Pendragon Apple – Red Fleshed Fruit
Pendragon Apple
Our Pendragon tree has borne its first Pendragon apple – in fact, four dark red fruit with amazing coloured flesh. The taste is okay – it’s fair to say these are grown for their ornamental looks first and foremost, but they’re not a bad eating apple. Maybe one day we can squeeze some pink apple juice!
I learned to graft with this tree, the scion taken from Nigel Deacon’s tree at Sutton Elms. Nigel was the chap who kindly taught me to graft, and I keep meaning to ask him if he’ll teach me other methods – he’s an absolute whizz with the genetics of trees, and specialises in collecting red flesh varieties and varieties native to Leicestershire.
Hopefully we’ll be using this next year!
Dear ‘Merrybower’
(I do remember your real name!)
Pleased to see that your Pendragon tree has fruited.
I hope you’re still grafting. We’re finding Pink Pearl is an excellent apple – eating quality better than Pendragon; Brix about 17. Pendragon (grown here) is about 12.
Hi Nigel, great to hear from you.
Yes – I was quite excited to see it fruit, it looks established enough for me to not worry about it and it really is a beautiful apple. Yes I’m still grafting, I’ve planted a few of our own Newton Wonders a couple of years ago, and also managed to perform a late graft of scions from an old tree in the farm orchard next door which was brought down in March in storms. I was particularly chuffed with that as it was an old standard of which we know nothing, so at least we have a chance of discovering the variety once they start fruiting. 17 Brix is very respectable for the Pink Pearl – I’ll hopefully have enough Pendragon next year to test it more – this year we just ate them. It’s almost a shame to turn them into cider though – with that colour flesh a juice would be better!