Discovery apples have finally ripened – in early September – about a month late according to many people’s idea of when it should be ready to eat. Not only are they delicious but also the skin colouring in many of them is intense, the flesh also more intensively coloured than normally seen.
The skin of an apple contains nearly all of the beneficial substances, known as antioxidants, which neutralise the free oxygen radicals formed all the time in the body by radiation from the heavens. One of these antioxidants, called a flavonoid, is deep red. It is therefore clear that the deeper the red colouration, at least in the skin, the healthier will the apple be. Does this also apply to colouration of the flesh?
It is a shame that Discovery is slowly disappearing from the market, mainly due to the fact that the public’s love of Gala and Braeburn have eclipsed the need for early ripening English apples. These two varieties are freely available at that time from New Zealand, where they originated. Discovery’s demise was possibly also helped by the fact that, because of the previous rush to get the first Discovery apples onto the market, they tended to be sold with only a faint red flush, and in my opinion were not very sweet.
Howard Stringer
Howard Stringer can always be relied to come up with astute observations about our garden fruits. Discovery’s flavonoids are nature’s medicine cabinet, and free of prescription charge. Whilst he may have been frustrated by the somewhat tardiness in Discovery’s ripening in 2008, the end product is well worth waiting for. But let me add further flavonoid delights to his palate in two relatively new introductions – Scrumptious and Red Devil. Both bred by ace pomologist Hugh Ermen in his modest back garden in Faversham, Kent; he used Discovery as a parent in both his crosses. Scrumptious carries Starkspur Golden Delicious as the other parent, making it a gorgeous munch in early September, and is noticeably red fleshed. But my, the flavours are fabulous and assault the senses.
Also in his fine stable is Red Devil, a Discovery x Kent (ex East Malling). Another really red fleshed fruit (which will squeeze red juice!), but picked later into September, and slightly more acidic, and very flavoursome. This variety is so reliable in cropping in erratic spring weathers, that it is worthy of a place in every fruit garden. Equally important Hugh has bred in high levels of disease resistance into both (mostly from Discovery), making them a favourite fruit where minimum ‘potions’ are needed. Hugh has several other claims to fame with home bred varieties (Winter Gem, Herefordshire Russet and Limelight) and we are indebted to him for such diversity and richness of flavour. And we know there are more to come. Well done Hughie!
Despite Gala and Braeburn being available all year round from all over the world, English growers are urgently looking for good early ripening varieties that will withstand the grading packing and marketing process and provide excellent eating quality in the shops. This is vital to get the English season off to a really good start, something which unfortunately Discovery has failed to do because it does not handle well and so often loses eating quality between the orchard and the supermarket shelf.