From the Living Museum
Cinnamon Spice
- Origin
- Probably Laxton's Fortune (Bedford, England, raised 1904), renamed after it was found at Bolinas, California
- Era
- Raised 1904 in England (if Laxton's Fortune); named in California later
- Type / use
- Dessert · Fresh eating
Portrait to be revealed
History & Stories
The name points to an aromatic, spicy flavor profile that growers who have it prize. Sparse published detail makes it a good candidate for closer study and tasting notes from my own trees.
Folklore & Name
Found at Bolinas, California, by Jesse Schwartz and named for its cinnamon flavour; it has since been identified as the English apple Laxton's Fortune 1,2. Noted for sweet, wine-red fruit with a distinct cinnamon aftertaste 1. Popular in the American South. Name is purely descriptive of the flavor sensation.
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
Trees of Antiquity, a California nursery, says Cinnamon Spice was found in Bolinas, California, by Jesse Schwartz. Nobody could identify it, so it was named for its cinnamon-like flavour 1. It was later identified as the English apple Laxton's Fortune 1. The UK National Fruit Collection records Fortune (Laxton's Fortune) as raised in 1904 by Laxton Brothers of Bedford, England, and introduced in 1931 2.
The competing accounts
- Trees of Antiquity 1: found in Bolinas, California, by Jesse Schwartz; nobody could name it, so it was called Cinnamon Spice; later identified as the English apple Laxton's Fortune.
- UK National Fruit Collection 2: Fortune (Laxton's Fortune) was raised in 1904 by Laxton Brothers of Bedford and introduced in 1931.
Most likely (our judgment, not a certainty): Laxton's Fortune under a Californian name. The identification comes from the nursery that sells it, and we have not seen the evidence behind it, so a DNA or fruit comparison would make it firm.
What we think: stories & traditions
An English apple under a Californian name. A Bolinas tree was most likely grown from nursery stock and lost its label. That is our guess, not a recorded fact. If the identification is right, the Cinnamon Spice grown here is a Laxton apple raised in 1904 1,2.
Sources
- Trees of Antiquity, "Cinnamon Spice Apple Tree." www.treesofantiquity.com/products/cinnamon-spice-apple-tree
- UK National Fruit Collection, "Fortune." www.nationalfruitcollection.org.uk/full2.php?id=2098&fruit=apple
Curious about Cinnamon Spice?
Email us at drgoss@honeytreeorchard.com.