Ridge Pippin

Apple

Ridge Pippin

Origin and History

The Ridge Pippin originated in the vicinity of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Warder notes it was "quite a favorite market apple in the neighborhood of Philadelphia, where it originated." Downing describes the origin as "unknown, supposed Pennsylvania." It was valued primarily as a long-keeping market variety.

Tree

According to Downing, the tree is a good grower and good bearer. No further tree description appears in the sources.

Fruit

Size and Form: Fruit rather large, roundish conical, very much ribbed and irregular in outline.

Stem and Cavity: Stem rather short. Cavity wide (Warder) or large (Downing), generally regular.

Calyx and Basin: Calyx small, closed. Basin abrupt, furrowed and folded (Warder), or abrupt and uneven (Downing).

Skin: Ground color yellow, very lightly shaded. Warder describes the surface as additionally "blushed with red," a detail Downing omits. Both sources agree the surface is sprinkled with russet and crimson spots (Warder: "spots"; Downing: "dots").

Flesh and Flavor: Flesh yellow to yellowish, crisp, and juicy. Flavor mild and sub-acid, described by Warder as rich; Downing characterizes it as "almost saccharine, slightly aromatic." Quality rated Good.

Season and Storage

Keeps until March and April. Valued mainly as a long keeper.

Uses

A market apple, salable late in the season owing to its keeping quality.

[NOTE: The Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914) entry consists entirely of a coded tabular notation — "L | rr | yru | G | m | a | 1* | 4* | 1*" — without prose description. The column meanings are not recoverable from context, so no information from this source could be incorporated.]

Book Sources

Described in 3 period pomological works

View original book sources (3)

Ridge Pippin.

This fruit appears to be quite a favorite market apple in the neighborhood of Philadelphia, where it originated.

Fruit rather large, round-conic, very irregular, ribbed; Surface yellow, lightly shaded and blushed with red, and sprinkled with russet and crimson spots.

Basin abrupt, furrowed and folded; Eye small, closed.

Cavity wide, regular; Stem short.

Flesh yellow, crisp, juicy; Flavor mild sub-acid, rich.

Season, until March and April.

— John A. Warder, American Pomology: Apples (1867)

Ridge Pippin.

Origin unknown, supposed Pennsylvania. Tree a good grower and bearer.

Fruit rather large, roundish conical, very much ribbed. Yellow, very slightly shaded, sprinkled with russet and crimson dots. Stalk rather short, inserted generally in a large cavity. Calyx closed, set in an abrupt uneven basin. Flesh yellowish, juicy, crisp, with a mild, almost saccharine, slightly aromatic flavor. Good. March, April.

Valued mainly as a long keeper and salable in market.

— A.J. Downing, The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America (1900)

Ridge Pippin.. L | rr | yru | G | m | a | 1* | 4* | 1*

— Granville Lowther (ed.), Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914)