Mespilus germanica or hawthorn, to improve their performance in different soils. "Mespilus germanica" fruits are hard and acidic, but become edible after being softened, 'bletted', by frost, or naturally in storage given sufficient time. Once softening begins, the skin rapidly takes on a wrinkled texture and turns dark brown, and the inside reduces to the consistency and flavour reminiscent of apple sauce. This process can confuse those new to medlars, as a softened fruit looks as if it has spoiled. Once bletted, the fruit can be eaten raw and is often eaten as a dessert, or used to make medlar jelly. They
Brown Snout the West Country. The Brown Snout remains a popular cultivar in traditional cider making. It is a late-flowering variety, classed as a "bittersweet" apple, with relatively high tannins and low levels of malic acid. It makes a medium-sized tree with a stiffly upright habit. The fruit are small and green, with patches of russeting, and a large patch of russeting at the calyx end, giving the variety its name. 'Brown Snout' is very susceptible to fire blight. Brown Snout 'Brown Snout' is a 19th-century cultivar of cider apple originating in Herefordshire in the United Kingdom, though now grown in other