Apple variety Saint Edmund's Russet
St Edmund's Russet, or St Edmund's Pippin is a high quality second early apple. Rosanne Sanders wrote
'It was raised in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, (south east England,) in 1870 from a chance seedling. The russeting is thin and patchy, the cropping is uncertain, first class flavour, very rich and quite sweet but with a nice balance of acidity' We find it makes a gangly, spreading tree (rather like Irish Peach in that respect) and tends to be a tip bearer which means you have to be careful not to cut all the tips off when pruning.
It has a short shelf life like all early maturing apples, but a richer flavour than most. It is the earliest russet to mature, if you grow both varieties, you will have finished eating these before you start on the Egremont Russet. That's the kind of thing you want to think about when you plan an orchard.
The books say it is ripe in late September to Mid October, we find it is ripe several weeks earlier, but this is dependent on location, soil and season, and also taste-some people like underripe apples as they are sharper and crunchier, others prefer overripe aples as they are softer and spicier. Its a matter of personal preference, all advice about taste and season is generalisations.
This is one for the short list for an early apple of quality, but bear in mind its a light and unreliable cropper.