Do you admire this shapely carnelian-red apple with the light lenticel dots mixed with squiggles of russet? If so, you and I see the world in the same way.

If this apple disturbs you or freaks you out, then you are stuck, I am afraid, with the perfect shiny waxed globes at your supermarket.

These Red Royal Limbertwigs are medium and large, with understated ribbing. One of these has a closed calyx while the other’s is wide open: don’t ask me what that means.

Although off the tree for several weeks, these feel promisingly firm. Their faint aroma is sweet and floral.

That lovely blush is a little bit stretched, and orange, on one side, but basically covers the entire peal. It’s shine is satin.

Taste

Crisp though not breaking, well-balanced and lively (even spicy) with floral and cream-soda notes. Red Royal has a moderately astringent mouth-feel.

Limbertwig aficionados sometimes refer to a characteristic “Limbertwig flavor.” I am not sure that I do it justice by trying to describe it in terms of its component parts, or that I succeed in doing so.

But in addition to the foregoing, there is a citric element, and something almost nutty, like sesame oil, that is very pleasing.

The fine-grained light-yellow flesh bears these flavors through the end of the chew. It is palpably denser than the average supermarket variety.

Despite this departure from what has become the popular norm, Red Royal is easy to eat and would be easy for anyone to enjoy. All in all, a superior apple.

I owe these apples to Jesse Downs of Down Home Farm in Readstown, Wisconsin. He picked these in late September, so possibly these are even better fresh off the tree.

That which we call a Limbertwig

Limbertwig refers to a family of apples from trees that “weep” (like a willow) with downward branches when laden with fruit. Limber.

The naming conventions for cultivars suggest that *Red Royal *identifies a redder sport of Royal (just as Red Delicious is a sport of Delicious). However the orchardists in this chat group discuss these apples as if they are separate varieties.

The Limbertwigs generally originated in the southern Appalachian region of the US. Accordingly, the Big Horse Creek Farm, in Lansing, North Carolina, grows many Limbertwigs and provides its own description of Red Royal.