Quite different then most; the French maintain their tough skinned , long lasting apples for a very long time. In the Rhone Alps they do not even pick their Pomme De Fer de Savoy until March if they can get away with it. Allowing successive chills. And then let it settle another few months in storage.
Then they break out their trusty knife and enjoy a crisp. sweet strawberry/raspberry treat. They claim they can sometimes store to the next August this way.
Should we try this with some of our tough skinned heritage apples if they will hang in Winter? Are were perhaps missing out?
I grow a similar type of apple called Roter Eiserapfel Roter Eiserapfel – Wikipedia , or “iron apple” and “nun”. However this one falls from the tree as the temperatures start dropping abruptly in the evenings (I once happened to be around when this was happening - and a whole tree literally shed all apples that I did’t manage to pick within 30minutes ). It used to be stored outside (sheltered from rain) in pyramidal heaps just covered with straw and keeps until May. It 's also almost twice as heavy as a regular apple of the same size (dense like a quince). I have kept a box of them outside under a roof this winter and they lasted through -12°C while keeping their texture after thawing while other apples turned to glassy mush. It is also almost inedible until December/January like our local winter pears.
I’ve heard this type called “guard apples”, and they often flower really late too. I’ve several similar to this for their late frost avoiding late flowers.
Do the apples in this picture look like your Eiserapfel? These come from a tree that was sold to us as a Bohnapfel, which they are obviously not and I thought that they look somewhat like the Eiserapfel pictures and descriptions online…
I think there may be some local variation. Not much, but even when you look at Google images. Mine are a little less conical on the bottom side, but both fit within reference range. The weight is a dead giveaway.
Which one? There is a Berner and Bohemian type of that Apple. Maybe other.
Pomme De’Fer also has various versions. The Savoy I mention looks like the others. But the top and bottom of the central core is distinctly 5 starred.
Probably. But I was thinking along the lines of some kind of mild mutation.
The Rosenapfel varieties are actually quite different but both rather delicate, or so I’ve read. Whereas you could play bowling (on grass ) with Eiserapfel.
). It used to be stored outside (sheltered from rain) in pyramidal heaps just covered with straw and keeps until May. It 's also almost twice as heavy as a regular apple of the same size (dense like a quince). I have kept a box of them outside under a roof this winter and they lasted through -12°C while keeping their texture after thawing while other apples turned to glassy mush. It is also almost inedible until December/January like our local winter pears.
