They have dark green skin mostly covered with dull dark red, and white dots.
Inside, they have crisp, firm, juicy flesh with a sharp tart flesh. The flesh has a high sugar content despite its sharp taste, so juice from it will ferment well.
The fruit ripens in September / October, or as early as August in the American South.
Cooking Tips
For cider, on its own or blended.
Storage Hints
Stores well.
History Notes
Hewe’s Crab Apple were popular in the American South. Trees noted in Virginia in 1817 by William Cox in his “A View of Fruit Trees” were estimated to already be 100 years old at the time.
They were grown by Thomas Jefferson for cider.