Those who successfully grow ‘Ribston Pepping’ in their garden can consider themselves lucky: The high standards of the variety are rewarded with a delicate taste. We describe the old variety and its proper cultivation.
The ‘Ribston Pepping’ is one of the golden renettes. These apple varieties are known for their particularly aromatic and noble fruits. Synonyms from different countries are "Ribston Pippin" / "Glory of York" (England), "Pepin Ribston" (France), ‘Pepin Ribstona’ (Russia) and ‘Granatrenette’, ‘Kaiserrenette’ or ‘Goldrabau’ (Germany). They reflect the international popularity of these very old and valuable varieties. Even today, the taste is described by specialized pomologists as “outstanding” in a comprehensive comparison of varieties. However, the variety makes high demands on its location and requires regular care and a good supply of nutrients. This is the only way to keep it free from diseases and to bear plenty.
contents
- Ribston Pepping: Wanted poster
- Origin and history of the apple
- Apple ‘Ribston Pepping’: appearance, taste and properties
- Special features of cultivation and care
- Harvest and use Ribston Pepping apples
Ribston Pepping: Wanted poster
| Synonyms | 'Ribston Pippin', 'Glory of York', 'Pepin Ribston', 'Pepin Ribstona', 'Granatrenette', 'Kaiserrenette', 'Goldrabau' |
| fruit | medium-sized; golden yellow basic color with crimson to dark red covering color |
| taste | juicy, spicy, sweet-wine-like |
| Yield | high and swaying; onset early; much pre-harvest crop fall |
| Harvest time | from mid-October |
| Ripe for enjoyment | from November on |
| Shelf life | very good; storable until March / April |
| growth | strong |
| climate | mild climates with higher humidity; sunny; protected and cultivable at high altitudes |
| Diseases and pests | susceptible to fruit tree cancer, powdery mildew, aphids, specks in unfavorable locations |
Origin and history of the apple
The legend about the origin of the ‘Ribston Pepping’ is as follows: Around 1690 a man named Sir Henry Goodrick sent one Apple from the city of Rouen in Normandy to Ribston Castle near Karesborough, which is about 100 km from York in England is. A seed from this apple was sown at Ribston Castle and produced an apple with a great taste: the ‘Ribston Pepping’. Even then, the variety found many admirers in the entire region. Today the variety is widespread across Europe. The mother tree unfortunately fell victim to a storm in 1815, but it did not perish until 20 years later.
It is not known which apple varieties ‘Ribston Pepping’ comes from.
Apple ‘Ribston Pepping’: appearance, taste and properties
The fruits of the apple variety ‘Ribston Pepping’ are medium-sized, bluntly rounded, stem-bellied, sometimes almost spherical in shape. The sides are even, weak edges can sometimes be seen on the side of the handle. The peel is medium-firm, smooth or velvety and dry, i.e. without any shine. Their basic color is yellowish green when ripe for picking and golden yellow when fully ripe. The opaque color takes up a quarter to half of the surface and is dotted with light crimson red, streaked dark red and marbled. In addition, it is decorated with grate in point form or with net-like light brown figures. There is often a "rust cap" around the cup, that is, extensive russeting.
Inside the slightly spicy Ribston Pepping ’you will find yellowish-white, medium-fine pulp. It is firm at the beginning, but slowly becomes crumbly as it matures. The taste is juicy, spicy, sweet and wine-like and very harmonious. It is reminiscent of the ‘Muskatrenette’ or the popular ‘Cox orange‘. In the core house there are often deaf, i.e. unfertilized, kernels.
Special features of cultivation and care
Is the noble, highly aromatic ‘Ribston Pepping’ something for your garden? The variety is considered extremely demanding and picky among fruit growers. Not many soils offer it what it needs for optimum growth and fruit. For healthy and sufficiently good growth, the soil should be moist, deep, nutrient-rich and loamy. The location must be warm and allow sufficient air circulation. Heavy, clayey soils are unsuitable and can cause Fruit tree cancer support financially. Dry, sandy soils also cause crop failures due to early fruit fall and poor growth of the tree as a whole. Ideally, the location is humid, because when the air is dry, this diva-like variety quickly drops the leaves. Warm maritime climate has proven to be very favorable.
If the conditions are good, ‘Ribston Pepping’ grows rapidly both in youth and in old age. It sprouts early in the year, forms frost-hard wood and becomes a broad, large and later overhanging tree. This vigorous growth can produce huge tall trunks on vigorous rootstocks such as M25, which cannot be intensively cared for. On medium-growing stocks such as M7, it can be raised as a half-trunk or as a bush tree. Annual maintenance in the form of winter pruning is essential here. But refinement on weaker growing substrates such as M27 is also possible if a stable connection is used. Then the vigorous ‘Ribston Pepping’ can be raised to make espalier or shaped fruit. In addition to the all-winter training pruning and the formation, a summer pruning may even be necessary, which takes the metaphorical wind out of the sails of the tree even more.
The flowering of ‘Ribston Pepping’ appears medium early and stays for a long time. Good pollinator varieties are the ‘Gold parmane‘And the‘ Berner Rosenapfel ’. The ‘Ribston Pepping’ is a variety with a triple (triploid) genetic makeup. It can therefore be fertilized by the varieties mentioned above, but not in turn fertilize it. If there is no suitable pollinator in your neighbor's garden either, a third variety should be purchased.
In unsuitable locations, the ‘Ribston Pepping’ is easily attacked by diseases: powdery mildew and blood lice are common and specks as a result of calcium deficiency also become more common observed. If the soil is too heavy, the fruit tree canker can become a problem.
Tip: If you have loamy soil but want to improve permeability and nutrient availability, you can work with ripe compost and a complete organic fertilizer when planting. So you can get the best out of the location for the ‘Ribston Pepping’. Our Plantura organic universal soil improves your garden soil in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way, while our Plantura organic universal fertilizer can be used annually for nutrient supply.
Harvest and use Ribston Pepping apples
The tasty ‘Ribston Pepping’ is finally ready to be harvested between mid-October and the end of October. Apples that are picked this early from the tree can be stored at 0 ° C for up to five months, i.e. until March or April. The variety is actually only ready to be enjoyed from November, when its full aroma has developed.
The Ribston Pepping ’can be stored well and even shipped without any problems thanks to the solid shell.
It is best served as a dessert fruit, but can also be used to make aromatic juices, cider and puree.
As mentioned earlier, ‘Gold parmane‘A pollinator variety for the‘ Ribston Pepping ’. You can find out what you should consider when growing and caring for the pollinator in our special article.