Vintage Virginia Apples

PORTUGAL was once among the most important and most popular quince varieties. In 1611, John Tradescant brought the 'Portugal' quince to Britain, and the fruits were popular throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, but apples and pears seem gradually to have edged them out of both kitchen and orchard. By the 20th century they had slipped firmly from favor. The fruits are bumpy and irregular (oblong-pear shaped), 4” long and 3½” wide at the thickest part, tapering to the stalk. The skin is a deep yellowish-orange, covered with grey down. It has a mild flavor, juicier than most. The fruit ripens earlier than most. It is slow to start cropping and shy bearing. This variety has a variable growth habit, the trees looking somewhat gangly with large, untidy looking leaves. But the trees are also very vigorous, becoming large and spreading; not quite so hardy as some.

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