Scrumptious® apple

Scrumptious apple identification images

All images copyright Orange Pippin unless otherwise stated.

USDA identification images for Scrumptious

The identification paintings in the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection span the years 1886 to 1942.

Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705.

Visitor reviews

• 26 Jan 2023 

  Just purchased two 3 year old Cordons Jan 22 after reading good online Reviews, so I look forward to fruiting time😋.
• 01 Sep 2020  GLOUCESTERSHIRE, United Kingdom

  One of the better early season apples. Flavour is excellent - it has some of the strawberry you'd associate with earlies like Worcester Pearmain but with more sweetness and complexity. A slight aniseed hint adds to the interest. Not as crisp and firm-fleshed as some, similar texture to something like a Royal Gala so slightly floury. I have a personal preference for crisper apples, but that aside for me it's the best early season apple out there and highly recommended
• 30 Aug 2019  BRACKNELL, United Kingdom

  Just eaten the first one's of this year - good red colour, sweet & juicy, broadly in line with this site's tasting notes, and no aniseed taste (this time). No hornets about this year, so quite a good crop. Good for an early season apple...
• 09 Oct 2018  CORNWALL, United Kingdom

  Perhaps it is our climate but I don't find this apple variety very easy to grow. Yes it is easily pollinated, but after all the effort you end up with a mediocre apple, that is quite funny in flavour. Also I don't find the tree particularly disease resistant in our climate. Several cases of canker on this tree and last year some kind of rust disease, which caused loss of leaves of almost the whole tree. So not for me, and perhaps not for the damp/mild Cornish climate either.
• 19 Sep 2018  HIGHLAND, United Kingdom

  I find Scrumptious extremely unpleasant to eat. It is very astringent and although the fruit are small, I have never managed to eat a whole one. Going to try making jelly with them this year. After I had planted the tree in 2010, a local gardener told me that it doesn't seem to to taste nice in Scotland, so it may have something to do with the climate or the softer water??
• 01 Sep 2017  United Kingdom

  My tree is now 3 years old, has produced excellent tasting apples, crisp and sweet. However this year 2017, with an abundance of fruit on my small/dwarf tree the fruit has gone 'floury'. Possibly I have left them too long on the tree, such a pity, so I thought it worth mentioning for other growers. I wasn't certain when to harvest as the apples don't come off easily, but can recommend early rather than later picking. It is a particularly good apple.
• 29 Apr 2015  STAFFORD, United Kingdom

  My first year of this apple produced very bright red fruit, but very small. I left them on the tree as long as possible and they tasted terrible. The second year birds had many of the buds but I got a few good apples which I picked early and they were juicy sweet and crisp, totally different to the first year. This year 2015 I netted the tree over winter and have abundant blossom 25th April, so fingers crossed.
• 06 Nov 2012  SOUTH YORKSHIRE, United Kingdom

  First year fruiting gave 18 fairly large apples. No damage at all from bugs or weather: hope that continues. Flavour - not as sweet as expected even though the apples appeared to be fully ripe. In fact, somewhat tart. Very few pips. The only apple tree of three to bear fruit this year, though they all blossomed. Await next year's crop with interest.
• 09 Sep 2011  DEVON, United Kingdom

  I bought a bag of these apples for my mother from a supermarket. We tasted them together and were very disappointed, at first taste they were sweet and juicy with a crisp texture but were left with a dry metalic aftertaste in out mouths. Very disappointing but I'm happy to discover at this point as it was one of the apples I had shortlisted to grow on my allotment! Possibly it is better eaten fresh from the tree?
• 19 Oct 2010  CUMBRIA, United Kingdom

  I planted a maiden Scrumptious on M27 rootstock in the autumn of 2004. I have trained it on wires horizontally 300mm apart and has now filled the allotted space - 4m spread. The heavy crop this year about 80lbs was a sight to behold. The biggest problem is scab which has been bad in previous years but almost eliminated this year with a couple of sprays after petal fall. Agree with other comments about looks, texture and flavour. Good apples are hard to grow here 200m high in Cumbria but I would certainly recommend Scrumptious.
• 10 Apr 2010  CAMBRIDGESHIRE, United Kingdom

  A nice apple, with fairly good disease resistance, although gets some scab on the leaves in most years. Like many of the tasty August-September apples, I find them to be very badly attacked by codling maggots and wasps.
• 01 Oct 2009  OXFORDSHIRE, United Kingdom

  I bought a Scrumptious dwarf (M27) in March 2006. already corresponded with Richard about colour of this apple which is nothing like the pictures. It is quite stripey on a creamish background. A very good crop this September, as other correspondents note, branches very weak for a large crop. The fruit is very sweet and has a decided flavour of aniseed, which we like very much. I can submit another photo if required
• 18 Sep 2009  DORSET, United Kingdom

  My little tree is loaded with very tasty fruit much loved by grandchildren! I have done nothing to assist my tree after a very busy year and there are absolutely no signs of any pests or diseases, good going for very light sandy soil.
• 30 Aug 2009  BRISTOL, United Kingdom

  Had my tree now for 4 years, (brought in March 2005) and is loaded with fruit. We also have it supported with string and canes. Some of the apples have rotted due I think to the codling moth getting in them, ( my fault, didn!t change the lure in time after 5 wks.) Can anyone tell me why they start to go brown so quickly once you start eating them? Apart from that they are a lovely apple.
• 25 Aug 2009  SURREY, United Kingdom

  What a fantastic apple. Being a relative novice at fruit growing and in particular apples, this has been an easy and trouble free tree. I have had to support the branches with canes and string due to the weight bounty that was developing. Great 1st crop, picking some that have been nibbled by wasps today 25th August - absolutely stunning flavour, crisp, sweet but not too sweet. I pick up that hint of aniseed after taste which is in no way unpleasant or over bearing but just adds to the complexity of its flavour. The kids absolutely love this apple, especially as the skin is nice and thin.
• 24 Aug 2009  CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom

  Bought a small Scrumptious tree earlier this year and only allowed it to develop a few fruit, but on first testing, it was certainly a good buy. Nice, crisp, sweet fruit and was thankfully a big hit with my two year old daughter!
• 13 Oct 2008  HIGHLAND, SCOTLAND, United Kingdom

  Cordon bought from Ken Muir now in its second year in my garden. Picking today 13th Sept and what a wonderful apple. Excellent crop of clean(untreated), good size apples, crisp yet juicy and so full of flavour. Red colour runs slightly into the flesh. Needs good support. I only allowed the cordon to develop a few apples last year to let the root system develop unhindered by a large crop. Ideal for the North.
• 21 Sep 2008  NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, United Kingdom

  My small tree is in its second year and the weighty fruit is being supported by strings and canes! The apples are a beautifol red and the flavour is all that might be desired. An outstanding contribution to the garden.
• 27 Aug 2008  UNSTONE DERBYSHIRE, United Kingdom

  i have tasted scrumptious at the garden centre where i work and i can recommend it (and often do ) to people .i love sweet red apples and this is certainly that.i am going to treat myself to a minarette tree this autumn to add to my few other varieties of apple i have.
• 23 Aug 2008  LEEDS, United Kingdom

  I bought a bare rooted Scrumptious minarette from Ken Muir in January 2007. In its first season it produced a number of fantastic, crisp well flavoured bright red fruit. this year it has produced a few more equally colourful and good sized apples in what has been a poor season for my other apples and pears. Excellent, highly recomended.

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Where to buy trees

The following tree nurseries offer Scrumptious apple trees for sale:

• Orange Pippin Fruit Trees (UK) United Kingdom
  Scrumptious apple trees

Where to buy fresh fruit

The following orchards grow Scrumptious:

United States

• Maine

  • Tiny Orchards, Saco

United Kingdom

• England - midlands

  • Meynell Langley Trials Gardens, Derby
  • Cotteridge Community Orchard, Birmingham