The Kalendarium Hortense was published by John Evelyn in 1683. It contains instructions for what a gardener should do throughout the year. The excerpt below is the section titled "Fruits in Prime, or yet lasting" for the month of July.
Apples.
Deux-ans, Pepins, Winter Russeting, Andrew Apples, Cinnamon Apple, red and white Juneting, the Margaret Apple, &c.
Deux-ans, Pepins, Winter Russeting, Andrew Apples, Cinnamon Apple, red and white Juneting, the Margaret Apple, &c.
Pears.
The Primat, Russet Pears, Summer Pears, green Chesil Pears, Pearl Pear, &c.
The Primat, Russet Pears, Summer Pears, green Chesil Pears, Pearl Pear, &c.
Cherries.
Carnations, Morella, Great-bearer, Morocco Cherry, the Egriot, Bigarreaux, &c.
Carnations, Morella, Great-bearer, Morocco Cherry, the Egriot, Bigarreaux, &c.
Peaches.
Nutmeg, Isabella, Persian, Newington, Violet muscat, Rambouilet.
Nutmeg, Isabella, Persian, Newington, Violet muscat, Rambouilet.
Plums, &c.
Primordial, Myrobalan, the red, blew, and amber Violet, Damasc. Denny Damasc. Pear-Plum, Damasc. Violet, or Cheson-Plum, Abricot-plum, Cinnamon-plum, the King's-plum, Spanish, Morocco-plum, Lady Eliz. plum, Tawny, Damascene, &c.
Primordial, Myrobalan, the red, blew, and amber Violet, Damasc. Denny Damasc. Pear-Plum, Damasc. Violet, or Cheson-Plum, Abricot-plum, Cinnamon-plum, the King's-plum, Spanish, Morocco-plum, Lady Eliz. plum, Tawny, Damascene, &c.
Rasberries, Gooseberries, Corinths, Strawberries, Melons, &c.
I had no idea there were so many named varieties by the 17th c. Wouldn't it be fascinating to know how many still exist?
ReplyDeleteI've got a list of medieval fruit varieties online at the URL below, but I haven't yet found the time to compare it to those listed in this text. As things go, we'll see how many of these I can track down.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.medievalcookery.com/notes/fruit/fruit.html