Ukraine: Matrioska
This is a Ukrainian seedless apple, similar to Eccentric, and no pollination is needed to set fruit.
Three fruit are pictured below. Seed cavities are present but are usually empty.
The apple flavour is gentle and fruity, with lower, more honeyed flavour notes than Eccentric. The apple is also moderately soft. In our tastings it has received ratings as far apart as 5/5 and 3/5. A number of our tasters associate 'soft' with 'over-ripe'; a difficult habit to break.
The variety is not generally available in the UK.
Blossoming is about a week after Bramley. The flowers are easily missed because they have no petals. The tree needs no pollination by bees; it sets fruit anyway as long as the weather is OK. The flowers swell and gradually become fruit. I tried hand-pollination in 2017 on several occasions to obtain seeds, but the stigmas were not receptive, perhaps due to the frosty winds when the flowers were out..
I tested a freshly picked apple for vitamin C content: 3.1 mg per 100g fruit. This is quite low.
Pictures (click on small images for detail):
Blossom
Fruit
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