High-quality fall dessert variety. Beach calls it “moderately firm, rather fine, tender, crisp, very juicy, aromatic, mildly subacid, good to very good.” We agree. Also makes a nice loose mild pink sauce. Small-to-medium roundish and slightly oblate fruit, mostly covered with red stripes and dotted blush. With its large russet stem splash, it looks like a small Wolf River.

Quite likely one of the first varieties to be grown in central and southern Maine. Large vigorous trees. We’ve found two old ones in Waldo County. One introduced to John by local fruit explorer Bruce Brierley had collapsed to the ground decades ago and risen from the rooted branches to form a whole new tree. Keeps until early winter. Blooms early. Z4. (Semi-dwarf: 2½-5' bare-root trees)