Benham

Good Apple Info Snapshot:

Very few active growers of this old southern variety. Expect it to be in the top tier of early apples.

Our Benham trees are flying under the radar with nothing particularly impressive or negative to report.

Good Apple Info Difficulty Rating:

No info on disease resistance.

Tree Habit:

Limited info. Tree ripens its fruit over several weeks-good for home grower.

Apple Color:

Thinned skin, greenish yellow sometimes with a slight blush, rarely striped with red; dots numerous, russet.

Size:

Medium or large. Roundish to slightly oblate, conical, often ribbed.

Flavor:

subacid – flesh slightly yellowish, juicy, fine-textured. Slow to brown.

Bloom:

Early

Ripe:

July-August

History:

Benham was sold by Virginia nurseries from 1887 to 1904 and was grown at the turn of the century in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee, where the apples were used for fresh eating, cooking and drying.  Ragan (1905) guesses that it originated in Tennessee, and it is still fairly common there in Claiborne County.

Here is a quote from Lee Calhoun’s book, Old Southern Apples: “John Creech, a nurseryman in Kentucky, rated Benham as the finest apple ripening in its season: ‘Truly an apple for the connoisseur, sugar and acid being perfectly balanced.’.

Storage:

Does not store well.

Uses:

Fresh Eating, Cooking, Drying, Sauce.