Tom Putt is an old English traditional variety often classed as a dessert or dual-purpose apple (good for eating but also for cooking and cider):
It is a heritage apple, cultivar of Malus domestica, originating in England in the late 1700s. It is named after Thomas Putt, likely an 18th-century landowner or clergyman from Devon or Somerset.
It became widely grown across Devon and Somerset and was nicknamed the “Cottage Apple” due to its popularity in gardens and orchards.
The fruits are medium to large, often with a greenish-yellow base flushed and striped with bright red. The shape can be somewhat irregular or conical, and the skin is reasonably tough, helping the fruit keep well into autumn.
Tom Putt apples have crisp, juicy flesh with a sharp, acidic character that mellows slightly if fully ripe. When eaten fresh, they are passable as a dessert apple, though the acid edge makes them especially suited to cooking and juicing. It is also used as a cider apple, particularly as a sharp component in blends (adding acidity to the juice).
Tom Putt is mid-season, typically harvested in late August to September, and will keep well (often until November). A vigorous, spreading tree with a slightly untidy, traditional look, they are reliable croppers, generally resistant to common issues like apple scab.
Prefers full sun and well drained, slightly acidic loam but tolerates poorer soils better than many modern dessert apples—one reason it was so popular in cottage gardens
You must be logged in to post a comment.