From the Living Museum
Giant Russian Crab
- Origin
- Russia or Central Asia (red-fleshed Malus material circulated in North American collections as Giant Russian Crab)
- Era
- Russian / Central Asian material
- Type / use
- Cider · Novelty · Ornamental
Portrait to be revealed
History & Stories
Large (for a crab) fruit with deep red-purple skin and intensely red flesh that bleeds dramatically when cut. Tart, astringent, berry-like flavor. Unique for the combination of size, extreme red flesh, red blossoms, and high value to both cider makers (color and tannin) and ornamental growers. Scab-prone in some climates but visually spectacular.
Folklore & Name
Red-fleshed crab of Russian or Central Asian ancestry circulated in North American collections. Name descriptive of size and origin. Valued for dramatic red flesh, red blossoms, and cider color.
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 think: stories & traditions
Very little is recorded. We haven't found any reliable account of where Giant Russian Crab came from. The Pomiferous apple database describes it as a red-fleshed apple used to give cider a rich colour, with small to medium fruit, red skin, dark red foliage, and "very tart" flesh. It notes that "despite its name, the Giant Russian produces small to medium-size fruit" 1.
A name, not a pedigree. Some online sellers give it a Soviet breeding history, but we couldn't find a primary source to support that. The name "Russian" was attached to many hardy apples that came to North America from Eastern Europe, so it doesn't prove where this one began.
Any label or nursery history that came with our tree is worth keeping as part of the record.
Sources
- Pomiferous, "RF: Giant Russian Crab." pomiferous.com/applebyname/giant-russian-crab-id-2915
Curious about Giant Russian Crab?
Email us at drgoss@honeytreeorchard.com.