The comprehensive resource for apples and orchards

Calville Blanc d'Hiver apple

The perfect choice for tarte aux pommes, its spicy aromatic flavor makes it one of the world's top culinary apples.

Calville Blanc d'Hiver photo tape

The ugly exterior of this mis-shapen apple belies a sublime interior. Calville Blanc is the perfect apple for making the classic French "tarte aux pommes" - but it is equally at home providing the filling for all kinds of English or American apple baking.

Unlike the famous English Bramley cooking apple, Calville Blanc keeps its shape when cooked.  If cut into small pieces before cooking it will dissolve into a rich sharp textured puree.

Calville Blanc is a very old apple, known from Normandy in France in the early 1600s.  Unusually for an apple with such a Gallic name, it has become quietly popular amongst discerning apple enthusiasts in the UK and North America.

Here is a link to a book by Jacques Medecin, a former mayor of the French city of Nice, which we understand includes a recipe for cooking with Calville apples - Cuisine Nicoise.

Thanks also to Beth at Loxosceles for telling us that Calville Blanc was grown by US president Thomas Jefferson in his garden at Monticello in the 1770s.  More info at Twinleaf Journal.

If you like cooking with apples then Calville Blanc d'Hiver is a truely great apple which deserves its place in your orchard or garden - and your kitchen.

Last updated 13 Jun 2011.

Summary

  • Species: Malus domestica
  • Parentage: Unknown
  • Origin: France
  • Introduced: 1500s - late
  • Orange Pippin Cultivar ID: 108900

Identification

  • Bultitude apple group: 5. Yellow, smooth, sweet or acidic

Using

  • Good for cooking
  • Good for juice
  • Cooking result: Keeps shape
  • Flavour quality: Exceptional
  • Flavour style: Aromatic
  • Ripening period: Late season
  • Use / keeping: 1-2 months

Growing

  • Cropping: Good
  • Flowering period: Mid-Late season
  • Flowering group: 4
  • Fertility: Self-sterile
  • Triploid: No
  • Vigour: Slightly small
  • Gardening skill: Very easy
  • Precocity: Precocious
  • Fruit bearing: Spur-bearer
  • General disease resistance: Average

Climate

  • Suitable for warm climates
  • Suitable for temperate climates

Calville Blanc d'Hiver identification photos from official fruit collections


UK National Fruit Collection

©Crown Copyright more >
UK National Fruit Collection

Calville Blanc d'Hiver identification photos from website visitors


Calville Blanc 2nd summer tape


Calville Blanc 2nd summer

Copyright: Mike Le Boulluec


Rate this variety for flavor

Current rating: 4 out of 5. Total votes cast: 2
 

Visitor comments

(Use the form at the bottom to add your own comments about this variety)

15 Nov 2009 CatONTARIO, Canada
Siloam Orchards in Ontario carries this apple (as well as many other historical apple varieties).
25 Oct 2009 AnnaNY, NY, United States
Calville blanc is currently available from Samascott Orchards in greenmarkets in NYC (Union Square on Fridays) . It truly makes a fabulous tarte tatin- keeps it's shape even as it absorbs the caramel and gets translucent, has a distinct sweet, tart flavour.
05 Oct 2009 Rachel SessumWASHINGTON, United States
There is a grower in my area that sells scionwood "sticks" of most of their apple trees, including this variety. In fact, they have 150 varieties of apples. If you want to grow your own, you can buy a stick for just a couple of dollars and graft it to a tree yourself. I have not had this apple yet, but it was recommended to me and I am planning on heading up to the orchard to pick some in about a week. I am glad to find all of these wonderful comments about it! Here is the grower in my area in case anyone is interested. http://www.skagitvalleyfruit.com/products.html
13 Nov 2008 MarshaCA, SONOMA, United States
I have a Calville Blanc which I bought from Trees of Antiquity. I just picked the last three apples off the tree on November 12th. Some brown spots from insect damage, I believe, but I find it a delicious eating apple. They kept all right in my refrigerator for over a month.
03 Oct 2008 Ellisons OrangeBONNERS FERRY, IDAHO, United States
Ellisons Orange is thought to be a cross of Calville Blanc and Cox Orange Pippen. Like Calville Blanc, Ellisons Orange does not turn brown when cut and keeps its shape when cooked.
01 Sep 2008 Larry BrookesBERKELEY, ALAMEDA CTY, CALIFORNIA, United States
The apple tree is very vigorous and requires heavy pruning after going dormant - if it does, here! It produces far too many apples for the tree so has a very heavy fruit drop. The fruit must be ripe to use, here usually late October early November. It does not keep particularly well. It is very high in Vitamin C so does not discolor readily. Perfect for Tarte Tatin, but also with meats such as pork and duck. Very useful in the kitchen, best when cooked. It is subject to apple coddling moth, however.
13 Apr 2008 Margery CollinsVERMONT, United States
These superb apples are available from growers in my area. We love them for baked apples, pies, dumplings etc. The flavor and texture are incomparable. I am looking for a tree since I know they grow here well.

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Fruit tree register

Do you have a tree of this variety in your garden or orchard? If so please register the details here and contribute to our international register of fruit trees.

The following Calville Blanc d'Hiver trees have been registered - click the name to view more details of each tree.

You can also view these trees on a map.

United States

Belgium

Canada

New Zealand



Latest Spring blossom records for this variety

2011 season

  • 25th September  2011  - tree owned by Mike in GLEN ROCK, United States
  • May  2011  - tree owned by v in LUCKNOW, Canada

Record your blossom dates in our Fruit Tree Register - more >>.

Latest harvest records for this variety

2011 season

  • 4th week September  2011  - tree owned by v in LUCKNOW, Canada

Mature heights for Calville Blanc d'Hiver trees

This table shows the likely mature height for a Calville Blanc d'Hiver tree taking into account the vigor of the variety, the rootstock, and soil conditions.

Rootstock Soil quality
Poor Below average Average Above average Very good
P22 2.1 ft
0.6 m		 2.6 ft
0.8 m		 3.2 ft
1.0 m		 3.7 ft
1.1 m		 4.2 ft
1.3 m
M27 2.4 ft
0.7 m		 3.0 ft
0.9 m		 3.6 ft
1.1 m		 4.2 ft
1.3 m		 4.8 ft
1.5 m
M9 3.6 ft
1.1 m		 4.5 ft
1.4 m		 5.4 ft
1.7 m		 6.3 ft
1.9 m		 7.2 ft
2.2 m
Bud.9 3.6 ft
1.1 m		 4.5 ft
1.4 m		 5.4 ft
1.7 m		 6.3 ft
1.9 m		 7.2 ft
2.2 m
Geneva 16 3.6 ft
1.1 m		 4.5 ft
1.4 m		 5.4 ft
1.7 m		 6.3 ft
1.9 m		 7.2 ft
2.2 m
Geneva 11 4.2 ft
1.3 m		 5.3 ft
1.6 m		 6.3 ft
1.9 m		 7.4 ft
2.3 m		 8.4 ft
2.6 m
M26 4.5 ft
1.4 m		 5.6 ft
1.7 m		 6.8 ft
2.1 m		 7.9 ft
2.4 m		 9.0 ft
2.8 m
Geneva 30 4.8 ft
1.5 m		 6.0 ft
1.8 m		 7.2 ft
2.2 m		 8.4 ft
2.6 m		 9.6 ft
2.9 m
MM102 4.8 ft
1.5 m		 6.0 ft
1.8 m		 7.2 ft
2.2 m		 8.4 ft
2.6 m		 9.6 ft
2.9 m
M7 5.4 ft
1.7 m		 6.8 ft
2.1 m		 8.1 ft
2.5 m		 9.5 ft
2.9 m		 10.8 ft
3.3 m
M116 5.4 ft
1.7 m		 6.8 ft
2.1 m		 8.1 ft
2.5 m		 9.5 ft
2.9 m		 10.8 ft
3.3 m
MM106 6.0 ft
1.8 m		 7.5 ft
2.3 m		 9.0 ft
2.8 m		 10.5 ft
3.2 m		 12.0 ft
3.7 m
MM111 7.2 ft
2.2 m		 9.0 ft
2.8 m		 10.8 ft
3.3 m		 12.6 ft
3.9 m		 14.4 ft
4.4 m
Bud.118 7.8 ft
2.4 m		 9.8 ft
3.0 m		 11.7 ft
3.6 m		 13.7 ft
4.2 m		 15.6 ft
4.8 m
M25 9.0 ft
2.8 m		 11.3 ft
3.5 m		 13.5 ft
4.1 m		 15.8 ft
4.8 m		 18.0 ft
5.5 m

From an idea by N. Buck - more details.

Where to buy apple trees

The following fruit tree nurseries offer Calville Blanc d'Hiver apple trees for sale:

Where to buy apples

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