Gascoyne's Scarlet
Origin and History
Raised by Mr Gascoyne of Bapchild Court, Sittingbourne, Kent and introduced by G Bunyard & Son of Maidstone, Kent in 1871, Gascoyne’s Scarlet is a large, red dessert apple. It was awarded an RHS First Class Certificate in 1887. Although it has largely slipped into obscurity, Gascoyne’s Scarlet was once very popular in England and introduced into France and Germany in 1883. It is still grown in a few orchards in Thuringia.
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Fruit
The particularly attractive fruit is large, crisp, juicy, lopsided and five-crowned. The skin is pale green, with half almost completely covered with bright scarlet; the lenticels are rust-coloured and conspicuous. The flesh is juicy, green and white. It starts off hard and sour at harvest but mellows during storage, developing by November a flavour variously described as ‘delicate’ and ‘balsamatic'.
Picking, Storing and Using
It can be used for eating or cooking, when it will break up completely. It is best picked in October and stored in the refrigerator, where it will keep for three months. Gascoyne’s Scarlet is renowned for producing beautiful, pink juice.
It is a vigorous, upward spreading tree and a reliable and heavy cropper. Gascoyne’s Scarlet is self-sterile; good pollinators include Allington Pippin, Charles Ross and Ellison’s Orange.
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Copyright © Karen Meadows 2018