[Sca-cooks] On apples

[Lijsbet de Keukere]

What? The newbie has another question? Inconceivable! :)

Someone new to my barony lives on land that was once a cider orchard, and
many of the trees are still standing. The variety, they say, is Malus
sylvestris, which, if I'm looking in the right places, is a wild crab apple
originating in Northern Europe. The owner says this variety can be traced
back to the colonial era in America (the earliest mention I was able to
find was a 1799 botany book).

These apples are very firm (nearly rock hard), and very tart. Its skin is a
pale yellow, and it looks like it turns red in the spots most exposed to
the sun. One of the prime characteristics of these apple trees is its spiny
nature - there are large, sharp spines that stick out from the branches. I
cannot seem to find a resource that mentions the history of the spiny
version of this crab apple, unless of course, it is simply implied. It is
just unique enough that I wondered if it was its own variety which
warranted a closer look.

I don't want to get my hopes up, but I will say that the prospect of having
unfettered access to a cultivar of apple that is very close to SCA period
is exciting, and has me preparing my mason jars. But before I get too far
ahead of myself, is anyone here familiar with this variety of apple?

Thank you for humoring me, and for your patience with the frequency of my
questions!

-- 
Yours In Service,

Vrouw Lijsbet de Keukere