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can anyone tell me what's wrong with my apples ?They were fine last year :'(

One of two things. If the black markings are only on the skin or just on the flesh underneath, then it is Scab. This is a fungal thing and has been a bit prevalent this year. Spray with Dithane if you do not mind chemicals according to the info on the packet. OR, if you prefer a more 'organic' approach, spray every two weeks with Copper Sulphate (or Bordeaux mixture). The flesh is still edible, you just have to peel them,. Sadly they will not store, but peeled, pureed and frozen they are still ok for Winter use in various dishes.
If the spots go right into the apple flesh, then it could be Bitter pit. This really does make the apples unusable. It is caused by a Calcium deficiency and is very difficult to treat. It is worse in very wet Summers when any calcium in the soil is leached out.  If the tree is small then you can add Calcium carbonate to the soil, but even then there is no guarantee.

Think it's scab thankfully and they taste lovely.Thanks for posting back so quick :)

Macmac,

I bet they make good pies.

DOH

Mine are suffering in a big way from this, they were perfect last year.

Between scab and codling moth, probably two thirds of the crop is ruined...  :(

oh i wondered what those spots on my apples where. I have only just started growing apples and don't know too much about their diseases

Scab looks unsightly but it doesn't affect the eating at all. My James GRieve is still small, but the dozen apples I picked yesterday are lovely.

Same problem with our Williams pears - they look terrible, but taste wonderful!
Other varieties of pear unmarked

We had an apple tree in the garden as a kid and the apples were always like this. We were just told to eat them!

I peeled and ate half of one and grated the rest with red cabbage,carrot and onion for coleslaw and it was YUM.Perhaps I should change the title of this thread ::)

Quote from: lewic on September 17, 2009, 08:31:21
We had an apple tree in the garden as a kid and the apples were always like this. We were just told to eat them!

Have you suffered any longterm sideaffects ?