Monty's Surprise is a late-season dual-purpose apple from New Zealand, primarily used for eating fresh.
The apples are typically quite large, often 300g-400g per apple, with a pale green skin extensively covered wtih red flush.
All apples have anti-oxidants in the skin and flesh and pips, but Monty's Surprise apples typically have very high levels of these compounds, which are thought to be beneficial for human health.
The apples do not keep for long, and juicing is perhaps the best way to preserve the valuable anti-oxidants - the juice can easily be frozen.
Monty's Surprise has average disease-resistance but it is not widely grown so its track-record against scab and canker is not established. It appears somewhat susceptible to fireblight. The skin also bruises extremely easily, and bruised apples will not keep. Even the act of picking the apples by hand needs to be done gently.
Next deliveries: January - February 2025
Let me know when Monty's Surprise apple trees are back in stock.
If you do not hear from us by March you can contact us to pre-order for next autumn.
The original Monty's Surprise apple tree was found growing as a chance seedling in New Zealand at the end of the 20th century. The lone tree was estimated to be roughly 80-90 years old at the time - so the pip it grew from must have fallen to the ground around the period of the First World War.
