From the Living Museum
Stoke Red
- Origin
- Rodney Stoke, Rodney Stoke, Rodney Stoke, Somerset, England; noticed in surveys of the 1920s; noticed in surveys of the 1920s; noticed in surveys of the 1920s
- Era
- Noticed in the 1920s; older
- Type / use
- Cider (Bittersharp)
History & Stories
Classic West Country bittersharp cider apple. High acid and tannin for traditional English cider structure. Reliable component of authentic cider blends.
Folklore & Name
Somerset English cider apple. Named for the village of Rodney Stoke, where it was found 1. Classic West Country bittersharp.
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
The UK National Fruit Collection says Stoke Red "gained attention in the 1920s when surveys found trees growing in Rodney Stoke, Somerset." The trees "are fairly vigorous and crop quite heavily," and the apple "produces a sharp, slightly astringent juice and a fine, sharp cider" 1.
What we think: stories & traditions
Found, not bred. Rodney Stoke is a village at the foot of the Mendip Hills. Stoke Red was clearly there before the 1920s surveys found it, but we haven't found any older record of who planted it or when 1. The name looks like a simple combination of its village and its colour.
The National Fruit Collection records it flowering in mid-May, describes the tree as a heavy cropper, and calls its juice sharp and "slightly astringent." That combination makes it a bittersharp in cider makers' terms 1.
Sources
- UK National Fruit Collection, "Stoke Red." www.nationalfruitcollection.org.uk/full2.php?id=6039&fruit=apple
Curious about Stoke Red?
Email us at drgoss@honeytreeorchard.com.