︎︎︎ MELA SONA
O BATOCCHIA
The mother plant was recovered in the area of Foligno (Perugia). Its origin is unknown but it was certainly known and cultivated all around the Valnerina area, where today only a few individual specimens are left. The tree is vigorous and very hardy; it has spreading habit and crops on alternate years. The fruit is of medium size, an elongated, egg shape. The skin is thick and waxy, a yellow-green colour with bright red shading. The stem is medium and inserted in a small and not too open cavity. The calyx is almost nonexistent. When the apple is mature, the seeds come off of their seed-bearing ovary and make their recognizable sound if the fruit is shaken. The flesh is white, crisp, aromatic and not too juicy but of good quality. This apple is harvested in October, it stores very well in the fruit-house and it is ready for eating in December. Suitable for preserving, this variety was very well known for cooking and for apple-based pastry, such as Rocciata, thanks to the firmness of its flesh and to its aroma. It is also used to deodorize the house by burning its skin or to keep with the clothes as a pot-purri.