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Old Varieties

Celebrating and remembering old fruit and vegetable varieties

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Fruits

Nov 28 2010

Looking for Medlars

Medlars are one of our ancient British fruits making a come back.

During the middle ages, people would have been very familiar with this strange looking small fruit which is actually eaten in it’s over ripe or “bletted” stage.

Common Medlar
Common Medlar

No longer in commercial cultivation, old gardens are generally home to the only trees in the UK.  Some of these trees will be about two hundred years old.

Tracklements Ltd. in Wiltshire have launched a delicious new Medlar Jelly. Great with turkey, pheasant or game it is perfect for the Christmas table or the cold cuts’ table for left-over meat.

The medlars for this jelly were picked by the kind people int he surrounding area. You can see pictures of the donatees and picking adventures on their facebook page.

Tracklements started a quest to find some of these ancient medlar trees and the option of taking the unused fruit in return for finished product.

BBC Countryfile heard of this project and joined them picking for a day.

Put your fruit to work

We are aware that there are various food producers around the UK who will take in unused fruit from gardens and orchards in return for a quantity of finished product.

It would be handy for producers and growers if we could create a database of people willing to link up and put the country’s unused fruit to good use.  If you are interested in joining our list then please contact us via the comments section at the end of this post.

More information

Common Medlar – More information about the Common Medlar

Tracklements Ltd

BBC Countryfile

Written by admin · Categorized: Featured, Medlars & Quinces · Tagged: Bbc, Bbc Countryfile, Christmas, Christmas Table, Cold Cuts, Comments Section, Commercial Cultivation, Finished Product, Food Producers, Fruits, Handy, Hundred Years, Medlar Jelly, Medlar Trees, Medlars, Middle Ages, Orchards, Pheasant, Turkey, Wiltshire

Oct 13 2009

Apple – Duke of Devonshire

The Duke of Devonshire apple was raised in 1835 by Wilson, gardener to the Duke of Devonshire at Holker Hall, Cumbria.

Duke of Devonshire apple
Duke of Devonshire apple

Introduced around 1875, the fruits have a firm, fine texture with rather dry flesh and a slightly nutty flavour.

Uses: Desert
Parents: Unknown
Flowers: Early to Mid May
Picking: Early October
Natural Storage: January – March

The Duke of Devonshire apple can be found growing in the orchards of Acorn Bank House, Temple Sowerby, Cumbria.

Young trees are available from Adam’s Apples, in Devon.

Written by admin · Categorized: Apples · Tagged: Acorn, Apple, apples, Desert, Devon, Duke Of Devonshire, Flesh, Fruits, Gardener, Natural Storage, Nutty Flavour, Orchards, Parents, Temple Sowerby, Texture, Trees, Unknown Flowers

Oct 13 2009

Apple – Cockpit

Originating from Yorkshire, the Cockpit apple was first discovered in 1831.

Cockpit apple
Cockpit apple

Fruits have coarse flesh with a slight acid and almost astringent flavour.

A famous Yorkshire apple which grows well in Cumbria.

Uses: Culinary
Parents: Unknown
Flowers: Early to Mid May
Picking: Early October
Natural Storage: October – December


The Cockpit apple can be found growing in the orchards of Acorn Bank House, Temple Sowerby, Cumbria.

Written by admin · Categorized: Apples · Tagged: Acorn, Apple, Caption, Cockpit, Flesh, Fruits, Natural Storage, Orchards, Parents, Temple Sowerby, Unknown Flowers, Yorkshire

Oct 13 2009

Apple – Golden Spire

The Golden Spire apple was reported to have been discovered in 1850 by Richard Smith of Worcester.

Golden Spire apple
Golden Spire apple

Fruits have a dense, crisp flesh with an acidic, astringent flavour.

Uses: Culinary
Parents: Unknown
Flowers: Late April to Early May
Picking: Early September
Natural Storage: September – October

The Golden Spire apple can be found growing in the orchards of Acorn Bank House, Temple Sowerby, Cumbria.

Written by admin · Categorized: Apples · Tagged: Acorn, Caption, Crisp Flesh, Cumbria, Early September, Flavour, Fruits, Golden Apple, Golden Spire, Natural Storage, Orchards, Parents, Richard Smith, Temple Sowerby, Unknown Flowers

Oct 13 2009

Apple – Carlisle Codlin

The Carlisle Codlin apple is thought to have originated in Carlisle in Cumbria and records show evidence of it’s presence before 1830.

No image available
No image available

Fruits have a rather soft and slightly coarse textured flesh, juicy and mildly acidic. The skin is very smooth and shiny when ripe.

Cultivation of this apple is probably only of local heritage interest, it does not have a good flavour and its very upright habit, makes picking of the fruit difficult.

Uses: Desert
Parents: Unknown
Flowers: Early May
Picking: Late September
Natural Storage: October – December

The Carlisle Codlin apple can be found growing in the orchards of Acorn Bank House, Temple Sowerby, Cumbria.

Written by admin · Categorized: Apples · Tagged: Acorn, Apple, Caption, Carlisle Cumbria, Desert, Flavour, Flesh, Fruits, Habit, heritage, Late September, Natural Storage, Orchards, Parents, Presence, Temple Sowerby, Unknown Flowers

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