In the apple universe Knobbed Russet (often called Knobby Russet) is considered a
curiosity. In its gnarliest form it looks like an unattractive misshapen potato, its
rough russet skin erupting with warts or carbuncles—the “knobs” in the name. It
can appear almost extraterrestrial, like some trans-Neptunian object hailing from
the Kuiper Belt. (Note: Compared to many Knobbed Russets I have seen, the
apple in the accompanying photo is practically a matinee idol.)
Fortunately the apple’s ugliness is only skin-deep. Once you peel off its
rough, bumpy exterior Knobbed Russet shares many of the same qualities as its
russet cousins: Golden Russet, Roxbury Russet, and so on. The flavor is very rich
and sweet: it’s agreeable as an eating apple, it’s useful for cooking purposes, and it
stores well through the winter.
Discovered in Midhurst, Sussex, the apple was first exhibited at the Royal
Horticultural Society in 1820. In time the variety nearly disappeared from
cultivation, until it was recovered in the years after World War II through the
National Fruit Trials in the UK.
Today Knobbed Russet remains a minor celebrity among heritage apple
enthusiasts and small specialty growers. My friend Homer Dunn, longtime orchard
manager at Alyson’s Orchard in Walpole, New Hampshire, loves to harvest a few
of these apples in the fall to astonish visitors. The unattractive fruits don’t sell,
except to the real apple cognoscenti, but Homer gives it a bit of orchard space for
the purest of noncommercial reasons: It brings him joy. For the same reason, home
orchardists should consider planting a Knobbed Russet, or top-working a branch
or two of an existing apple tree.