Winter Cheese

Apple

USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection

Winter Cheese

Origin/History

American variety. One of the most highly esteemed early winter apples of southern Virginia (Thomas). Closely resembles the Fall Cheese, but is a longer keeper (Thomas). Also known as Green Cheese (Thomas).

Tree

Not described in source.

Fruit

Size: Medium (Elliott; Thomas).

Form: Oblate (Thomas).

Stem: Not described in source.

Cavity: Not described in source.

Calyx: Not described in source.

Basin: Not described in source.

Skin: Greenish in the shade, with stripes of dull brownish red on the sun-exposed side (Elliott; Thomas). Thomas describes the shaded color as green and the sunny side as red; Elliott describes it as greenish with stripes of dull brownish red in sun — both accounts are consistent.

Flesh/Flavor: Sources conflict on condition at eating. Thomas, describing the variety at its proper season, reports the flesh as very crisp, very tender and delicate, sprightly, and of a fine, pleasant flavor. Both sources agree, however, that the flesh becomes mealy past maturity — Elliott describes it simply as mealy and poor, while Thomas specifies it becomes mealy and insipid after maturity.

Core/Seeds: Not described in source.

Season

December through January (Elliott). Described as an early winter apple (Thomas).

Uses

Not described in source.

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Not described in source.

Book Sources

Described in 2 period pomological works

View original book sources (2)

Winter Cheese. American. Medium, greenish, with stripes of dull brownish red in sun, mealy, poor. December, January.

— F.R. Elliott, The Western Fruit Book (1865)

Winter Cheese. (Green Cheese.) Medium in size, oblate; green in the shade, red in the sun; flesh very crisp, very tender and delicate, sprightly, and of a fine, pleasant flavor. One of the most highly esteemed early winter apples of southern Virginia, closely resembling the Fall Cheese, but a longer keeper. Becomes mealy and insipid after maturity.

— John J. Thomas, The American Fruit Culturist (1903)

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