Vintage Virginia Apples

ROSS NONPAREIL is also known as French Pippin, Lawson Pearmain, and Nonpareil Ross. There is an 1802 record from Meath, Ireland, of this high-flavored apple with a rich distinctiveness, high sugar and tartness. Often it is called an Irish russet apple, but it is likely of French origin, which is supported by a report in 1819. It was known to Downing in 1845 who wrote: "…to our taste, one of the highest flavored and most delicious of all apples for the dessert…worthy of a place in every amateur's garden." It was thought lost to cultivation until rediscovered in England by the Royal Horticultural Society after World War II. It is a small, round or conical apple, covered with a thin, gold-brown russet, usually, with striking, scarlet stripes showing through. A flavor comparison to fennel or anise has been made. It is very subject to rot just before ripening. Ross Nonpareil ripens in late September.