James Grieve

Type: Cider, Eating, Juice

Identification: Medium to large and round-conic with light ribbing. The skin is thin and greenish-yellow to yellow, striped red on the sun-exposed face and has a satin sheen. The stem is moderately long and slender, set in a deep, wide and very russetted cavity. The calyx is small and closed, set in a shallow slightly pleated basin. Once ripe, the surface of the skin has a very greasy feel.

Characteristics: The flesh is creamy-white, fine-grained and soft when ripe, much like that of a firm Anjou pear. It tends to be on the sharp side, but it will sweeten and become milder with a week or two of storage. It keeps its shape when cooked. The fruit bruises easily.

Uses: A good fresh-eating apple when fully ripened. Less than fully tree-ripened fruit is wonderful for baking and apple juice.

Origins: Developed in the late 1800s by James Grieve of Edinburgh (Scotland) by cross-pollinating Potts' Seedling with Cox’s Orange Pippin . It was introduced in 1893 by Dickson's Nursery and received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Merit in 1897 followed by a First Class Certificate in 1906.

Cultivation: Upright spreading tree, of moderate vigour. Spur bearer. Heavy cropper. Tolerates late frosts. Fruit bruises easily.

Mutations: James Grieve Red

Cold Storage: Keeps about three weeks.

Vulnerabilities: Prone to scab and canker. Highly susceptible to fire blight.

Harvest: In the middle of the third period (110 to 130 days after petal drop), but the fruit has a tendency to drop in hot weather.

Notes: More often than not, the James Grieve sold in markets is actually the James Grieve Red because the colour is more appealing to consumers. There is no discernible difference in the taste and texture between the two.

Pollination Group: C

Pollination Peak: 10

Ploidism: Self fertile but produces best in the proximity of a suitable source of pollen.

Cold Storage Weeks: 3

Brix: 10.6

Acidity: 7.9

Sg: 1.0425