Ribston Pippin

Ribston Pippin originated in England about 1708. The story goes that three apple seeds—“pips”—from Normandy were planted by Sir Henry Goodricke at Ribston Hall near Knaresborough, Yorkshire in northeast England. One of the three grew into what became one of the most famous of all historic English apples, loved and revered for fresh eating. The original seedling tree lived over 200 years, finally calling it quits in 1928. Ribston's history is a long and celebrated one both here and back in Merry Olde England. So well-known was it that Charles Dickens used it as an adjective in chapter 6 of The Pickwick Papers, "A little hard-headed, Ripstone pippin-faced man, was conversing with a fat old gentleman in one corner; and two or three more old gentlemen, and two or three more old ladies, sat bolt upright and motionless on their chairs, staring very hard at Mr. Pickwick and his fellow-voyagers." What is a Ribstone pippin-face?

Ribston Pippin was first brought to North American--and Maine--just prior to the Revolution by Benjamin Vaughan who grew it on his farm in Hallowell and promoted its spread up and down the Kennebec River. The apple took to Maine, especially on the lands along the river and the coast where it became well known and established. The April 13, 1854 issue of the Maine Farmer declared that Ribston " is a capital apple, and does better in Maine than any where in the U.S."

Recent DNA profiling has revealed that Ribston is a triploid, incapable of producing viable offspring. This has wreaked havoc in the apple history world as it was long thought to be the parent of Cox’s Orange Pippin and the Maine variety, Starkey. The DNA results have now disproven all that.

Ribston Pippin is a tasty dessert fruit, featuring the entire range of apple colors merged together in a remarkable combination of various shades of red, orange, yellow, brown and russet. Fantastic to look at; fantastic to eat. Andrew J.Downing, in his comprehensive 19th century Fruits and Fruit Trees of America wrote, "In Maine, and parts of Canada, it is very fine and productive...Flesh deep yellow, firm, crisp, with a sharp, rich, aromatic flavour."  Dried, it has an intense rich flavor.  Recommended as an acid source for cider.  Sometimes the fruit develops watercore, an indication of elevated sugar content.  Ribston Pippin ripens in central Maine in mid-late October and keeps until mid December. It is not a winter keeper.