Saint Martin cider apple trees
(St. Martin)
Malus domestica - Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
- Flowering group: 3
Saint Martin is a versatile French heirloom apple often grown in traditional French ochards. It is relished for its aromatic flavour which is primarily sweet but balanced with just a hint of sharpness.
As well as being an excellent variety for eating fresh, Saint Martin is also used for baking in pies and tarts as the firm texture of the slices hold their shape well.
The apples are small to medium size, and usually a dull-red colour.
The versatile nature of the Saint Martin means it is also used in cider production, being packed full of juice with a well-balanced sugar content.
Saint Martin organic cider apple trees for sale
1 yeartree on M116 rootstock23.25€
Medium tree
(2m-3.5m after 10 years)
Bare-root
Sold-out
Contact us if you would like to go on the waiting list for next season.
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Growing and Training
Saint Martin does best in well-drained soils.
History
The Saint Martin apple is thought to have originated in France, possibly in the cider-producing region of Normandy (Pays d'Auge). It is possibly named after Saint Martin of Tours.
Saint Martin characteristics
- Gardening skillAverage
- Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
- Flowering group3
- Disease resistanceAverage
- Food usesEating freshCulinaryJuiceHard ciderDual purpose
- Country of originFrance
- Period of origin1800 - 1849
- Flesh colourCream
- Fruit colourRed - darkRussetYellow / Red
Similar varieties
Amere NouvelleAmere Nouvelle is a traditional French bittersweet cider apple.
DabinettDabinett is a traditional English cider apple variety, producing a bittersweet juice.
Kingston BlackKingston Black is one of the premier English cider varieties and produces a bittersharp juice.
MichelinMichelin (or Normandie Blanc) is a traditional French cider apple variety producing a bittersweet juice.
More about cider apple trees
Cider production in Europe is traditionally associated with three main regions - Asturias in north west Spain, Bretagne and Normandie in north west France, and the "west country" area of south-west England. These regions all face the Atlantic ocean and have cool temperate maritime climates.
Cider can of course be made with any variety of apples, but in these three regions apple varieties have evolved which are specifically intended for cider production - they have high levels of tannins which give "body" to the resulting cider, but which make them very unpalatable to eat fresh.
Good quality cider is almost always made with a blend of different apple varieties, using bitter, sweet, and sharp flavour components. It is quite common to mix in regular cooking and dessert apples to lend extra flavours.
If you are in an area with a hotter continental climate (with average summer maximum temperatures routinely over 30C) then you might want to consider using apple varieties that can withstand warmer temperatures, but still have good juice qualities. In this case rather than using European varieties you might want to seek inspiration from the very different "hard cider" traditions of North America, where dessert and crab-apples are widely used.
We have a good range of traditional English and French cider varieties, as well as a number of mainstream apple varieties with good juice qualities that lend themselves to cider production.
