Cockle Pippin
AppleCockle Pippin
Origin/History
Cockle Pippin originated in Sussex, England, raised by a person named Cockle, probably around 1800. It is listed in Ronalds (no. 23) and is known in Germany as Hahnen Peppin. The variety is frequently confused with the Nutmeg Pippin, from which it is distinct; Bunyard (1920) explicitly identifies "Nutmeg Pippin" as an erroneous synonym.
Tree
Downing describes the tree as healthy and hardy, with shoots moderately stout and chestnut colored. Bunyard characterizes growth as moderate and upright, noting that the long, willowy shoots are very distinct and a distinguishing feature of the variety. The tree is fertile.
Leaves are long, rather pale, flat and undulating, with very markedly doubly curved serration (Bunyard).
Fruit
Size: Bunyard gives the measurement as smallish, approximately 2¼ inches by 2⅛ inches. Downing describes the fruit as medium — a slight discrepancy between sources.
Form: Roundish conical (Downing) / round, conical, regular (Bunyard). Downing notes the fruit is slightly ribbed.
Stem: Stout and fleshy, set in a shallow cavity (Bunyard).
Cavity: Shallow (Bunyard).
Calyx: Closed (Bunyard).
Basin: Shallow and ribbed (Bunyard).
Skin: Downing describes the color as green with brown russet. Bunyard is more specific: greenish-yellow, with thin cinnamon russet that increases in coverage towards the base.
Flesh/Flavor: Both sources agree the flesh is crisp. Downing describes it as yellowish, firm, crisp, and aromatic, rating it "Good." Bunyard describes it as yellow and crisp, but characterizes the flavor as only moderate — while adding that it is of excellent flavor in warm seasons.
Core/Seeds: Not described in source.
Season
Bunyard gives December to March; Downing gives January to April. The sources overlap substantially, with Bunyard beginning a month earlier and Downing extending a month later.
Uses
Dessert (Bunyard). Keeps well (Bunyard).
Other
Cockle Pippin is frequently confused with Nutmeg Pippin, but Bunyard explicitly distinguishes the two as separate varieties, calling the equation an error.
Book Sources
Described in 2 period pomological works
- Downing, Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)
- Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920) — listed as COCKLE'S PIPPIN
Nursery Catalog Sources
Found in 5 catalogs (1900–1913) from England, Illinois
- George Bunyard & Co. , Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, Kent , England — 1900 — listed as Cockle's Pippin
- Central Experimental Farm , Dominion Department of Agriculture, Agassiz, British Columbia (under test; Bulletin No. 3, Second Series) — 1900 — listed as Cockle's Pippin
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1901
- James Veitch & Sons , Ltd., Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, London (also Coombe Wood, Langley, and Feltham) , England — 1911 — listed as Cockle's Pippin
- Benjamin Buckman (personal inventory) , Farmingdale , Illinois — 1913
View original book sources (2)
— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)Cockle Pippin.
Nutmeg Cockle. Nutmeg Pippin. White Cockle. Brown Cockle.
A variety from Sussex, England. Tree healthy, hardy. Shoots moderately stout, chestnut colored.
Fruit medium, roundish conical, slightly ribbed, green, with brown russet. Flesh yellowish, firm, crisp, aromatic. Good. January to April.
— E.A. Bunyard, A Handbook of Hardy Fruits (1920)COCKLE'S PIPPIN. Ronalds, 23. G., Hahnen Peppin. (Nutmeg Pippin (error), Pilot Russet.) Dessert, December to March, smallish, 2¼ by 2⅛, round, conical, regular. Colour, greenish-yellow, with thin cinnamon russet, which increases towards the base. Flesh, crisp, yellow, moderate flavour. Eye, closed in a shallow ribbed basin. Stem, stout and fleshy in a shallow cavity. Growth, moderate, upright, the long willowy shoots being very distinct; fertile. Leaf, long, rather pale, flat undulating, very markedly doubly curved serrate. Origin, raised by a person named Cockle, in Sussex, probably about 1800. Of excellent flavour in warm seasons. Keeps well. Distinct from Nutmeg Pippin, with which it is often confused.