From the Living Museum
Golden Harvey
- Origin
- England (Herefordshire area), 17th–18th century or earlier; also known as Brandy Apple
- Era
- 17th–18th c. or earlier
- Type / use
- Dessert
History & Stories
Small-to-medium, golden russeted fruit with intensely sweet, rich, almost brandy- or honey-like flavor and low acid. Unique for the extraordinary sweetness and depth of flavor concentrated in a small russet package; a true connoisseur’s late dessert apple.
Folklore & Name
Old English russet also known as Brandy Apple. Name reflects the intensely sweet, rich, almost spirit-like flavor. Classic connoisseur’s late dessert russet.
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
Golden Harvey is an old Herefordshire apple. The UK National Fruit Collection says it is "thought to have originated in the 1600s in Herefordshire" and lists it as both a dessert and a cider apple 1. Robert Hogg's Fruit Manual (1884) called it "one of the richest and most excellent dessert apples," in use "from December to May" 2.
What we think: stories & traditions
The Brandy Apple. Hogg explains its best-known nickname: besides being a fine dessert apple, it ranks among the best cider apples, and its juice is so strong (a specific gravity of 1085) that it earned the name Brandy Apple 2. A high specific gravity means a lot of sugar, and a lot of sugar means a strong cider. The nickname appears in its official synonyms too 1.
Who was Harvey? We haven't found any record of a person behind the name. It may honour a grower, but that is a guess.
Sources
- UK National Fruit Collection, "Golden Harvey." www.nationalfruitcollection.org.uk/full2.php?id=2344&fruit=apple
- Robert Hogg, The Fruit Manual, 5th ed. (London, 1884), "Golden Harvey," pp. 88–89. archive.org/details/fruitmanualguide00hoggrich/page/88
Curious about Golden Harvey?
Email us at drgoss@honeytreeorchard.com.