Since this apple is so historic, let’s give it some respect and refer to it by its long
formal name. (Most folks just call it ‘Duchess’ these days.) Like many old varieties
its origins are a bit tangled. Oldenburg is a city in Lower Saxony, so some people
claim it’s originally from Germany. Others consider it a Russian variety, either the
same apple (or a seedling descendant) as Borovinka. In fact, both claims might be
true and the variety could well have been brought to Russia by German settlers.
We’ll never know for sure.
What is certain is that Borovinka has been grown in Russia since the 1600s,
and from there it traveled to Sweden and England sometime in the years 1817-24.
From England it came to the U.S. in 1835 when the London Horticultural Society
shipped a group of four hardy Russian apples to the Massachusetts Horticultural
Society in Boston (the other three apples were Alexander, Red Astrachan, and
Tetofsky). Each of these four varieties has had success in North America and have
in some cases contributed their genetics to newer apples. Some sources consider
Duchess to be the “grandparent” of Northern Spy and McIntosh, a claim that I
find dubious at best, given the known history and timeline of those two apples and
the date when Duchess arrived in New England.
Like other summer apples, the fruits tend to ripen gradually over a period of
a few weeks and don’t keep for very long after harvest. For anyone who likes tart
early apples Duchess is a great choice for fresh eating when it’s fully tree-ripe,
though when picked a little earlier the high acidity really shines in applesauce,
early-season pies, and other culinary uses. The apple is ready to pick when the
beautiful red striping overspreads the skin.