Northern Greening

Origin and History

Northern Greening is a very old English apple, widely grown by the beginning of the 19th century. The Victorian pomologist Dr Robert Hogg described it as 'an excellent culinary apple of first-rate quality'. Modern writers tend to be less complimentary but recognise Northern Greening's important role as progenitor of later cooking apples, including the superb Dumelow's Seedling.

Synonyms are many and various and include Cowarn Queening, John Apple, Kirk Langley Pippin, Verte du Nord, Walmar Court and Woodcock.

Fruit

The fruit has a rather un-prepossessing, oblong, lumpy appearance and is smaller than most other English cooking apples. The flesh is greenish white, firm and juicy with a rather coarse texture. The skin is pale grassy green with a light brownish-red flush on the sunny side. It sometimes has broad, broken stripes of a darker red.

Picking, Storing and Using

Northern Greening quickly cooks down to a sharp juicy purée and makes excellent sauce for serving with pork. The fruit should usually be picked in mid October and is at its best between December and April.

Growth, Flowering and Pollination

The tree is small and upright, disease-resistant and a reliable cropper.

Northern Greening needs a pollination partner to set fruit. Possibilities include Cornish Aromatic, Keswick Codlin and Laxton's Fortune.