From the Living Museum
Blue Pearmain
- Origin
- Probably New England (origin uncertain); known in the early 1800s
- Era
- Early 1800s (in print by 1833)
- Type / use
- Dual-purpose · Cider
History & Stories
Large fruit with a distinctive blue-purple bloom that gives it its name. Coarse but richly aromatic, sweet-tart flesh. Unique appearance and old American dual-purpose / cider character. Less refined than some dessert varieties but memorable for color and flavor depth.
Folklore & Name
Named for the distinctive blue-purple bloom on the skin. Old variety, thought to be American, known in the early 1800s and described by Kenrick in 1833 1,2.
Digging into the History
Below my own notes, here is what the old fruit books and today’s collections record about this apple, kept apart from the stories people tell.
What we know
Blue Pearmain is an old New England apple named for the dusky, bluish bloom on its dark red skin. S.A. Beach's The Apples of New York (1905) calls it an old apple whose origin is unknown that "is supposed to be an American variety." He notes that it was planted in the home orchards of the hill country of New York and New England for its hardiness, and that Kenrick mentioned it as common around Boston in the early nineteenth century 1. Beach's earliest reference is Kenrick's New American Orchardist (1833) 1. The UK National Fruit Collection says it was known by the early 1800s and that the Royal Horticultural Society gave it awards twice, in 1893 and again in 1896 2.
Beach was not a fan for market purposes: "When well colored it is beautiful, though not brilliant, being overcast with a dull bluish bloom," but it was a poor market apple 1.
The competing accounts
- S.A. Beach, 1905 1: "of uncertain origin" and "supposed to be" American; his earliest reference is Kenrick (1833), who found it common around Boston.
- UK National Fruit Collection 2: known in the early 1800s.
- A date of 1817, credited to William Coxe, is sometimes given. We searched Coxe's 1817 book and did not find the apple there.
Most likely (our judgment, not a certainty): an American, probably New England, apple known in the early 1800s and first in print in 1833. Beach's careful search of the literature is our best guide, and the 1817 date has no source we could find.
What we think: stories & traditions
Thoreau's apple. Henry David Thoreau wrote about it in his essay "Wild Apples" (1862): "I know a Blue-Pearmain tree, growing within the edge of a swamp, almost as good as wild." In November he would hunt for its fallen fruit under the leaves and, "being perhaps four or five miles from home," eat them on the walk back, "first from this side, and then from that, to keep my balance" 3. It is hard to think of a better recommendation for a hardy old farm apple.
Sources
- S.A. Beach, The Apples of New York, Vol. 1 (Albany: J.B. Lyon, 1905), "Blue Pearmain," p. 79. archive.org/details/applesofnewyork01beaciala/page/79
- UK National Fruit Collection, "Blue Pearmain." www.nationalfruitcollection.org.uk/full2.php?id=635&fruit=apple
- Henry David Thoreau, "Wild Apples," The Atlantic Monthly (November 1862). Project Gutenberg. www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4066
Curious about Blue Pearmain?
Email us at drgoss@honeytreeorchard.com.