Variety Library

Nehou

Bittersweet · 2 trees planted · confidence high

OriginFrance, Normandy (Manche, commune of Nehou), before the late 19th century
Bloom group1 (1 early … 5 late)
HarvestEarly - mid September at WSU Mount Vernon (9/17 mean); poor keeper, press within about two weeks
Aciditylow
Tanninhigh
Typical SG1.056
Vigorvigorous
Biennial tendencymoderate

An old Normandy full bittersweet, small to medium and conic, yellow with a pink blush. WSU Mount Vernon measures 0.34% tannin, 0.32% malic acid, pH 4.10, SG 1.056, 14.0 Brix and 216 mL/lb juice yield - among the more tannic bittersweets in the collection and a genuine standalone cider apple, though it is not yet sensory-evaluated. It ties for the earliest bloom date in the entire WSU collection (4/19, with Golden Russet and Hewes Crab), which is the single most important planting consideration for it.

Disease: No specific susceptibilities documented; thin-skinned, soft-fleshed fruit bruises easily and stores poorly. WSU recorded no productivity rating.

Discrepancies: Acidity: nursery descriptions call it sweet with only marginal tartness, but WSU measures 0.32% malic - at the top of the bittersweet band and noticeably sharper than Michelin (0.27%) or Sweet Coppin (0.20%). Recommend low for band consistency (<0.45%) while noting the nursery framing understates it. Bloom: no nursery source flags the frost exposure; WSU's 4/19 date is the earliest in a 40-day range, so bloom group 1 is well supported and is a real spring-frost risk in Port Angeles.

Sources

  • cider.wsu.edu/ciderweb/
  • saltspringapplecompany.com/nehou
  • slngrow.com/products/nehou-apple