‘Bloody Ploughman’ Apple Tree
- There are origin stories… And then there’s ‘Bloody Ploughman’…
- The tale goes a little something like this: back in the 1800s, a Scottish ploughman was caught by a trigger-happy gamekeeper while scrumping apples from the Megginch Estate. The groundsman promptly put a bullet through the ploughman, ending his life.
- Combing through the dead man’s clothes when his body was returned, the ploughman’s wife found a few of the plundered apples stashed away within his pockets, which she discarded on the compost heap. From this, an apple seedling grew and went on to yield dark red, ribbed apples with stained pink flesh – and thus, ‘Bloody Ploughman’ was born!
- Did this actually happen? Who’s to say, but why let truth get in the way of a good story, eh? ‘Bloody Ploughman’ apples have a delicate, mild flavour profile with just the right levels of sweetness, and can be used for a variety of purposes, including eating fresh, juicing and baking into scrummy, pink-tinged desserts.
- A vigorous grower that’s well-suited to harsher conditions and planting in colder climes, ‘Bloody Ploughman’ yields its apples from the middle of September through to October. The fruit can also usually be stored for a couple of months; check out our article, Storing Apples Picked at Home, for more information on how to properly keep your harvested apples.
- Just to top everything off, this variety is also known for displaying great levels of disease resistance – it really is a tree that has everything going for it.
- Our potted trees are supplied in EcoPots. Eco pots use 70% less plastic and are fully recyclable, unlike normal single use pots. They flex and so produce less root spiralling and travel better in the post.
- Our trees are usually between 18 and 36 months old at the time of dispatch.
- Our trees are professionally pruned before dispatching. This formative pruning can involve cutting the main leader, if the expert tree growers decide this will produce a better shaped tree. This can stop the tree becoming “leggy”, and promote stronger, bushier growth.
