My espaliered apples are producing fruit for the first time this year. There are not many, especially since I thinned each cluster to one or at most two apples, as instructed by Derry, my apple mentor. However, they are certainly making up in size for what they lack in quantity.
Macoun, a heritage variety introduced in 1923, has only four fruits, but they are BIG. The largest fell off a few days ago, presumably because the stem could not hold its weight any longer.
It weighs in at 11 oz on my old kitchen scale.
I've read that the skin of this apple turns deep purple when it is ripe, so I'm wondering whether to sample it now or wait a little while in the hope it will ripen further off the tree.
