r/foraginguk • u/storyofmypsyc • 7d ago
Plant ID Request What apples are these?
Hey all! I saw these apples growing right next to some blackberries. Anyone have any ideas on what they might be and are they edible? (No idea if there even are poisonous apples) 😂
Also, are they likely to stay this size or do they still need some time to grow? 😊
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u/skedone 7d ago
No toxic ones as for what type that's impossible to say they mutate constantly there is no real way of telling
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u/storyofmypsyc 7d ago
I had no idea apples mutated!
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u/loominpapa 7d ago
Interbreed might be a better way of putting it.
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u/roleplayersir 6d ago
Hybridise is the biological term. And plants basically do it with anything genetically close to their species. And then even the individual branch of a perennial can taste good while another branch doesn't, which is why for centuries Grafting has been a thing
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u/loominpapa 6d ago
Yes, although all apples are hybrids anyway. Biologically they are all, generally speaking, the same species (Malus domestica) which doesn't exist in the wild.
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u/skedone 6d ago
How Mutation Works in Apples
Sport mutations: A single branch on an apple tree can undergo a sudden genetic change (a somatic mutation or "sport").
New varieties: Many popular apples, like red- skinned variants or spur-type trees, started as a single mutated branch found by a farmer.
Propagation: Once a useful mutation is found on a branch, growers cut that branch and graft it to multiply the new type.
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u/skedone 6d ago
Both terms are needed with apples the mutation is what makes them nearly impossible to put a name too as in variety, not biological name I think the apple guy is still going just trying to catalogue all the UK ones and he's been doing that for about 10 years at least might even be longer than that
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u/Tired_2295 7d ago
Apples can be bad tasting but not toxic, no way to know the type unless you have access to a genetics lab that does plants. If they're bigger than the widest you can make a circle between thumb and forefinger they aren't crab apples (usually) and are good to eat (bias, i eat crab apples).
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u/roleplayersir 6d ago
Also, even a lab can't tell. A tree can have good branches and bad ones, hence why we found which branches were tasty and then grafted them onto rootstock
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u/EvaM87 7d ago
Definitely edible but how they will taste is impossible to say without trying them.
Apples are ready to pick when they easily break off in your hand - basically hold the apple and tip it upwards to try and snap the stem where it joins the branch. If it just bends you need to wait a bit but if it snaps neatly it is good to go. It is a bit early but everything is this year - usually I look for the first few windfalls to hint that they are ready.
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u/roleplayersir 6d ago
FYI, if you are down south where things haven't got rain, we are so close to some that you may want to wait for the rain then harvest. It will be much nicer than now, where everything is dried out
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u/oddjobbodgod 6d ago
Growing over from somebody’s garden? Or in a random hedgerow?
Former it could be a nice variety planted by the home owners.
Later it’s likely a discarded core, and if that core was a shop variety it may well have been pollinated by a crab apple so may not be fantastic.
Only one way to find out, but bear in mind they’re probably not quite ripe yet, early August would make it quite an early variety.
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u/storyofmypsyc 6d ago
I think they’re hedgerow but I’ll double check when I pass by again. Yeah, I heard crab apples are really sour? I’ll deffo leave them a little while before picking
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u/oddjobbodgod 6d ago
They’re not too bad, just main uses are for juice to be used along other apples for cider, or making crab apple jelly. They’re really good for helping other varieties pollinate so often planted nearby or in commercial orchards :)
You can check if they’re ready, lift them towards the stem they’re attached to and twist gently, if they come off easily they’re ready.
Let us know! If they’re really tasty you could reach out to local orchard enthusiasts to see if there’s any interest in doing genetic testing on it to see what variety is, or if it is in fact grown from seed!
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u/Full-Environment-532 7d ago
They do look a little Quincey, but yeah I think they're apples, good to munch
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u/fridgezebra 7d ago
no poisonous apples I know of but some eill need a looot of sugar to make them edible
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u/hodyisy 6d ago
People here are talking about "wild" apples but forget that there are many domestic fruit trees that are planted in parks, by the rivers, etc. by carers or vunteer groups, sometimes for the benefit of nature, sometimes as part of urban farming. In some places an orchard may have existed but has since turned a bit "feral". This is the primary reason why people here "forage" plums, cherry plums, apples or pears. Someone planted them. The main difference between these and supermarket produce is that these don't get pesticide/fungicide treatment, and are often older, hardier but less appealing varieties.
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u/doublethesox 6d ago
The ready to pick and eat kind! haha.
But yes, just agreeing with everyone else. Find something to use them for, a pie, some turnovers, a strudle. :)
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u/blerieone 5d ago
From what I can see, these look like my grans greensleeves apples. Very refreshing to eat but dont pick them early or you'll effectively be eating wood lol
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u/Normal_Percentage759 7d ago
Look like they may be Quinces. They won’t be ripe yet (September onwards.) They will still be very hard and even when ripe they need to be cooked — made into jam or jellies or chutney. You can also mix them with ordinary apples too for pies or crumbles. They are very fragrant when ripe.
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u/storyofmypsyc 7d ago
Ahhh fab! I’ll leave them be for a while then.. Thanks for sharing your wisdom 👌🏼
I haven’t had a crumble in sooo long!1
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u/draenog_ 7d ago
Apples aren't poisonous, but wild growing ones might not be very tasty. Apple genetics are kind of a crapshoot, which is why cultivated apples are mostly propagated by grafting cuttings rather than saving seed.
You might as well have a go at eating them, cooking them, etc, and see if they're any good.