Stark's Earliest apple trees

As it's name suggests, Stark's Earliest is one of the first varieties to ripen and will likely give you your first fresh apples of the season.  

The fruit has a smooth skin with a strong sweet flavour which is unusual for an early apple as these are normally quite tart.  The apples will be ripe for picking in July but like most early varieties they will not keep so it is best to pick them and eat them fresh from the tree. They can also be juiced.

Stark's Earliest was introduced by the famous Stark Brothers Nursery in the USA, in the 1940s. It was grown commercially in Ireland for a while, where it is known as Widow's Friend - perhaps on account of its reliable early-season cropping.