Legace

Legace is most likely a Duchess seedling introduced by Jules Legace in Van Buren, Aroostook County, Maine before 1907. It was described by W. M. Munson in his Preliminary Notes on the Seedling Apples of Maine in 1907.  The variety is extremely hardy and bears fruit annually. John has found old trees on three different farms in Aroostock County, one in Perham and two in New Sweden. The apple ripens in September and keeps for at least another month, which makes it a surprisingly better keeper than most early fall varieties. The round, slightly conic fruit is small to medium in size. The warm, buttery yellow skin is over spread with striking red stripes, dots and splashes that radiate out from the stem.  The skin is slightly waxy.  The very juicy, yellowish flesh has some red streaks along the core line. This is not a sweet apple, but the subacid flavor is very pleasing.   John calls Legace, “one of the best tasting apples I’ve sampled on my fruit exploration trips to Aroostook County”.