Hi Karen, seems like we have a lot of the same varieties.... I've had Black Oxford for about 17 years now and has always looked bad, as per your description. My BO customers home in on that certain appearance and snatch them all up as soon as I show up with them. Some of those characteristics seem to be environmental as I have a competitor in a market from eastern WA (same varieties ripen 2 weeks earlier) who brings them and people come to me saying they didn't want to buy them because they don't look like BO

The fruit has a unique flavor that appeals to many, as long as your not in the all crisp and no flavor Honeycrisp club. It is definitely a dry apple though. I am down to just 1 tree of it now due to low popularity.
Leslie Price
Jones Creek Farms
skagitvalleyfruit.com
Lyman, WA
zone 8a