Apple tree help

[Crispycremedelight]

Hi all, we have recently moved into further into the country side and now have the garden of our dreams, however we have ‘inherited’ an old but beautiful apple tree. A lot of apples dropped in June (as I expected) and now a lot more are dropping the tree is still full of them but I have not idea if they are edible.
So my question is: how can I find out which variety and whether we can use them
Thanks in advance

They will be edible, even crab apples are edible, but they might be cooking apples rather than dessert apples. It will be easier to narrow down the variety once they ripen, but even then it might be hard to tell just from researching unless they have a very specific feature (unusual flavour or flesh colour etc). I think the RHS have a service for members where you can send them an apple/details and they can tell you the variety so you could try that.

Why don’t you post a pic?

It's normal for apple trees to drop fruit, especially in June, as otherwise the apples would be tiny. It also makes sense to thin heavily laden fruit to give them the best chance of reaching maturity.

www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=340

Just cut into & taste.

There are several hundred apple varieties, so pinning down which one you have may be difficult. Be aware that different apples ripen between August and December, or beyond - some you have to pick before they are frosted, and keep in storage until they ripen. Usually you can tell if an apple is ripe for picking if it parts from the tree when lifted gently.

Thanks guys, I was aware of June drop as our old house had a massive (think mature Oak/weeping Willow) cooking apple tree which hung over our garden, I always gave the fruit to the tree owner every year but I have my own!! Pics attached

Those look nearly ripe. Have you tried one? If they’re ripening this early, it cuts down the number of possibilities

Harvesting is going to be difficult on a tree that size. You can use windfalls, if you use them straight away, or chop them up and freeze them. But if you try to store them, the bruise where they landed goes rotten