crab. He, however, lists both with different descriptions, albeit with a lack of confidence. In the catalogue of the Apple and Pear Conference of 1934, both were exhibited and kept separate in the catalogue. They had French Crab, with a synonym of Winter Greening, and also Winter Greening, with a synonym of John Apple. The true John Apple was known to Shakespeare and is now 'missing'. Winter Greening at The Apple and Pear Conference was exhibited from both Staffordshire and, interestingly, Oxford - where ours came from. Lindley in the 1830s, wrote of French Crab under the name Easter Pippin, but did not make it synonymous with Winter Greening. Somewhere between Lindley and Scott (1872) they became confused, later they were merged to become the same. The full evidence requires that they be separated again. It may be that Winter Greening and the historic John Apple are the same. It may also be that Winter Greening and Somerset Stone Pippin are the same. Scott's good description of the latter is in full accord with our Winter Greening and Somerset Stone Pippin is a known synonym of Winter Greening. The apple we now have as Winter Greening was introduced to us by Joy Midwinter of Witney. Her grandfather planted an orchard at Wolvercote Church, near Oxford, in 1911 and, while living there from 1937, she remembers her father calling one of the varieties 'Winter Greening". Two old trees of it still bear well. It is a superb culinary apple, as well as a delicious eater when fully ripe. It is quite a dense apple - crisp, very juicy and with sweet, fragrant flesh. It is ripe in October and will keep well into the Spring. At the end of the year it is still a good crisp dessert apple with full flavour. When cooked it softens quickly, but keeps its shape. The flavour is excellent, without the need for sugar. A medium to large, conical to oblong apple with skin of pea green, becoming golden, streaked with deep red. The body and eye cavity are ribbed. A very attractive and useful apple. Trees have an ornamental arching habit."
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Latin name: Malus domestica 'Winter Greening'
Type: dessert Uses: eating, cooking Flavour: excellent Pollination group: 4 |
Flowering time:
Picking time: October Eating/storing time: October - March Size: large Rootstock: M25 Year planted: 2014 |