Heirloom Apple Varieties
Ashmead’s Kernel
Dr. Ashmead, an Englishman, planted an apple seed in his garden in the early 1700s. It grew into a delicious variety that has won the highest awards from the Royal Horticultural Society, despite its homely appearance. Kernel is another term for an apple tree grown from seed, and this one tastes like a crunchy lemon when it’s first picked and mellows as the sugars develop. This is one of the few Old World apples that adjusted well to settlement in North America, and the tree itself is rather easy to maintain. Ashmead has a fine grain flesh and is a “high acid, high sugar” apple like a Reinette. Smaller, golden russeted apple often with a red cheek. This apple has been prized for over two centuries for its use in fresh eating, cooking, juicing and cider. Early October.
