By some accounts, this early English variety was once quite popular and is still grown commercially today.
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My samples are medium sized, slightly ribbed and slightly flattened at top and bottom.
Their warm red blush, over spring green, is variegated and includes many lenticel dots that are curiously indistinct, as though they were fuzzily out of focused.
The dots grow larger the closer to the stem, and are light colored in the unblushed green.
There are splashes of russet in the stem wells, and around each (closed) calyx are five little bumps
Biting Worcester
The balance here tilts tart, growing less so through the chew to end with a lingering sweet finish. Flavors include some vinous qualities, generic spiciness, and perhaps a hint of berries.
These are some classic, if conventional, flavors, quite satisfying to find in an early apple.
A chewy texture suggests the fruit may have been picked a bit early, though the light-brown color of the pips say at least mostly ripe.
Wikipedia has the goods on what is known, or supposed, about this apple: bred in Worcestershire in the 1870s; sometimes tasting of strawberry (not this time); recognized several times by the Royal Horticultural Society.
Orange Pippin says Worcester is "still grown commercially on a small scale in England," where it is picked in mid September. My samples (picked in mid August, whenever this is published) might be a little early, based on how they eat, but not by a whole month.
This variety is very popular in Poland.
ReplyDeleteThere’s a tree in a friend’s garden that I’m fairly sure is a Worcester Pearmain. For a few years I picked the apples as they started to turn red, and they were pretty much as you describe: spongy, thin, slightly acidic. I wondered why anyone would plant such a variety. Last year I didn’t bother to pick any. They turned redder as they hung on the tree and then I tried one. They were delicious. Perfumed, with a hint of strawberry, sweet and light. I’m sure yours was picked a bit early as you say. Hopefully you’ll have a better one some time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your experience! which explains why this apple has been grown commercially for more than a century. I can only describe what I get, but I hope to get a better sample next year.
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