Winter Pomeroy
Apple
WINTER POMEROY
Origin & History
An apple of Herefordshire origin, found established in the leading garden-orchards of the county, though its name had largely been forgotten by the time of the 1885 Pomona. The variety was propagated extensively by the late Mr. Godsall at his nursery grounds in Hereford, where it was a great favorite. It became a regular fixture of the Christmas market, though it was commonly and inaccurately sold under the commercial name "Green Blenheim" — a misnomer the Woolhope Naturalists dismissively attributed to the popularity of the Blenheim Orange.
Tree
Hardy and bears well. Suitable for orchard planting.
Fruit
Form & Size: Medium sized, roundish, inclining to ovate form, flattened at the base. Distinctly five-sided, especially towards the apex, where the angles form distinct ridges.
Skin & Surface: Smooth. On the shaded side, deep yellow when ripe and strewed with large russet dots. On the side next the sun, colored with a bright red cheek.
Eye (Calyx): Open, set in a moderately deep basin with somewhat connivent segments. The tube is short conical, and the stamens are inserted in the middle of the tube.
Stalk & Cavity: Upwards of half an inch long, very slender. Inserted in a deep, narrow cavity lined with a patch of pale brown russet.
Flesh & Flavor: Yellowish in color, firm and crisp in texture. Pleasant subacid flavor.
Core & Seeds: The cells of the core are open and regular.
Season & Uses
In season from October to December. An excellent culinary apple, regularly brought to market around Christmas time.
Book Sources
Described in 1 period pomological work
View original book sources (1)
— Woolhope Naturalists Field Club, The Herefordshire Pomona (1885)Plate II.
- WINTER POMEROY.
Description.—Fruit; medium sized, roundish, inclining to ovate, flattened at the base, and distinctly five-sided, especially towards the apex, where the angles form distinct ridges. Skin; smooth, deep yellow on the shaded side, when ripe, and strewed with large russet dots; on the side next the sun, it is coloured with a bright red cheek. Eye; open, set in a moderately deep basin with somewhat connivent segments; the tube is short conical, and the stamens are inserted in the middle of the tube. Stalk upwards of half an inch long, very slender, and inserted in a deep narrow cavity, which is lined with a patch of pale brown russet. Flesh yellowish, firm and crisp in texture, with a pleasant subacid flavour. The cells of the core are open and regular.
This is an excellent culinary apple, in season from October to December.
The tree is hardy and bears well. Both these Pomeroys are to be found in most of the leading garden-orchards of Herefordshire, though for the most part their names are forgotten. The Winter Pomeroy is the most frequent, which may perhaps be accounted for by the fact that a tree exists in the old Nursery grounds of the late Mr. Godsall at Hereford, with whom this variety was a great favourite, and who propagated it extensively. It is always brought to the Christmas market, and sold under the absurd name of "Green Blenheim," which is of course merely a tribute to the popularity of the Blenheim Orange.