Descriptions of Scion Varieties Available for 2019
Sources for Finding Apple Descriptions
There are a lot of apple varieties cultivated in the US and other apple growing regions of the world. One of the most comprehensive sources of information about apples is the Orange Pippin data base. It is especially helpful in finding out about heritage and cider apples. Another easy to use list is the one for Gould Hill Farm. The Pick Your Own site has apple variety lists by state. For great pictures and excellent descriptions of cider and heritage apples check out Albemarle Cider Works. Another list of cider varieties is found on the Growing Produce website. Very frank (Mary Poppins didn't write any of these) apple descriptions are found on the Philo Apple Farm website (e.g. see description for the Astrachan - Red). If you are interested in early varieties check out the excellent list on the Celebrating the Simple Life site.
Apples Descriptions for 2019 Scion Sale:
Listed down below (starting with Alexander) are descriptions of highly valued apple varieties found in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. The specific varieties that will be available at the 2019 Scion Sale have their name in bold green.* If you see an apple that you are interested that does not have a green name it may be available from one of the mail-order scion suppliers.
* list not complete at this time - check back the first of March for a complete listing
Alexander (D)
The Alexander apple is giant. You can make a whole pie using only one apple! It is not a very good keeper, but it will be okay if stored up to two months. Its flesh rapidly becomes floury. It is a mid-season ripening heirloom variety. One really great feature of the Alexander variety is that the fruit do not all ripen at the same time, for a period of about one month they will be ready to harvest, allowing you to extend your harvest. The Alexander apple is red on the sun exposed side and green on the shaded side. The fruit is sweet and has a light fruity aroma, it is good to eat fresh, but it is better for cooking. It makes wonderful apple sauce.
Although it`s taste and texture are not necessarily on a level with other popular varieties, it is still a favourite because of its noble appearence. On the table of fine restaurants it is a star and in the market it is a hot cake.
The Alexandre apple tree is resistant to apple scab. This is often the case with heirloom varieties as they did not have fungicides in the1700's to treat their trees! They had to choose the very bests varieties to propagate, and they often made such a great choice that we still propagate them 300 years later. It is also know to have some susceptibility to fireblight.
Ananas Reinette:
1821 Netherlands (by 1600 France?); small, yellow heavily freckled, Oct. good crops keep 2-3 months, big flavor includes pineapple, increasing w/storage; mid-bloom; smaller vigor.
Arkansas Beauty (click here for picture)
(Description by David Benscoter)
The book, Old Southern Apples notes that the Arkansas Beauty was extinct and that it was introduced in 1886. Stark Bros’ Nursery carried the apple in their catalogs in the early 1900’s.
The apple was described in The Apples of New York, vol 1:
“The Arkansas Beauty is of Arkansas origin. It is above medium in size. The flesh slightly tinged with yellow, … moderately crisp, tender, juicy, mild subacid, taste is good.”
This apple actually colors better in eastern Washington than its native Arkansas. The apple was rediscovered in 2016 in Whitman County, WA.
(Additional descriptions from other sources)
The Arkansas Beauty is a variety of Arkansas origin. It is said that it is grown to some extent in a few sections of that state but has -not proven valuable. A.S grown in this latitude the fruit does not always attain good color or good quality.
Tree vigorous; branches long, stout, crooked. Form wide spreading with a rather open top. Twigs rather long, moderately stout, often crooked; inter- nodes usually short. Bark olive-green with reddish-brown markings, dull, mottled thickly with scarf-skin; somewhat pubescent. Lenticels rather scattering, roundish or somewhat oblong, medium size to rather small. Buds large to medium, plump, rather obtuse, pubescent. Leaves rather long and narrow.
Fruit above medium. Form roundish inclined to conic. Stem long to medium, rather slender. Cavity small, acute, deep, broad, nearly symmetrical, slightly furrowed. Calyx medium, closed or partly open, pubescent. Basin small, medium in depth and width, rather abrupt, somewhat furrowed.
Skin tough, smooth, rather glossy, pale green or yellow, blushed with pinkish- red, and marked with rather faint stripes of carmine.
Medium-large fruit has carmine strokes over cardinal red, nearly white flesh is fairly sweet, firm; vigorous, open crowned, crooked limbs.
Arlet: Golden Del. x Idared, Switzerland circa 1980; sweet mild; red and gold average size, which might improve with thinning in June, large crops are rather early (Aug.?); sensitive to scab, mildew, CAR.
Ashmead's Kernel (D)
1770? UK; drab, rough russet on smallish fruit with big flavor and juice; average vigor, fairly adaptable; needs calcium in soil against bitter pit. Triploid; light crops at best, keeps well.
Widely regarded as one of the all-time best-flavored apples. Small to medium-sized fruit variable shape, often lop-sided. Greenish to golden brown russet skin with reddish highlights. Creamy yellow flesh is aromatic, crisp and sweet. Fruit picked early is somewhat sharp and acidic, but mellows after a few weeks off the tree. Ripens after Red Delicious, about with Golden Delicious. Keeps 3-4 months. Used for dessert, cider and sauce. Resistant to powdery mildew, somewhat resistant to apple scab. Winter hardy tree, begins bearing at young age. From England, discovered in the early 1700s Its juicy flesh is firm with a creamy yellow hue and crisp bite. It exudes an aromatic scent similar to that of orange blossoms and has a sweet and slightly tart flavor with nuances of pears, spice and nuts. Its flavor is strong and sharp when first picked but like many heirloom varieties will mellow out nicely after a month or two in cold storage.
Autumn Gray
(Description by David Benscoter)
First recorded in 1869. A small, yellow apples, nearly covered with thin nettings of russet. Tender, rich, aromatic, very good for dessert. (also known as Autumn Pomme Gris) This apple was re-discovered near Waitsburg, WA, in 2017.
Baldwin (C)
Winter. Wilmington, Mass., about 1740. Also called Butters Apple or Woodpecker. Discovered on the Butters Farm by a surveyor planning the Middlesex Canal and noted as a favorite site for local woodpeckers.
By 1850 Baldwin was the standard all-purpose home and commercial variety wherever it was grown. It remained dominant in Maine until the terrible winter of 1934 when tens of thousands of trees perished and McIntosh became king.
Large round-conic thick-skinned fruit, almost entirely blushed, mottled and striped with red and deep carmine. Hard crisp juicy yellowish flesh makes excellent eating and cooking. Keeps till spring. Makes top-quality hard cider, blended or alone.
Vigorous adaptable hugely productive long-lived healthy tree. When grower Dave Gott asked the late renowned entomologist Ron Prokopy his opinion of Baldwin, Ron replied that the apple is “not practical commercially due to biennialism but the only apple that is both disease and insect resistant.” Blooms early to midseason. Z4-6. Both Maine Grown. (Standard: 3-6' bare-root trees; semi-dwarf: 2-5' bare-root trees)
Ca1745 Wilmington, Mass.; vigorous; large fruit will be mostly sweet Out West, multi-use; triploid late bloom; biennial unless thinned in June; resists CAR, tolerant of scab, mildew, FB.
Bardsey
Found 1998 on island by that name, Wales, tree planted ca1875; medium to large, pink to brick red over butter yellow, cream flesh is juicy, lemon scented; ripe September; partial tip-bearer, partially self-fertile; drought tolerant; thin to single per spur due to short stem. Light crops until fully grown.
1998 Wales (tree dated ca1873); September crop large juicy lemon-scented pink/brick red; mid- PSF bloom, upright/spreading PTB, drought tolerant; very short stem – thin to single per spur.
Belle de Boskoop
Winter. Probably a chance seedling from Boskoop, Holland, 1860. May also be a synonym or mutation of Montfort. Long the farm apple of Europe, every backyard had a Boskoop. Big blocky somewhat lumpy green fruit patched and netted with russet, sometimes with a brownish-reddish blush.
Every chef in Europe know Boskoop—it cooks and bakes beautifully. Quickly reduces to a nice sauce: yellow, soft and medium tart. Seemingly resistant to everything. Keeps well.
Robust, strong-growing tree. Triploid: not a pollinator for other varieties. Blooms early. Malus. Z4-6. ME Grown. (3-6' bare-root trees)
Ben Davis (Black)
By 1860 VA? NC? vigorous tree grows quickly, heavy crops, well-known across country, but does best with significant light and heat (like here!) Sept/Oct?
Berner Rosen
1888 Switzerland; grows quickly until bearing; moderate vigor & fruit size; very red skin, some color within when grown in strong light; balanced rich flavor, fair D R; keeps 3 months.
Bevan's Favorite
A once popular early summer apple, Bevan’s Favorite originated in Salem, New Jersey in 1842. It became a Southern favorite and was widely distributed in North Carolina as late as the 1930’s before fading into obscurity. Lee Calhoun of Pittsboro, NC is credited with rediscovering the apple in 1985 when he found a lone tree in Alamance County, NC. Fruit is medium in size, slightly conical with greenish-yellow skin with broad red striping mostly on the sunny side. The white flesh is crisp, moderately juicy with a fine-grained texture. Ripens in July and is not a good keeper.
Salem, NJ 1842, became popular in the South, nearly extinct until recently; very early harvest; mid-size heavily striped w/red, crisp juicy and needs be used quickly. Vigorous.
Binet Rouge (C)
Binet Rouge is a precocious and productive cider apple from Normandy. It is a staple for French cider and Calvados (apple brandy) makers, producing a high quality aromatic bittersweet juice that ferments to roughly 8% alcohol. Weak grower and bienniel bearer, this variety is late blooming and commonly used for pollination of other cider varieties.
This heirloom matures late, October in upstate New York (early November in its native Northwestern France), and is mildew, fireblight, and scab susceptible. Faily cold hardy, known to survive at low zone 4, high zone when other European cider varieties did not.
Black Oxford (C)
Black Oxford apple is one of Maine’s most noted vareities over the last couple centuries. Roaming the countryside of Maine you can still discover old plantings that continue to produce in abundance. They are easy to spot with their beautiful light pink blossoms. George Stilphen, in the book The Apples of Maine, provides the history of this special fruit: “Black Oxford was found as a seedling by Nathaniel Haskell on the farm of one Valentine, a nailmaker and farmer of Paris in Oxford County, about 1790 and the original tree was still standing in 1907, ...” The fruit is medium, round, deep purple fruit has a blackish bloom; Black Oxford is an all-purpose variety, fresh eating, pies and cider. The apples are well noted for their long shelf life in northern climates.
Black Twig
An old Tennessee variety was introduced around 1830 as a seedling on the farm of Major Rankin Toole. It was said to be Andrew Jackson's favorite apple. The Black Twig is the ultimate in a tart apple; excellent for fresh eating and tannic acid which adds body to cider. Fruit is medium to large with varying color, usually green to yellow skin that is streaked and flushed red to burgundy. The yellow flesh is firm and fine grained with tannic juice that adds a kick to sweet or hard cider. Great for eating fresh or cooking, this apple is an excellent keeper and should be stored in the refrigerator for peak flavor.
Blue Pearmain (D)
This doughty apple gets its name from what many call a "deep blue bloom." I'd describe this as a dusty bluish coating over the blush, which is itself crimson with deep purple streaks. The "bloom" rubs off.
Many small light-brown lenticels freckle this handsome finish, which is also (to my mind) made even more striking by a touch of orange russet, mostly in and around the stem well. The fruit itself is ribbed and very firm in the hand, and--unbroken--smells sweet and grassy.
The flesh is dense, yellow, coarse, and just in case I didn't say, dense. More on that later. The flavor is mild and sweet, but not simple, with hints of pear, melon, caramel, vanilla, and corn. There is the merest suggestion of something like grapefruit peel in the undertow.
Blushing Golden: Coben, Illinois, 1959, likely a GD cross (w/Newtown Pippin?) better flavor and color than GD; keeps as long.
Breaburn
Braeburn apples were discovered in 1952 as a chance seedling growing in O. Moran’s orchard in New Zealand. The parentage of Braeburn apples is unclear, but both Lady Hamilton and Granny Smith apples were growing on nearby trees.
The apple is named after Braeburn Orchard, where it was first commercially grown. Williams Brothers nursery cultivated the Braeburn apple variety and introduced it to Washington apple growers in the 1980s. Today, Braeburn is well-known as an all-purpose apple with a spicy sweet-tart flavor and crisp bite.
Briggs Auburn (Waldo) (K)
Fall-Winter. Introduced by John C. Briggs of Auburn, Maine, before 1850.
Large round-oblate clear-yellow fruit with glowing greenish shading and a slight blush. All-purpose apple with bright well-balanced flavor, including hints of banana and blackberry, and chewy skin for superior fresh eating well into winter.
Top-notch cooking. Highly aromatic when you peel it. Produces a thick creamy golden-yellow medium-sweet applesauce, no sugar necessary. Excellent in oatmeal. In a pie the slices lose their shape but the crust won’t sink and pie doesn’t get watery.
Ripens in late fall and keeps all winter. Recently we’ve suspected that Brigg’s Auburn may have been called Naked Limbed Greening in Waldo County where our scionwood comes from. Z4-6. Maine Grown. (3-6' bare-root trees)
Bullock (D, C)
Fall-Winter. American of unknown origin, probably well before 1800. Also called American Golden Russet. Small to medium-sized russet, continually confused with Golden Russet (of western New York). They are quite similar in appearance and taste. Highly flavored. Excellent dessert quality. Tender, rich, crisp, flavorful and everything else. Also makes good cider. Bears more heavily than Golden Russet but does not keep as long in common storage. Still, good well into January. Zones 4-7.
Calville Blanc d'Hiver (C) High in Vitamin C
The Calville Blanc d' Hiver is the gourmet culinary apple of France, excellent for tarts and holds its shape when cooked. Uniquely shaped medium to large size fruit, yellow skin with light red flush. Flesh is tender, sweet, spicy, flavorful, with a banana-like aroma more vitamin C than an orange. Grown by Le Lectier, procureur for Louis XIII; the Calville Blanc continues to be served in fine Parisian restaurants today. Calville Blanc d' Hiver was also grown in the garden at Monticello in the 1770's by Thomas Jefferon. This apple will make you pucker when first harvested. Mellows to a wonderful pear/pineapple essence in cold storage.
France before 1600; large heavily ribbed, smooth green-cream skin; very tasty in right conditions; must have some calcium in soil; good D R; keeps 3 months; good baked.
Canadian Strawberry (D, C)
It's a juicy apple with nice well-balanced flavors of vanilla, lychee, and corn syrup. A dash of generic berries is the closest this sample comes to the distinctive strawberry.
Celestia
This is a flavorful old-fashioned apple, sweet with nutty notes and also something a little warm, like cinnamon (but not cinnamon). Other flavors include sweet grass, floral notes, berries, lychee, and a suggestion of table grapes. Celestia is a very fine subacid variety of the old school, a seedling of another old apple called the Stillwater Sweet.
1842? Ohio; dusty rose with frog egg light circles around lenticels; excellent flavor in right conditions (succeeds in Michigan) and very juicy; once thought extinct.
Cherryfield (Collins)
Cherryfield Apple Fall-Winter. Unknown parentage. Wyman B. Collins intro, Cherryfield, Maine, about 1850. Also called Collins.
This all-purpose variety has become one of my favorites. It does everything well. Very nice fresh. Relatively tart with only a hint of sweetness. Good in salads. Quick tart sauce with a smooth texture, the skins mostly dissolved. Makes a highly flavored pie, a bit loose with great color and texture. Excellent sliced up on pizza. Ripens about Oct. 15 and keeps until the end of March.
Connell (Red): 1957 bud sport of Fireside (1946 U MN) very hardy and vigorous, red waxy fruit is late and productive, keeping well, quite sweet and aromatic in MN; not yet fruited for me.
1957 Wisconsin bud sport of Fireside; fruit large, red and waxy, sweet; late harvest keeps to April; resists cedar apple rust; vigorous & hardy to -40F; mid-late bloom.
Cortland (Royal Court): 1898 Ben Davis x McIntosh, Geneva NY; medium to large, blocky, red flush, light stripes; sweet/tart, juicy, Mac flavor; no browning when cut; PSF; fair DR. Keeps 6 weeks.
Cox Orange Pippin
Classic English apple. Tree was discovered as a chance seedling and has inspired apple lovers ever since. Upright tree with a spreading growth habit. Fruit has a yellow skin with an orange-red blush. Complex flavor hints of orange and mango. Superb fresh and in pies, sauces, or ciders. Antique variety, originates from England, circa 1825. Cold-hardy. Ripens in mid to late September.
Dabinett (C-BS)
A classic English hard cider apple variety, which produces a full bittersweet juice. It is also one of the most reliable and easy cider varieties to grow.
Unlike many hard cider varieties which are best-used for blended ciders, Dabinett can also be used to produce a single-varietal full-bodied medium-dry cider. Note that Dabinett apples are not suitable for eating fresh, they can only be used for producing juice for hard cider.
Dickinson (click here for picture)
(Description by David Benscoter)
Below is a description from The Apples of New York, vol 2:
…Very productive. Fruit resembles Yellow Bellflower in shape, but the color is red. It is of good size and attractive enough in appearance to make a good market apple, but it is not above second rate in quality.
Historical. Grown from seed of the Yellow Bellflower by Sarah Dickinson, Westchester, Pennsylvania……..
Fruit medium to large, somewhat variable in size. Form oblong-conic…Skin smooth, light yellow or green, blushed and mottled with bright red, striped with darker red, sprinkled with inconspicuous, small green and whitish dots. Prevailing effect red with well-colored fruit…
Flesh yellowish, juicy to very juicy, moderately fine-grained, slightly aromatic, subacid, moderately firm, tender, fair to good. Season November to April. Known as a good keeper. This apple was re-discovered in Whitman County, WA, in 2016.
Dutch Mignonne
late September. A Dutch dual-purpose culinary-dessert apple first brought to England in the 1770s. sometimes known as 'Reinette de Caux'. A simple golden apple with brown spots on a branch with seven green leaves.
Early Bird Fuji
Early Fuji apples are round and large. It has a mostly red colored skin with small patches of golden yellow blush and light vertical striations. The Early Fuji has a white to cream-colored, dense, yet crisp flesh. Complex in flavor, low in acidity and very sweet with notes of both honey and citrus.
The Early Fuji apple is a member of the Rosaceae family in the Malus domestica species. Early Fuji apples have all of the positive characteristics of the Fuji apple but it ripens five to six weeks earlier than the original variety. The Auvil Early Fuji ™ apple was discovered by the renown Washington State apple grower, Grady Auvil. This patented apple variety is also known as Fuji 216 cultivar and was introduced to the market in the late 1990s.
Early Harvest (E)
As the name suggests this high-yielding apple tree is among the first to be ready for harvest. These apples are ready to be picked as early as July in some locations, with the latest harvest in September. Grows well in moist, well-drained soil, it is not drought tolerant. (Hardiness zones 3-8).
Fast growing tree, growing more than 2 feet a year and reaching 20-25 feet at maturity.
Edelborsdorfer
1175 Pforta Abbey, Naumburg, Germany; med-large, wide shoulders, yellow waxy, ripe September in eastern WA, upright moderate vigor. (Oldest apple I know of with actual date.)
1175 Pforta Abbey, Naumburg, Germany; ripe September; yellow, waxy, med-large conical, sweet & spicy; keeps 6 weeks; average upright vigor; mid-late pink bloom; good DR.
Ellis Bitter (C-BS)
Ellis Bitter is an heirloom English bittersweet cider variety from Devon, England. This apple is unpalatable fresh, but is a popular choice for cider in its native England.
A larger than average cider variety (2 1/4"), yellow with orange and red streaks. Yields a high alcohol, full body, dry, and astringent cider.
The tree is vigorous, precocious and productive; susceptible to fire blight, and moderately susceptible to scab. Ellis Bitter is a tip bearer, late blooming, and September harvest. Short storage life.
Erwin Bauer
Erwin Bauer is a German apple, first introduced in Eastern Germany in 1928, but it did not become popular until after the war in 1955.
This heirloom is medium sized, with a deep yellow skin covered in dark red-orange stripes. This apple is large, sweet-tart, aromatic, and a good fresh eating apple. It is a seedling of Duchess of Oldenburg, but its fine flavor and aromatics so much resembles Cox's Orange Pippin that Cox is regarded as probable pollen parent. The tree is small to moderate, and a heavy producer, annual bearer. In upstate New York, it ripens late autumn (October). Good keeper. Hardy to zone 4.
Ewalt
(Description from David Benscoter)
The Ewalt originated at the farm of John Ewalt near Bradford, Pennsylvania, sometime before 1800. The apple is described as a large yellow apple with a crimson flush. The flesh is described as firm, juicy, with good to very good quality. A good keeper apple, the Ewalt can last in storage until April or longer. This apple was re-discovered near Hauser Lake, ID, in 2017.
Enterprise: 1993 Purdue/Rutgers/Indiana (PRI) red round-to-long; late harvest keeps 6 months; sweet/tart; disease resistant; vigorous & spreading.
Esopus Spitzenburg: by 1770 NY; rich flavor if kept 4+ weeks, variously shaped & colored, ripe Oct. Adaptable to most climates, but susceptible to every disease; fairly vigorous; mid-late bloom.
Fall Jeneting (click here for picture)
(Description from David Benscoter)
One of the most unusually shaped apples ever. The tree produces beautiful orange, red, and yellow apples that have distinct ridges. The apple was popular at one time and is described in a variety of books and pamphlets from the 1800’s into the early 1900’s.
The book “The Apples of New York”, by S.A.Beach, volume 2, 1903, describes the Fall Jenetting as “very good for culinary uses and acceptable for dessert; is not a good keeper.”
The twenty-fifth annual report of the Fruit Growers Association of Ontario (Canada) sessional papers (37) 1894, stated that the Fall Jeneting “is a variety that cannot possibly be beaten in the way of canning apples.”
The apple is stunning in appearance, good tasting, but as a fall apple, ripening before the end of September, will not last in your refrigerator as long as winter varieties.
This apple was re-discovered in Maine in 2013. A second Fall Jeneting was found in Whitman County, WA, in 2014.
Fameuse (a.k.a. Snow Apple) (C, D)
Famous for its pure white flesh and spicy, aromatic, subacid flavor. Small to medium-sized fruit with beautiful light red stripes over a cream background. In cool climates, the skin is a solid, very dark red. Used primarily for dessert, also for cooking and cider. Keeps after harvest until the holidays. Very hardy, long-lived, heavy-bearing tree. Originated from French seed planted in Canada in the late 1600s. Parent of McIntosh.
Before 1750 Quebec, Canada; very hardy; small to medium; white flesh does not brown, good flavor and balance; good crops; resists disease except scab; late bloom; keeps two months.
Fuji (Morning Mist)
This strain should ripen before (original Fuji; 1962 Delicious x Ralls Jenet, Japan) large, sweet, productive; average vigor; mid-late bloom; vulnerable to fire blight.
Flushing Spitzenburg
(Description from David Benscoter)
Named by William Prince of Prince Nursery in Flushing, N.Y. prior to 1820. Medium to large in size, with deep orange-red skin. The flesh is white; juicy and sweet, sometimes stained red, ripe in October. Considered extinct when it was re-discovered near Hauser Lake, ID, in 2017.
Frazier’s Prolific, aka Cantrel or Pride of Washington
(Description from David Benscoter)
Cantrell (Cantrel) Frazier planted one of the first commercial orchards in Walla Walla County. Walla Walla historian W. D. Lyman wrote about Frazier in 1918, saying one of his seedlings grew into a mammoth tree that was reputed to be the largest in the state - more than 7 feet, 7 inches in circumference around the base with a spread of 57 feet and height of 42 feet. Frazier and his tree gained fame when it yielded a crop of over 126 boxes of apples in 1907. The tree was commonly called Frazier’s prolific apple tree. Although the original tree died in the 1980’s it was cloned shortly before perishing. A clone was planted near Fort Walla Walla Mueum and still produces big crops of apples.
Frequin Rouge (C)
Frequin Rouge is a bittersweet (amere in its native French) heirloom cider variety from Normandy, France. The apple is yellow with red stripes, crisp, juicy and strong in tannins. It is a very popular cider variety in France and has been used there since the end of the 19th century. This heirloom is precocious and productive but tends to biannual cropping with some susceptibility to scab and fire blight. Matures early midseason.
Ginger Gold
Ginger Gold is famous as the apple that Hurricane Camille brought forth, first discovered in Viriginia in 1969. Camille brought devastating floods to Nelson County, Virginia, and the orchards of Clyde and Frances "Ginger" Harvey were badly washed out. In recovering the few surviving trees around the edge of one Winesap orchard, another tree was found which Clyde Harvey recognized as being different. It was planted with the rest, but was found to produce yellow rather than red fruit. An extension agent identified the parents as Golden Delicious, Albemarle Pippin, and some other unknown variety. The variety was eventually named after Clyde Harvey's wife.
In the 21st century this has become an increasingly popular variety. It is the first yellow apple to ripen in the fall, and the quality and consistency of its bearing have suited it to commercial growing. In January 2007, the Virginia General Assembly proposed a bill designating the Ginger Gold Apple as the official fruit of Virginia. The apple is green-yellow, sweet-dart, simple, crisp and juicy. Hardy to zone 5.
Ginger Gold is an early season apple, ripening early September in upstate New York. Susceptible to fireblight and cedar apple rust.
Gloria Mundi
By 1800 NY? Maryland? massive, rather tart green cooking apple with undistinguished flavor, regular bearer.
GoldRush
PRI 1993; 2 ¾ inch, rugged gold, light blush, very hard, high spicy flavor, no browning when cut; keeps long; multi use; grows fast young to modest vigor; good DR except CAR; late bloom.
Golden Delicious
One of the finest quality apples ever found, and perhaps the most famous. Fairly tolerant to fire blight. Susceptible to cedar apple rust. An excellent pollenizer for most other varieties.
1890s W. Virginia; bought named & marketed by Stark Bros. Mid-late frost tolerant bloom is PSF; poor disease resistance; low-average vigor.
Golden Russet (C, D, K)
Golden Russet was first discovered as a seedling of English Russet in upstate New York, 1845, but it could be older. Excellent cider and out of hand eating apple.
The fruit is medium-sized, russeted skin, varying from grey-green to bronze with a copper-orange cheek. The flesh is fine grained and crisp, with sugary juices that produce a full bodied cider with a rich aroma. High sugar and acidity, low tannin, a sharp cider apple. A good keeper, stays sweet, hard, nutty and crunchy throughout the winter. Golden Russet is medium vigour, scab and cedar apple rust resistant. Ripens late October, best for eating between October-March. Hardy to zone 4.
Before 1800 NJ; smaller fruit, bigger flavor, juicy; multi-use includes cider; mid-early bloom; late harvest keeps 3 months; average vigor; fair to good disease resistance.
Gravenstein (E)
Gravenstein is an heirloom apple said to have originiated in Italy, early 1600's, and arrived in Denmark in 1669, where it is now the national apple. First discovered in the USA in 1790, possibly brought over by Russian fur traders. Large, round to slightly flattened orangish yellow fruit with red stripes. Thin skin. Crisp, juicy, fine grained, yellowish white flesh. Known for fine, berry-like, sweet-tart flavor. Unexcelled for cooking. Makes wonderful pies, desserts, sauces, and cider. With proper storage, keeps until November. Tree is large, vigorous, and upright growing, tends to be biennial. Susceptible to abble scab, canker, powdery mildew, and fireblight. Triploid. Ready to harvest August-September, keeps till early November in upstate New York.
Early 1700s Denmark? early season, needs 2-3 pickings, large, blocky, juicy, distinctive flavor, cannot keep long; triploid early bloom; PTB; FB susceptible; vigorous.
Gray Pearmain (D, C)
Fall-Winter. Probably Skowhegan, Maine, before 1870.
Absolutely delicious dessert (fresh eating) apple with a distinct pear flavor and firm white juicy mildly tart flesh. Steadily gaining a devoted following. Medium-sized slightly ribbed and muffin-shaped fruit has a soft opaque greenish-yellow skin with a rosy pink blush, a russet veil, and a greyish bloom. Produces excellent juice. Pick late and eat them in the fall and all winter. Until recently the only trees we knew of were at The Apple Farm in Fairfield, across the line from Skowhegan. Through the generosity of the Meyerhans, the Gray Pearmain is now being grown throughout Maine and beyond. Annually bearing easy-to-grow medium-sized spreading tree. Blooms midseason. Z4-6. Maine Grown.
Green Sweet (K, D)
A desirable late keeping apple excellent for either eating or culinary use. It holds it's flavor and remains crisp, brittle and juicy until spring. Skin grass-green becoming a pretty yellow with a thin brownish red blush in highly colored specimens. Flesh greenish-white, tender, fine grained, juicy, very sweet.
Grimes Golden
Grimes Golden is an American heirloom apple first spotted in West Virginia, 1832. Medium to large clear yellow fruit. Flesh is crisp, fine-grained, and juicy yellow flesh. Rich, distinctive, aromatic spicy flavor. Similar to Golden Delicious but with more richness and tang (It is a parent of Golden Delicious!). Makes great cider - has 18% sugar that ferments to 9% alcohol. Also good for fresh eating and applesauce. Tree bears young, but is an irregular bearer and has poor productions some years. Ripens in October in upstate New York, keeps till January. Moderately resistant to fire blight and cedar-apple rust. Not very cold hardy, hardy to zone 6.
1832 Virginia, probable seed parent of Golden Delicious; similar look, smaller shoulders, subtle flavor with sweetness; self-fertile, thinner skin.
Hall (K)
One of the greatest finds in recent memory, Hall is one of the finest old Southern apples ever grown. It originated sometime from the late 1700’s to the early 1800’s on the farm of a Mr. Hall of Franklin County, North Carolina. It is believed that Magnum Bonum, another fine old Southern variety, was grown from seeds of Hall in 1828. Although it is an outstanding apple with exquisite flavor and great keeping ability, Hall fell from favor due to its small size which could not compete with the public’s bias toward large apples. Credit and recognition must be given to the venerable apple hunter and collector, Tom Brown of Clemmons, NC, who rediscovered Hall in the mountains of North Carolina in the summer of 2002. Fruit is small and roundish to slightly conical in shape. Skin is smooth and thick, yellow covered with clear or dull red. The yellow flesh is tender, juicy, fine-grained, aromatic with a terrific flavor with hints of vanilla. Ripens late fall and is a good keeper. The Hall is old highly prized variety that was only rediscovered in 2002 in NC.
Harrison
Well before 1800 NJ, thought extinct, Paul Gidez rediscovered 1976; small, yellow, black dots, long stem; vigorous, productive late bloom & crop; disease & rot resistant; premium cider apple.
Hawkeye
Hawkeye is the original Red Delicious. This is the legendary apple that old Jessie Hyatt took to Mr. Stark -- the apple that gave rise to a whole new industry. No cardboard here -- the Original really is Delicious! No, not beautiful red wax images of apples, but the real thing. Color is typically "buckskin" in the south, red striped in the North. Flavor is crisp, juicy, and mild, and much better than a Red Delicious you find in the grocery store. The tree is vigorous, slow to begin bearing, but bears annual full crops. Hawkeye is susceptible to scab, but resistant to fireblight and mildew and almost immune to cedar apple rust.
1870 (Yellow Bellflower seedling?) Iowa; Stark Bros. bought & renamed it Delicious. Hawkeye is more pink, striped, flavorful. Productive, disease resistant, hardy, vigorous.
Holstein
1918 Cox Orange Pippin cross, Germany; conical, ruddy, a little russet; small to large; flavor similar to COP; resists scab, disease tolerant; average vigor; triploid bloom.
Honeycrisp
1990s U. Minn. Keepsake x MN1627; late precocious bloom; fire blight, mildew & bitter pit sensitive; insects like its thin skin; brittle wood; growth stunted if bearing early in life.
Honeygold
1935 GD x Haralson, U. of Minn. PSF mid bloom; late September harvest keeps 2-3 months; very sweet, little flavor; large apples.
Hubbardston Nonesuch
1832 Mass. Small to medium conic rosy; fennel taste varies according to conditions, small to medium size fruit; PTB; average vigor; scab resistant, ripe early October.
Hudson’s Golden Gem
1931 Oregon; med-large conic russet; crystalline flesh is sweet, subtly scented; fairly disease resistant; upright growth; keeps 2+ months.
Idared
1930s Jonathan x Wagener, Idaho; sweet & tart; long keeping; multi-use; early-mid frost tolerant bloom; heavy crops; smaller vigor.
Jonagold
Jonagold is a cross of Golden Delicious x Jonathan; Developed at Geneva Station, introduced in 1968. This apple combines the good qualities of its parents. The fruit is large, striped red over bright yellow with firm, crackling, juicy, slightly tart flesh. Superb, rich, full flavor. Finest dessert and eating quality, but also good for cooking. Keeps well. The tree is handsome, study, vigorous, and spreading. Blossoms somewhat tender. Susceptible to fireblight, cedar apple rust, and scab, resistant to powdery mildew. Triploid, so pollen is sterile. In upstate New York, we harvest mid September to late October; keeps September-November. Hardy to zone 5.
1953 Geneva, NY, GD x Jonathan, later season large apple, needs calcium to drip line to mitigate bitter pit and Jonathan Spot.
Jonathan
Origin: New York, 1862. Harvest: October, Season: October-January Description: Good eating and keeping apple. Medium-sized, attractive fruit, striped red with high colour in spots. Flesh juicy and crisp. Flavor refreshing and subacid. Tree Characteristics: Tree naturally small, bears young, heavy crops. Self-fertile, better when cross-pollinated.
1864 Esopus Spitzenburg seedling; rounded conic; red and shiny; vinous taste, early September crop keeps a month; poor disease resistance; needs spur renewal by 8 years.
Karmjin de Sonnaville
Karmijn de Sonneville is a cross between Jonathon x Cox's Orange Pippin; discovered in the Netherlands, 1971. Intensely flavored, rich, aromatic, masses of sugar and acidity, crisp, juicy flesh. One of the strongest flavored apples, extremely citrusy and delicious. The tree is susceptible to apple scab and grows best in cooler summer areas. Triploid. Harvest: September - October, Season: October-December.
Cox Orange Pippin x Jonathan 1949 Netherlands; triploid bloom; strong flavor is juicy, sweet & tart! Larger fruit, September crop. Vulnerable to scab, & splits in low humidity?
Kavanagh (D)
Fall. Unknown parentage. James Kavanagh intro, Damariscotta Mills, Maine, 1790.
This unforgettable large apple is sometimes called Cathead because of its distinctive shape: a large stem end tapering to a small blossom end, typical of some Irish varieties. About half russet and half deep rich lime green. Slightly yellow flesh is mild, moderately crisp, moderately tart and subtle. Good fall and early winter eating, excellent for cooking and drying. Even frying. Foams up quickly into a wonderful creamy sauce, no need to remove the skins. Popular ages ago along the Maine coastal peninsulas, anywhere a schooner could land. Featured in 2014 in an extensive Maine Sunday Telegram article. Finally making its comeback! Blooms late. Z4-6.
King David
1893 Arkansas, owned and promoted by Stark Bros, 1902, Jonathan x Winesap? larger than Winesap, similar coloring outside and in, good disease resistance, late season, complex taste.
Kingston Black
Kingston, Somerset, UK 1820? bittersharp cider apple; weak grower, rather disease susceptible, tardy bearer, light crops.
Kittageskee
(Description from Daid Benscoter)
Probably originated with the Cherokee Indians in North Carolina, introduced in 1851. It was sent to France by P. J. Berckmans Nursery, Augusta, Georgia, in 1860. It was sold in Europe until at least 1905. The apple has yellow skin flushed with bronze. It is small to medium in size, the flesh is nearly sweet and aromatic. A very good winter apple. Considered extinct when it was re-discovered near Boise, ID, in 2017.
Liberty
Liberty is a cross of Macoun x Purdue 54-12 bred at the New York Agricultural Station in Geneva, first released to the public in 1972. This variety is extremely disease resistant, and perfect for home growers that do not want to spray.
The apple is large and with a red blush covering nearly all of yellow fruit, sweet, crisp and juicy. It is perfect for fresh-eating or for a sweet cider apple.
The tree is vigorous, easy to grow, and naturally takes a good shape. Resistant to fireblight and powdery mildew, highly resistant to scab and Cedar Apple Rust. Heavy fruit sets require thinning. Liberty is the backbone of any organic orchard. Ready to harvest around September 20 in upstate New York. Flavor develops over one month of storage.
Macoun cross, NY 1978, Sept/Oct crop of juicy Mac-style flavor, must thin for size; disease resistant yet very attractive to codling moth; average vigor, mid-late bloom; keeps 8 weeks?
Lodi (E)
An attractive yellow early-season apple with a sharp flavor, best used for cooking.
Lowry
Virginia ca1850, September crop of bright red barrel-shaped sweet apples, brief keeping.
Lubsk Queen
Brought from Russia ca1880; early crop hangs well & keeps at least 4 weeks, gorgeous pink blush over porcelain white; tart and multi-use; very hardy.
White porcelain-like skin with splashes and blushes of bright pink and red. Firm, tart snow-white flesh. Brisk flavor.
Madonna: Don’t have info yet.
Maiden Blush (D)
Late Summer-Early Fall. Unknown parentage. Most likely originated in New Jersey, well before 1800. Classic all-purpose apple historically grown in thousands of farm orchards throughout New England. One of the first varieties to be grafted in Maine.
Large round-conic yellow fruit, each with a rosy pink “maiden’s blush.” Ripens over several weeks beginning in September. You’re never inundated with all the fruit at once. Fine grained, moderately crisp, tender, very juicy and subacid. Good quality especially for culinary uses: pies, sauce or sautéed.
Before 1800 NJ; red blush over cream, flat/round; early crop needs several pickings; tart, light juice; multi-use includes drying; flesh does not brown; resists fire blight. Spreading tree.
Major (C)
Early Fall. Full bittersweet cider apple. Probably originated in central Somerset County, England, before 1900.
Sweet, soft, woolly, juicy and bitter. (SG 1.054, acidity 1.8g/L, tannin 4.1g/L) Recommended for combining with other early cider varieties such as Ashton Bitter, Ellis Bitter and Nehou. Medium-sized pinkish-rosy-red roundish-oblate-conic fruit, sometimes ribbed and usually featuring a small yellowish russet splash around the stem. One of the English varieties now becoming popular in the U.S. Vigorous tree with a good central leader and a spreading branching habit. Similar to other Jersey-type cider varieties. Scab resistant. Late blooming. Z4-6.
McAfee’s Nonsuch
(Description from David Benscoter)
McAfee’s Nonsuch has been known by many names. Dan Bussey tells of a seedling sown in 1773 at McAfee’s Station near Harrodsburg, Kentucky. The McAfee family came to Kentucky from Virginia and built along the Salt River where they planted an orchard. He described this apple as: “Medium to large in size, roundish oblate conic. Skin rather thin, yellowish green splashed and striped red flushing to crimson, often marked with thin, grayish, mottled or streaked scarf skin and sometimes with fine, irregular broken russet lines.” Considered extinct when it was re-discovered in Whitman County, WA, in 2017.
McIntosh
McIntosh is an apple first discovered in Ontario, Canada 1798, named in 1870. A classic New England heirloom apple. Fruit beautiful deep red color, size variable. Flesh white, firm, tender, very juicy, flavor characteristically aromatic, perfumed, subacid. Have a distinctive, spicy, sweet "Mac" flavor. Tree is moderate to large, tends to be bienniel unless it is thinned. Hardy to zone 4. Susceptible to apple scab. Ready to harvest September; Season: September - December.
Ca1820 St. Lawrence, Canada, Fameuse seedling? Hardy; early-mid bloom; late September crop keeps 4 weeks; resists CAR.
Medaille d'Or (C-BS)
Medaille d'Or is a bittersweet cider apple developed by a Mr. Goddard of Boisguillaume, Rouen, France in the 1860s. Brought to the UK in the 1880's.
The fruit is a medium light yellow roundish fruit mostly covered with patches and netting of smooth tan russet. Medaille D'or yields a high tannin and sugar juice, and produces a rich, winelike cider. Combine with other late varieties for full flavor.
The tree is of average vigour, produces annually, is scab resistant, and hardy to USDA zone 5, possibly zone 4. Fruit ripens around November.
Michelin (C)
Michelin is a French cider apple that originated in Normandy around 1872. It is first developed by Mr. Legrand and named after a famous cider researcher. Introduced into England in 1884. and it has become more popular there than its native France.
Small-medium conical ribbed pale green fruit dotted with russet and sometimes slightly blushed. Sweet astringent flesh and soft tannin juice, best for blending with other midseason varieties. Currently the most widely planted variety in the West of England cider country. The tree is medium-sized, with upright multi-leader habit and an extremely reliable cropper. Mid-late season bloom, good self-fertility; good pollinator. Scab tolerant. Hardy to zone 4.
MN 1734
Minn. vigorous disease resistant productive tree of small hard tasty russeted apples; precocious, late crops keep well; used mostly fresh and in cider. Hardy zone2/3.
Mollie's Delicious (E)
Late Summer-Early Fall. [(Golden Delicious x Edgewood) x (Red Gravenstein x Close)] New Jersey Ag Exp Sta, 1966. Very large blocky conic yellow high-quality dessert fruit. The beloved local favorite at Francis Fenton’s Sandy River Orchard in Mercer, Maine. Francis always called it “Dollie’s Delicious” in honor of his wife, Dollie.
Monmouth Beauty
Welsh ca1775, early season (August?) full crops; rich flavor; deep red with ragged yellow edging; early-mid bloom; keeps 4 weeks.
Mother
Mother is an antique American apple that was first discovered in Bolton, Massachusetts, 1840. In Cornwall called the "American Mother" or the "Cornish Cox."
Mother is an outstanding eating apple. Fruit is round to tallish, conical, red over yellow. Distinctive flavor, wintergreen aroma. Some think uit has a distinctive basalmic flavor. Needs full sun to be at its best.
The tree is moderatly vigorous, spreading, takes a while to begin bearing, but when it does, it is a hardy and dependable. Fairly resistant to all the major diseases except for fireblight, which is it is somewhat susceptible to. Ready to harvest around September in upstate New York, with peak season: October-December.
1844 Mass. medium-large, round-conic; standard red flush & stripes over green-gold; yellow flesh is rich, highly esteemed in UK; PSF mid-late bloom; multi-use; mid-season crop; brief keeping.
Nehou (C-BS)
Nehou is a French cider apple first introduced to England in the mid 20th century. Nehou yields a bittersweet cider with fruity, astringent juice, and high tannin content and low acidity. The tree is heavy bearer, but apples are soft and easily bruised. Hardy to zone 5.
Nero
(Description from David Benscoter)
Originated on a farm in New Jersey in 1879. Popular apple in New York in the early 1900’s. Medium to above medium in size. Roundish and bright red. Flesh crisp, juicy, subacid with sweet taste. Late in season.
Considered extinct when it was re-discovered in Whitman County, WA, in 2015.
Newtown Pippin (D, K)
Newtown Pippin is an American apple variety with a history going back more than 250 years. It is not the prettiest apple you ever saw, but it is one of the best flavored- aromatic with plenty of acid and pleasantly refreshing, and sometimes a pineapple-type note. The flesh is dense, crisp and juicy. Newtown Pippin is not an apple to eat straight from the tree. Instead it should be harvested in mid-October and then stored in a cold dark frost free shed for a month or so, which gives the rich sweet, flavor time to develop. It is a versatile apple for use in the winter, for eating fresh, cookery and also juicing. The rich aromatic flavor of Newtown Pippin was held in high regard in Victorian England too.
Norda
Rosilda (Prince x McIntosh) x Trail (Northern Queen x Rideau) 1960 Alberta, Canada; very hardy, productive, rather precocious; good flavor and keeping; good fresh and cooked/baked.
Norkent
Haralson x Rescue, Alberta, Ca; very hardy, precocious, productive, ripe September and keeps three months.
Northern Spy (K)
Northern Spy is an heirloom apple first discovered in upstate New York around 1800 used for baking, fresh eating and cider. Parentage is unknown, and it was likely a chance seedling. Large, round, often flattened greenish-yellow fruit flushed and striped pinkish red with a delicate bloom, and occasionally russet patches. Fine grained, rather firm, very tender, crisp, juicy, yellowish flesh. Tart, aromatic, and acidic flavor balanced with syrupy sweetness. Excellent all-purpose apple, except not good for drying. Ferments into a crisp, clean cider. Fruit ripens late October in upstate New York. Northern Spy is a large vigorous tree, biennial bearer, and is slow to bear - it can take ten years or more to fruit. It is somewhat resistant to fireblight, but otherwise susceptible to disease. Hardy to zone 4, and may survive at zone 3, although further testing is neccessary.
Northwest Greening
Wisconsin – when that was the NW of the nation circa 1860, vigorous tree resists FB & CAR, fairly hardy, big fruit with little flavor or juice; gray-green, russet by stem.
Nova Spy
Novaspy is a cross between NovaEasyGro x (Northern Spy x Golden Delicious) developed in Nova Scotia in 1986. Large, red fruit with crisp, juicy flesh. Tart, sweet, and a complex vanilla like flavor. Keeps well. Moderately vigorous, more precocious than Northern Spy. It is compared to a more disease-resistant, earlier bearing Northern Spy. Very good resistance to fireblight according to Michigan trials. Resistant to some, but not all, strains of apple scab. Ripens in early-mid October, between Northern Spy and Mutsu. Hardy to zone 4.
1986 Nova Easygro x NY44411-1 (N. Spy x G. Del.); large fruit, more red & tart than N. Spy, precocious & more disease resistant; mid bloom; keeps three months.
Opalescent (D)
Opalescent was once widely grown in New England due to its stunning attractiveness. It ripens to an iridescent glowing crimson on the tree. Opalescent flavor is rich, sweet with a hint of strawberry. Crunchy, with dense flesh that's flavorful but not very juicy. Fruit can be medium to large in size. A fine all-round apple great juiced, cooks superbly as well as eaten fresh. Hangs well on the tree without losing much quality.
Orin
Yellow skin is blushed red-orange and dotted with conspicuous white lenticels. Sweet, very honeyed, pale yellow flesh, but of little taste or acidity of fruit. Shares same parentage as Mutsu. Parentage: Indo x Golden Delicious
Originates from: Japan Introduced: 1940s
Developed by: Aomori Apple Research Station?
Fruit colour: Yellow / Gold Uses: Eat fresh Harvest period: Late season
Vigour: Average growth Fruit bearing: Tip-bearer
Indo x G. Del. Japan 1948? Even sweeter & less acid than GD; similar bloom, harvest & keeping.
Palouse
No info
Peck’s Pleasant
Rhode Island 1835? large, sweet, good flavor, blushed-to-red Out West, several pickings late Sept/early Oct. Keeps well & storage improves flavor.
Pewaukee
By 1860 Wisconsin, Duchess of Oldenburg x Northern Spy; late crop of coarse fleshed juicy useful fruit, vigorous tree very hardy; built like N. Spy, colored more golden than D/O.
Pixie Crunch
PRI developed ’93, released later; small fruit is deeply red, round, sweet, denser than Honeycrisp, resists scab, vulnerable to mildew & CAR; early September; keeps 4 weeks.
Pomme d'Or (D)
Late Summer. Unknown parentage, probably originating in Québec before 1870. Extremely hardy large light-yellow midsummer cooking and dessert apple reminiscent of Yellow Transparent. The fruit is oblong or even rectangular in shape. Occasionally the large hollow core will be partially filled with a sweet nectar you can actually sip after cutting the fruit in half. As the fruit ripens the faint yellow deepens to a rich gold, hence the name (Golden Apple). Eat it fresh and use it in summer pies. Makes a light golden-yellow mild-flavored chunky sauce. Fruit-explorer Gloria Seigars introduced it to me near St. Agatha, Maine, in the fall of 1998. Edwich Michaud believes his grandfather brought the apple to Maine from Canada in 1870. Uniquely shaped, beautiful and rare. Hardy enough for all northern districts. Long mid-late bloom season. Z3-5.
Porter
1800 Mass. large yellow, taller than wide, rich and fairly sweet, multi-purpose; early September? keeps 4 weeks.
Pound Sweet (C)
Very large golden yellow fruit; good eating quality, outstanding baker. According to Burford, Pound Sweet was used in Ohio during the Civil War to make apple butter that was sold to both North and South. Very good cider apple. Dates to the early 1800s.
Prairie Spy (K)
Prairie Spy is a University of Minnesota apple first released in 1940, likely a Northern Spy descendant. Red over yellow, attractive large fruit, with some russeting. It has excellent flavor that improves in storage. Extra long keeping winter apple.
Tree is hardy, vigorous, long-lived, productive annually, and bears young. In upstate New York, ready to harvest early October with peak flavor November-March. Hardy to zone 3.
Primate
1840 NY; August-September, large rather lumpy yellow with red dots or wash, crop needs several pickings, very sweet , soft.
Pristine
Purdue, Rutgers and U. Illinois, 1995, early season green/gold larger fruit is sweet; bred for disease resistance.
Primate (E)
Highly regarded early American summer eating apple. Medium-large, smooth, light green fruit, crisp, juicy, tart. Originates from: New York, United States, 1840’s
Rambour Franc/Summer Rambo: before 1535 Picardy, France, August strong cropping (thin to avoid biennial tendency) good flavor, some fruit keeps 4 weeks, tends to drop. Ensure calcium present inside its drip line.
1535 Picardy, France; August, mid-early triploid bloom, balanced flavor, must be thinned each June; vigorous; no disease problems, add calcium to soil. Multi-use.
Red Astrachan
Russia before 1800; very early, average size; good balanced flavor; short window of ripeness and use; vigorous tree; hardy yet low chill requirement; no disease problems.
Redfree (E)
Also known as: Co-Op 13. Raritan x PRI 1018-101; PRI (Purdue, Rutgers, Illinois Co Op), introduced in 1981. Ripens 7 weeks before Delicious in early to mid August. Description: Medium size, glossy fruit with 90% bright red color. Smooth, waxy, russet-free skin. Light flesh is crisp and juicy. Disease resistance: Field immune to apple scab; field immune to cedar-apple rust; moderate level of resistance to powdery mildew; good level of resistance to fire blight.
PRI 1981; early season, mostly red skin, sweet, firm, little flavor; vigorous tree is very disease resistant.
Red Wealthy
Fall. Cherry crab seedling. Excelsior, MN, 1860. Superb all-purpose fall apple, one of the most famous of all hardy varieties. With its perfect texture and complex flavors, Wealthy is considered to be one of the best apples. Round-oblate medium-sized fruit is pale greenish-yellow streaked with carmine. About as firm as McIntosh. Tender very juicy sweet subacid flesh is white, often stained red. Good eating and even better cooking. Wonderful pies! Good acid source for fermented cider.
Ripens over a long period. Productive moderately vigorous long-lived small- to medium-sized tree. Blooms early. Z3-4. Maine Grown. (3-6' bare-root trees)
Republican Pippin
(Description from David Benscoter)
Found by George Webber in Lycoming County, PA., growing in a woods, prior to 1800. A large apple with yellow skin, striped with bright red. It is tender, juicy and good quality for kitchen use.
Ribston Pippin
Fall-Winter. Ribston Hall, Yorkshire, England, about 1700.
Famous as an exceptional dessert apple. Medium-large roundish-oblate fruit is covered with an incredibly beautiful swirl of reds, oranges and russets.
One of the best for fresh eating from late fall to early January. Sharp, crisp, rich and aromatic. Dried, it has an intense rich flavor. Recommended as an acid source for cider. Sometimes you find watercore in the fruit, an indication of elevated sugar content. Likely the parent of the renowned Cox’s Orange Pippin. One of the first English varieties to thrive here in America, probably brought over by Benjamin Vaughan just before the Revolution. Vaughan grew it on his farm in Hallowell, Maine. The Maine Farmer reported in 1854 that Ribston Pippin “does better in Maine than any where in the U.S.”
Rhode Island Greening (D)
Fall-Winter. Green’s Inn, near Newport, RI, about 1650.
Also known as Greening. The classic New England cooking apple. Large roundish-conic-oblate green fruit often has a tannish blush. Light yellow-green flesh is crisp and tart. Great for pies, also excellent for fresh eating.
The most well-known of the various Greenings. Because of its high-quality fruit and adaptability to a range of soil conditions, Rhode Island Greening established itself as one of the most important commercial varieties throughout the Northeast in the 19th century. Keeps well into winter. About as hardy as Baldwin. Old trees can still be found in central Maine.
Rome Beauty (Law): 1816 Ohio; late season round & red, soft, sweet; partial tip-bearer; susceptible to fire blight and cedar apple rust. Keeps 4 weeks.
Roxbury Russet (D, C-S)
Roxbury Russet is an apple variety that traces its history right back to the colonial era, and it is thought to be the oldest apple variety originating in North America – almost certainly a seedling of the European variety brought over by the early colonists. It remains popular as a variety for gardens and small orchards, not just for its history but because it is also a good all-around apple.
Roxbury Russet is a typical russet apple, with a sweet flavor. However it is larger than most russet apples. The extent of russeting can vary from considerable to minimal, and like many russets it can develop an attractive sun-kissed flush as well.
It has many uses from eating fresh to sweet and savoury salads, juicing and cider. It keeps well in cold storage and can be used throughout the winter months.
Early colonial America; vigorous, adaptable; resists FB, CAR & scab; consistent crops ripen late; eat fresh 4 weeks & more after picking; multi-use; late triploid bloom.
Royal Court Cortland
One of the most popular and widely grown all-purpose heirloom apples. Fruit is large, deep red and keeps well. Flesh is pure white, fine-textured, crisp, aromatic and very slow to brown. Tops for sauce, pies and fresh eating. Very hardy and annually productive. Fruit ripens mid-to-late September.
Salome
Illinois 1884, small-med, good crops and flavor, red stripes over pink, long stem; tree easy to care for (thin to increase size?) probably ripe in October here.
Sansa (E)
Sansa is a Japanese fresh eating apple first released in 1988, a cross of Akane x Gala. In 1969, Japanese researcher Dr. Yoshio Yoshida sent pollen from the Akane variety to his colleague in New Zealand, Dr. Don McKenzie, and asked him to use it to cross-pollinate Gala blossoms. The seeds that resulted from the cross were returned to Japan where researchers evaluated the trees and fruit for nearly 20 years.
The Sansa is a spectacularily good apple, sweet with more complexity than Akane. It has a bright red striped blush over a pale, yellow-green background. The fruit is firm, yet tender, juicy and exceptionally sweet. Superior acid balance to Gala, and a much better producer than Akane. As with many early apples, Sansa should be enjoyed fresh, soon after harvest, for a terrific eating experience.
Sansa is tolerant to scab of both fruit and leaves, highly resistant to cedar apple rust and powdery mildew, virtually immune to sooty blotch and fly speck (due to early harvest). Blight tolerance appears to be average.
Scarlet Surprise
This is an American variety, also known as Bill's Redflesh and Firecracker, and one of the most extreme examples of a red-fleshed apple variety. The red tendency dominates this apple, with not only the skin and flesh but also the leaves, wood, and blossoms all having a very pronounced red stain to them.
The apples are fairly small, round-conical and often slightly elongated in shape, usually about two inches in diameter, and two and a quarter inches deep. The stalk is of medium length, fairly thick, in a shallow cavity, projecting beyond the base. The skin is wholly red and smooth, sometimes with pale dots (lenticels). The flesh is deep pink to red, soft, and tender; the juice is sweet and tart. The eye is closed and there is little or no cavity. The appearance is very similar to Almata (also American) and Huonville Crab (Australian). There are apples in most years, though there is some tendency to be biennial.
This apple is more acidic than most dessert varieties, having an intense sharp brisk flavour. It keeps in good condition for about a week. After this time the acidity declines and the apple begins to shrink slightly. After a fortnight the acidity is less pronounced, the taste is sweeter and the texture rather soft and doughy.
The tree is slender and partial tip-bearing. The blossom is wholly red, new leaves are bronze-coloured, and the wood is red-stained. The flowering period is extremely early; about 20 days earlier than Bramley. It is one of the first apple trees in the orchard to flower. It is a very poor pollinator. The tree grows rapidly and vigorously.
Shackleford - click here for picture
(Description from David Benscoter)
Apple expert Lee Calhoun wrote that the Shackleford is “medium to large, roundish or roundish oblong; skin thick, tough, waxy, smooth, pale-greenish yellow washed with red and mottled and striped with carmine….crisp, juicy, mild sub-acid. Ripe December – May. In a nursery catalog from 1912, the Shackleford was described as “large, well colored, purplish red in the sun, with a delicate bloom; mild sub-acid, aromatic. Considered extinct when it was re-discovered in Whitman County, WA, in 2017. Apple researcher David Benscoter considers the Shackleford one of the best tasting of the recent re-discoveries.
Silken
Summerland, BC 1982 Honeygold (GD x Haralson) x Sunrise (McIntosh x GD); no russet, translucent creamy skin, sweet without tartness, very light flavor; early season, keeps a week.
Smokehouse
1837 Lancaster county, PA, Vandevere OP; mid-season crop keeps a couple months; multi-use, including fried; large, gold with ruddy smudges, complex flavor.
Snow: see Fameuse.
Spartan
McIntosh x Newton Pippin; Developed at the British Columbia Station. Introduced 1936. Harvest: between Cortland and Jonagold; Season: October-December Description: Beautiful medium size dark red almost mahogany dessert quality apple. Pure white flesh, crisp sweet with some acidity. Firmer than McIntosh. Highly aromatic fine flavor. Tree Characteristics: Precocious and consistently heavy bearer. Susceptible to premature drop. Resistant to scab, mildew and fire blight. Reported hardy through zone 3. First apple variety created by the modern university breeding programs.
Spencer
Large nearly solid red or red striped over green fruit. Very sweet with crisp juicy flesh. Fine flavor. Core smaller than McIntosh. Excellent eating quality.
Parentage: McIntosh x Golden Delicious
Originates from: British Columbia, Canada Introduced: 1926
1959 Summerland, BC, McIntosh x G. Del.; round-conic, mid-size orange to cardinal red wash over light green, sweet/tart and rather dry, keeps 5 weeks; fresh and apple butter.
Spokane Beauty
Walla Walla before 1890; large-massive, flat-round, carmine striped over green, russet by stem, ripe Sept./Oct., keeps 3 months; tip-bearer, mid-bloom; fair DR. Fresh, baked, dried.
Starkey (D)
Fall-Winter. Seedling of Ribston Pippin. Moses Starkey intro, Vassalboro, Maine, about 1800. Exceptionally delicious late fall to early winter dessert apple. In the same league as its parent Ribston Pippin and its probable half-sibling Cox’s Orange Pippin.
Medium-sized roundish-oblate fruit is almost entirely rosy red blushed and striped, then sprinkled with prominent white dots. Off-white flesh is juicy, tender, crisp, mild, lively and subacid. Rediscovered in 1998 on the farm of Sue and Walter Ernst in Vassalboro, Maine, with the help of orchardist and life-long Starkey fan, the late Frank Getchell of Vassalboro. A second tree was later discovered in Vassalboro with the help of Bob Clark. In recent years we have also discovered trees farther afield in the Maine towns of Bowdoinham and Industry. Not to be confused with Stark.
State Fair (E)
Summer. MN 1639 [Mantet (Tetofsky x open-pollinated) x Oriole (Duchess x open-pollinated)] U Minn, 1978. One of the best-flavored early apples for northern growers. The result of a 1949 breeding project that merged several of our most important hardy summer/fall varieties. From Tetofsky, its round shape and crisp tender juicy flesh. From Oriole, its fine-grained texture, subacid flavor, and its rounded medium-sized tree. From Mantet, the medium-sized fruit’s glossy red skin and all-around excellent flavor. From Duchess, its productive and precocious nature, and its excellent culinary quality. From all these ancestors comes its great hardiness. It has reportedly survived and fruited after temperatures of -40?. Keeps well for a summer apple. Ripens in time for the Minnesota State Fair (Aug. 24-Sept. 4 in 2017). Zones 3-5.
Stayman
Seedling of Winesap, 1866 Kansas; med-large apples resemble Winesap, flesh creamy w/some of Winesap flavor; mid-late triploid bloom; late harvest keeps 3-4 months. Watch for FB.
Summered (E)
developed in Summerland, British Columbia, Canada, in 1961 by free pollination of Rogers Mcintosh. Parents are Mcintosh x Golden Delicious.
Growth is moderately strong and open. Early bearing and fertile with a tendency to biennial bearing. Without fruit thinning, older trees become biennial bearing and provides small fruits. Summerred are pretty hardy to frost. The apples kan get scab.
The fruit is medium sized, oval with strong dark red top coat. The flesh is medium to solid, juicy with very good eating quality. Ripens early September. Picked by several times. Optimal eating quality in Week 39 – 45. Summerred can be used both as table apple and for kitchen use.
1961 BC; McIntosh x G. Del.; heavy crops need thinning, ripe August & goes overripe quickly in high heat, keeps 4? weeks; mid-late bloom; indifferent DR. Does better in protected place.
1977 U MN, late August average size fruit heavily striped over orange, juicy somewhat subacid with sweetness, keeps a few weeks, good fresh and baked.
Suncrisp (K)
Good looking yellow apple with a 0-40% orange-red blush. Flavor is sweet yet mildly subacid, said to be intense. Cream colored flesh, not prone to browning. Fruit can be stored up to 6 months in cold storage. Bearing regularity: Biennial tendency
Sundance
SundanceTM is a modern disease resistant apple, which was first selected from a breeding programme in the 1960s and introduced in the early 21st century. The following excellent article describes the origins of this apple in more detail: www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/pri/sundance.pdf. Of particular interest is the pedigree diagram which shows the direct relationship with Golden Delicious, along with the more complex parentage necessary to incorporate the gene for scab resistance which occurs naturally in the crab apple Malus floribunda. This is a good illustration of the challenge facing anyone trying to develop a scab-resistant apple, in effect it is a matter of retaining the scab resistant gene whilst breeding out the other less desirable characteristics of the crab apple (small size and acidic flavor) and replacing them with better qualities from high quality apples such as Golden Delicious.
PRI 2003; taller fruit than GD with similar coloring, better flavor; quite disease resistant; mid-late bloom; late crop hangs & keeps well.
Surprise
Surprise is a Turkish red fleshed apple descended from Niedzwetzkyana. Brought to the US in the 1830's and planted throughout the south in late 1800'. One of the parent varieties of Pink Pearl. The skin of the Surprise apple is beautiful, blushed red and the flesh is a pink-salmon color. The apples are crisp, juicy, very tart, tannic and are great for baking and cider. Albert Etter used this variety to develop many pink flesh apples, including Pink Pearl, the most successful of his pink-fleshed creations. Small, green winter apple with creamy white, red stained flesh. Ripens in Oct.
By 1831 Europe, M. Niedzwetzkyana cross, green/gold skin over hot pink flesh is tart, smaller fruit, ripe Sept? Keeps a few weeks. Probably early bloom and very hardy.
Sweet Bough
By 1817 NJ? moderate vigor, good disease resistance and productivity; early season large and sweet; brief keeping; red blush over light green.
Sweet Sixteen
The Sweet Sixteen apple is crisp and juicy with an exotic yellow flesh and a very sweet, spicy flavor with hints of citrus and vanilla. It is a large, boxy apple, mostly red on a yellow-green skin, with prominent white lenticels. Fireblight resistant. The fruit stores for 5 to 8 weeks. Sweet Sixteen was developed in 1973 by the University of Minnesota from Northern Spy and Frostbite parents.
U MN 1977; vigorous tree, hardy (MN!) productive Sept/Oct crop, very sweet, good size.
Tolman Sweet (C, D)
Excellent for cider and drying, also a good dessert and baking apple. Large green or yellow apple, sometimes blushed red with lines of russet, often marked by a suture top to bottom. Flesh is firm, dry to moderately juicy, decidedly sweet. Historically, a highly esteemed "sweet" apple.
Before 1700 Mass.; conic, greenish, often suture line on skin; very sweet, big late crops; multi-use (+ cider base); precocious late bloom, spreading, long-lived. Unusual flavor.
Twenty Ounce
More important than the name, however, are the apple’s qualities. This is a delicious apple that looks as appealing as it tastes and is indeed consistently quite large.
While it’s a solid eating apple, Twenty Ounce is really at its best baked in pies and other baked products.
Cayuga county, NY, 1843 Mass.; large, yellow flesh, bright red over light green; sweet tart juicy, keeps shape baked; PTB; CAR susceptible; early-mid bloom, ripe Sept. Modest vigor.
Vagon Archer (C)
mild bittersweet Collected 1974 by LARS from Whetton's Cider Museum Orchard, Herefords. Pink flushed over yellow, small fruit. F vl. T3. H e-Nov.
Vanderpool (Red)
1903 Oregon; smaller, built like a Winesap but more pink coloring & russet by stem; very good flavor & juice; late harvest keeps well to April.
Victoria Sweet
1840 Chenango county, NY; rust red, flattened-round; sweet, tender and good flavor; ripe October, keeps 9 weeks.
Wagener
Parentage/Origin: New York, 1790s. Harvest: October, Season: October-April. Description: One of the best late fall varieties for dessert, sauce, cider, juice and storage. Doesn't shrivel. Medium sized, glossy green, red flushed fruit. White flesh, very crisp, juicy and tender, resembles Northern Spy in taste. Tree Characteristics: Hardy, scab resistant tree bears well and heavily. Thinning necessary to produce large fruit.
Ca1790 Penn Yan, NY; medium size flat-round deeply red; precocious, moderate spreading vigor, hardy; late heavy crops (thin for size) keep all winter; multi-use (commercial sauce).
Wealthy
Parentage/Origin: Unknown x Duchess; Minnesota, 1861. Harvest: September, Season: September-December. Description: Excellent dessert and multi-use apple, picked a few weeks early for cooking. Beautiful fruit ripens to bright red across the surface. Crisp, juicy flesh. Refreshing, sprightly, vinous flavor. Tree Characteristics: Long blooming period makes it a good pollinator. Heavy and early producer. Tends toward biennial bearing.
First apple bred in Minn. 1860; extended mid-bloom, good crops - thin for size; medium fruit is pink striped/blushed, balanced flavor, multi-use, keeps 3 months; moderate vigor; very hardy.
Westfield Seek No Further
Mass. by 1796; small-mid dull red w/russet; excellent flavor; ripe Sept/Oct; mid-bloom; multi-use; long-lived hardy tree.
White Winter Pearmain
Probably Indiana by 1849; yellow-cream w/light blush, some russet; PSF extended bloom; late productive harvest, subacid & multi-use; keeps through winter.
Whitney Crab
Small, sweet, edible crab apples. This tree produces a large harvest of red, golf ball-size apples that are perfect for canning, preserving, pickling, spicing and cider. Flesh is sweet, juicy and slightly yellow. Also produces beautiful pink and white blossoms in spring. Originates from Franklin Grove, Illinois circa 1869. Cold-hardy and heat-tolerant. Ripens in late August or early September. Self-pollinating.
Wickson Crab (C)
Wickson Crab is an American cider apple developed by California plant breeder Albert Etter in 1944. Potentially a cross of Esopus Spitzenburg x Newtown Pippin. The fruit is small, yellow-red, dense, has high brix and acid content, and is approximately 1 - 2" in diameter. While the sugar content is 25%, the high acid flavor is probably too strong for most as a dessert apple. The addition of Wickson Crab in a cider will increase acidity and alcohol content. In Apples of Uncommon Character, Rowan Jacobson says Wickson "ferments beautifully into a bone-dry, water-white, high-alcohol cider with a nose of guava and lychee with an astringent crab apple finish". Wickson was largely forgotten until the 1990s, when many cider makers began to incorporate it, including Steve Wood, who began to use it to give Farnum Hill ciders a long, tart, and distinct finish. Wickson crab trees are vigorous and heavy croppers, with fruit bearing heavily on first and second year growth in garlands. Early to mid-bloom, ripens in October in upstate New York. Wickson is likely hardy to zone 3.
Winecrisp
PRI 1990, dull red w/russet near stem, 2 ½ inches wide, disease resistant (scab, mildew, FB & CAR), good consistent crops, very long keeping.
Winesap
Parentage/Origin: US, 1817. Harvest: October; Season: October-January. Description: Medium sized, round, dark red fruit with crisp, juicy yellow flesh with a spicy, vinous flavor and aroma.
Colonial Virginia; smaller red on red conical; yellow flesh is hard at first, strong vinous flavor & tartness at harvest; mid-late triploid bloom, needs thinning; good DR; keeps in cellar ‘til May.
Wolf River
Fruit weighs up to a pound, each! Tree is strong and disease-resistant to apple scab, fire blight, and powdery mildew. Characteristically large fruit is perfect for cooking and sauce – holds its shape and requires very little additional sugar. Antique variety, originates from Wolf River, Wisconsin, circa 1870s. Cold-hardy. Ripens in late September.
Alexander seedling? Wis. ca1875; large rather irregular, red over dull green; SF PTB mid-bloom; does not brown, mild flavor; multi-use includes drying; hardy; good DR.
Wynoochee Early
Near Aberdeen, WA before 1950; August crop lovely smaller fruit; grown in moderate climate can have good flavor & keep until Christmas. Smaller vigor, good disease resistance.
Yarlington Mill (C-BS)
The original Yarlington Mill apple tree was found growing out of a wall at a water mill in Yarlington North Cadbury, Somerset, England in 1898. It is a vigorous tree that produces high yields of small yellow apples, the tree flowers mid season and it fruits midseason to late. Yarlngton Mill is sweet to bittersweet English cider apple. Firm, medium size apples hang on tree well. Late season blending apple. Bears consistently.
Yellow Bellflower
Mystery surrounds this apple because no one documented when it originated; however, in 1817 Coxe reported “The original tree at Burlington, New Jersey was large and old.” The Yellow Bellflower apple tree is an old colonial fruit. It was stated that one of the grafted trees carried across the U.S. was a Yellow Bellflower that was reported in Oregon in 1847. A favorite for baked apples. This variety has fruit that's quite variable in size, with attractive lemon yellow color and pinkish-blush in sunny exposures. Flesh whitish, firm, fine-grained, rather tender, aromatic, quite acidic early in season. Ususally picked on the tart side, then mellowed in storage for several months.
1732 NJ; mostly yellow skin; heavy crop may need thinning for size, hangs well; sweet/sharp, juicy, good fresh after some storage; long-lived tree. Lovely blossom.
Yellow Transparent (E)
White Transparent is a chance seedling which was found in the Wagner nursery in Riga around 1850. Medium to large fruit with transparent pale yellow skin. Crisp, sweet and juicy, but has a very short life after ripening on or off the tree. White Transparent is often picked in a greener stage for cooking. Excellent for sauce, pie and drying. Bears very young and heavily. Thin for best size. (aka Yellow Transparent)
Russia well before 1800; precocious, early heavy crop, tart green/gold; brief keeping; cooks to smooth sauce; highly adaptable; resists scab, CAR, but not FB.
York
AKA York Imperial, Penn. ca1830; lopsided, reddish striped to deep red; late dependable crops may need thinning for size, hangs well; modest flavor, esteemed for baking; keeps into spring.
Zestar
University of Minnesota. Large, crunchy, juicy red fruit with a sprightly sweet-tart flavor. Excellent for both fresh eating and cooking. The fruit will store for 6 to 8 weeks. Tree is vigorous, upright, interesting. Disease susceptibility profile: scab susceptible, but significant resistance to cedar apple rust, powdery mildew, sooty blotch, fly speck, and fireblight. Introduced in 1999. Ripens late August to early September.
Legend for Apple Characteristics:
(Partially self-fertile/PSF; self-fertile/SF; partial tip-bearer/PTB; fire blight/FB; cedar apple rust/CAR; disease resistance/DR; parenthetical names indicate strain; open-pollinated/OP)
Descriptions of Pears
Asian:
Hosui: 1970s Japan, round large russeted golden, juicy tasty; drought & heat tolerant, mid-August, SF.
Nijisseiki: AKA Twentieth Century, highly productive, lower vigor, ripe mid-August, self-fertile.
Shinko: early September, smaller fruit, keeps months, not SF, easily grown. Resists FB.
Shinseiki: perhaps first of these Asian pears to ripen, SF, smaller fruit (thin for size).
Shinsui: very sweet, early, small fruit; needs another pollen source.
European:
Luscious: 1977, similar to Bartlett, but ripe from the tree and FB resistant; poor pollen source.
Summercrisp: 1933 U MN, early, well-blushed, medium size fruit, moderate upright vigor, resists FB.
Wilder Early: Chatauqua, NY 1884, vigorous, productive & early, medium size fruit with hot pink blush; lower susceptibility to FB.
Plum
Asian:
Methley: Asian plum cross, very early season, SF, low maintenance tree, use fruit quickly.
Shiro: early season, low chill, yellow clingstone, vigorous, needs pollen source.
European Plum:
Bavay’s Gage: small golden very sweet productive late September crop, later bloom, PSF, moderate vigor.
Empress: late-to-last ripening plum, semi-cling, large, productive, good quality.
Green Gage: pre-1700, small, sweet, prolific, PSF, hangs well, mid-season harvest.
Monsieur Hatif: nearly as old as Green gage, culinary August purple plum, PSF, nearly freestone.
Mount Royal: Montreal by 1903, semi-dwarf, very hardy, productive, multi-use crop ripe August; SF.
Prune d’Agen: its several names might be differing strains or all the same: Petit d’Agen, Prune d’Ente; 1200s; superior plum fresh & dried, appreciates calcium in soil, PSF.
Sugar: Luther Burbank 1889 Petit d’Agen cross; early purple productive, dries well, vigorous but brittle wood – prune to build limbs & reduce breaking.
There are a lot of apple varieties cultivated in the US and other apple growing regions of the world. One of the most comprehensive sources of information about apples is the Orange Pippin data base. It is especially helpful in finding out about heritage and cider apples. Another easy to use list is the one for Gould Hill Farm. The Pick Your Own site has apple variety lists by state. For great pictures and excellent descriptions of cider and heritage apples check out Albemarle Cider Works. Another list of cider varieties is found on the Growing Produce website. Very frank (Mary Poppins didn't write any of these) apple descriptions are found on the Philo Apple Farm website (e.g. see description for the Astrachan - Red). If you are interested in early varieties check out the excellent list on the Celebrating the Simple Life site.
Apples Descriptions for 2019 Scion Sale:
Listed down below (starting with Alexander) are descriptions of highly valued apple varieties found in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. The specific varieties that will be available at the 2019 Scion Sale have their name in bold green.* If you see an apple that you are interested that does not have a green name it may be available from one of the mail-order scion suppliers.
* list not complete at this time - check back the first of March for a complete listing
Alexander (D)
The Alexander apple is giant. You can make a whole pie using only one apple! It is not a very good keeper, but it will be okay if stored up to two months. Its flesh rapidly becomes floury. It is a mid-season ripening heirloom variety. One really great feature of the Alexander variety is that the fruit do not all ripen at the same time, for a period of about one month they will be ready to harvest, allowing you to extend your harvest. The Alexander apple is red on the sun exposed side and green on the shaded side. The fruit is sweet and has a light fruity aroma, it is good to eat fresh, but it is better for cooking. It makes wonderful apple sauce.
Although it`s taste and texture are not necessarily on a level with other popular varieties, it is still a favourite because of its noble appearence. On the table of fine restaurants it is a star and in the market it is a hot cake.
The Alexandre apple tree is resistant to apple scab. This is often the case with heirloom varieties as they did not have fungicides in the1700's to treat their trees! They had to choose the very bests varieties to propagate, and they often made such a great choice that we still propagate them 300 years later. It is also know to have some susceptibility to fireblight.
Ananas Reinette:
1821 Netherlands (by 1600 France?); small, yellow heavily freckled, Oct. good crops keep 2-3 months, big flavor includes pineapple, increasing w/storage; mid-bloom; smaller vigor.
Arkansas Beauty (click here for picture)
(Description by David Benscoter)
The book, Old Southern Apples notes that the Arkansas Beauty was extinct and that it was introduced in 1886. Stark Bros’ Nursery carried the apple in their catalogs in the early 1900’s.
The apple was described in The Apples of New York, vol 1:
“The Arkansas Beauty is of Arkansas origin. It is above medium in size. The flesh slightly tinged with yellow, … moderately crisp, tender, juicy, mild subacid, taste is good.”
This apple actually colors better in eastern Washington than its native Arkansas. The apple was rediscovered in 2016 in Whitman County, WA.
(Additional descriptions from other sources)
The Arkansas Beauty is a variety of Arkansas origin. It is said that it is grown to some extent in a few sections of that state but has -not proven valuable. A.S grown in this latitude the fruit does not always attain good color or good quality.
Tree vigorous; branches long, stout, crooked. Form wide spreading with a rather open top. Twigs rather long, moderately stout, often crooked; inter- nodes usually short. Bark olive-green with reddish-brown markings, dull, mottled thickly with scarf-skin; somewhat pubescent. Lenticels rather scattering, roundish or somewhat oblong, medium size to rather small. Buds large to medium, plump, rather obtuse, pubescent. Leaves rather long and narrow.
Fruit above medium. Form roundish inclined to conic. Stem long to medium, rather slender. Cavity small, acute, deep, broad, nearly symmetrical, slightly furrowed. Calyx medium, closed or partly open, pubescent. Basin small, medium in depth and width, rather abrupt, somewhat furrowed.
Skin tough, smooth, rather glossy, pale green or yellow, blushed with pinkish- red, and marked with rather faint stripes of carmine.
Medium-large fruit has carmine strokes over cardinal red, nearly white flesh is fairly sweet, firm; vigorous, open crowned, crooked limbs.
Arlet: Golden Del. x Idared, Switzerland circa 1980; sweet mild; red and gold average size, which might improve with thinning in June, large crops are rather early (Aug.?); sensitive to scab, mildew, CAR.
Ashmead's Kernel (D)
1770? UK; drab, rough russet on smallish fruit with big flavor and juice; average vigor, fairly adaptable; needs calcium in soil against bitter pit. Triploid; light crops at best, keeps well.
Widely regarded as one of the all-time best-flavored apples. Small to medium-sized fruit variable shape, often lop-sided. Greenish to golden brown russet skin with reddish highlights. Creamy yellow flesh is aromatic, crisp and sweet. Fruit picked early is somewhat sharp and acidic, but mellows after a few weeks off the tree. Ripens after Red Delicious, about with Golden Delicious. Keeps 3-4 months. Used for dessert, cider and sauce. Resistant to powdery mildew, somewhat resistant to apple scab. Winter hardy tree, begins bearing at young age. From England, discovered in the early 1700s Its juicy flesh is firm with a creamy yellow hue and crisp bite. It exudes an aromatic scent similar to that of orange blossoms and has a sweet and slightly tart flavor with nuances of pears, spice and nuts. Its flavor is strong and sharp when first picked but like many heirloom varieties will mellow out nicely after a month or two in cold storage.
Autumn Gray
(Description by David Benscoter)
First recorded in 1869. A small, yellow apples, nearly covered with thin nettings of russet. Tender, rich, aromatic, very good for dessert. (also known as Autumn Pomme Gris) This apple was re-discovered near Waitsburg, WA, in 2017.
Baldwin (C)
Winter. Wilmington, Mass., about 1740. Also called Butters Apple or Woodpecker. Discovered on the Butters Farm by a surveyor planning the Middlesex Canal and noted as a favorite site for local woodpeckers.
By 1850 Baldwin was the standard all-purpose home and commercial variety wherever it was grown. It remained dominant in Maine until the terrible winter of 1934 when tens of thousands of trees perished and McIntosh became king.
Large round-conic thick-skinned fruit, almost entirely blushed, mottled and striped with red and deep carmine. Hard crisp juicy yellowish flesh makes excellent eating and cooking. Keeps till spring. Makes top-quality hard cider, blended or alone.
Vigorous adaptable hugely productive long-lived healthy tree. When grower Dave Gott asked the late renowned entomologist Ron Prokopy his opinion of Baldwin, Ron replied that the apple is “not practical commercially due to biennialism but the only apple that is both disease and insect resistant.” Blooms early to midseason. Z4-6. Both Maine Grown. (Standard: 3-6' bare-root trees; semi-dwarf: 2-5' bare-root trees)
Ca1745 Wilmington, Mass.; vigorous; large fruit will be mostly sweet Out West, multi-use; triploid late bloom; biennial unless thinned in June; resists CAR, tolerant of scab, mildew, FB.
Bardsey
Found 1998 on island by that name, Wales, tree planted ca1875; medium to large, pink to brick red over butter yellow, cream flesh is juicy, lemon scented; ripe September; partial tip-bearer, partially self-fertile; drought tolerant; thin to single per spur due to short stem. Light crops until fully grown.
1998 Wales (tree dated ca1873); September crop large juicy lemon-scented pink/brick red; mid- PSF bloom, upright/spreading PTB, drought tolerant; very short stem – thin to single per spur.
Belle de Boskoop
Winter. Probably a chance seedling from Boskoop, Holland, 1860. May also be a synonym or mutation of Montfort. Long the farm apple of Europe, every backyard had a Boskoop. Big blocky somewhat lumpy green fruit patched and netted with russet, sometimes with a brownish-reddish blush.
Every chef in Europe know Boskoop—it cooks and bakes beautifully. Quickly reduces to a nice sauce: yellow, soft and medium tart. Seemingly resistant to everything. Keeps well.
Robust, strong-growing tree. Triploid: not a pollinator for other varieties. Blooms early. Malus. Z4-6. ME Grown. (3-6' bare-root trees)
Ben Davis (Black)
By 1860 VA? NC? vigorous tree grows quickly, heavy crops, well-known across country, but does best with significant light and heat (like here!) Sept/Oct?
Berner Rosen
1888 Switzerland; grows quickly until bearing; moderate vigor & fruit size; very red skin, some color within when grown in strong light; balanced rich flavor, fair D R; keeps 3 months.
Bevan's Favorite
A once popular early summer apple, Bevan’s Favorite originated in Salem, New Jersey in 1842. It became a Southern favorite and was widely distributed in North Carolina as late as the 1930’s before fading into obscurity. Lee Calhoun of Pittsboro, NC is credited with rediscovering the apple in 1985 when he found a lone tree in Alamance County, NC. Fruit is medium in size, slightly conical with greenish-yellow skin with broad red striping mostly on the sunny side. The white flesh is crisp, moderately juicy with a fine-grained texture. Ripens in July and is not a good keeper.
Salem, NJ 1842, became popular in the South, nearly extinct until recently; very early harvest; mid-size heavily striped w/red, crisp juicy and needs be used quickly. Vigorous.
Binet Rouge (C)
Binet Rouge is a precocious and productive cider apple from Normandy. It is a staple for French cider and Calvados (apple brandy) makers, producing a high quality aromatic bittersweet juice that ferments to roughly 8% alcohol. Weak grower and bienniel bearer, this variety is late blooming and commonly used for pollination of other cider varieties.
This heirloom matures late, October in upstate New York (early November in its native Northwestern France), and is mildew, fireblight, and scab susceptible. Faily cold hardy, known to survive at low zone 4, high zone when other European cider varieties did not.
Black Oxford (C)
Black Oxford apple is one of Maine’s most noted vareities over the last couple centuries. Roaming the countryside of Maine you can still discover old plantings that continue to produce in abundance. They are easy to spot with their beautiful light pink blossoms. George Stilphen, in the book The Apples of Maine, provides the history of this special fruit: “Black Oxford was found as a seedling by Nathaniel Haskell on the farm of one Valentine, a nailmaker and farmer of Paris in Oxford County, about 1790 and the original tree was still standing in 1907, ...” The fruit is medium, round, deep purple fruit has a blackish bloom; Black Oxford is an all-purpose variety, fresh eating, pies and cider. The apples are well noted for their long shelf life in northern climates.
Black Twig
An old Tennessee variety was introduced around 1830 as a seedling on the farm of Major Rankin Toole. It was said to be Andrew Jackson's favorite apple. The Black Twig is the ultimate in a tart apple; excellent for fresh eating and tannic acid which adds body to cider. Fruit is medium to large with varying color, usually green to yellow skin that is streaked and flushed red to burgundy. The yellow flesh is firm and fine grained with tannic juice that adds a kick to sweet or hard cider. Great for eating fresh or cooking, this apple is an excellent keeper and should be stored in the refrigerator for peak flavor.
Blue Pearmain (D)
This doughty apple gets its name from what many call a "deep blue bloom." I'd describe this as a dusty bluish coating over the blush, which is itself crimson with deep purple streaks. The "bloom" rubs off.
Many small light-brown lenticels freckle this handsome finish, which is also (to my mind) made even more striking by a touch of orange russet, mostly in and around the stem well. The fruit itself is ribbed and very firm in the hand, and--unbroken--smells sweet and grassy.
The flesh is dense, yellow, coarse, and just in case I didn't say, dense. More on that later. The flavor is mild and sweet, but not simple, with hints of pear, melon, caramel, vanilla, and corn. There is the merest suggestion of something like grapefruit peel in the undertow.
Blushing Golden: Coben, Illinois, 1959, likely a GD cross (w/Newtown Pippin?) better flavor and color than GD; keeps as long.
Breaburn
Braeburn apples were discovered in 1952 as a chance seedling growing in O. Moran’s orchard in New Zealand. The parentage of Braeburn apples is unclear, but both Lady Hamilton and Granny Smith apples were growing on nearby trees.
The apple is named after Braeburn Orchard, where it was first commercially grown. Williams Brothers nursery cultivated the Braeburn apple variety and introduced it to Washington apple growers in the 1980s. Today, Braeburn is well-known as an all-purpose apple with a spicy sweet-tart flavor and crisp bite.
Briggs Auburn (Waldo) (K)
Fall-Winter. Introduced by John C. Briggs of Auburn, Maine, before 1850.
Large round-oblate clear-yellow fruit with glowing greenish shading and a slight blush. All-purpose apple with bright well-balanced flavor, including hints of banana and blackberry, and chewy skin for superior fresh eating well into winter.
Top-notch cooking. Highly aromatic when you peel it. Produces a thick creamy golden-yellow medium-sweet applesauce, no sugar necessary. Excellent in oatmeal. In a pie the slices lose their shape but the crust won’t sink and pie doesn’t get watery.
Ripens in late fall and keeps all winter. Recently we’ve suspected that Brigg’s Auburn may have been called Naked Limbed Greening in Waldo County where our scionwood comes from. Z4-6. Maine Grown. (3-6' bare-root trees)
Bullock (D, C)
Fall-Winter. American of unknown origin, probably well before 1800. Also called American Golden Russet. Small to medium-sized russet, continually confused with Golden Russet (of western New York). They are quite similar in appearance and taste. Highly flavored. Excellent dessert quality. Tender, rich, crisp, flavorful and everything else. Also makes good cider. Bears more heavily than Golden Russet but does not keep as long in common storage. Still, good well into January. Zones 4-7.
Calville Blanc d'Hiver (C) High in Vitamin C
The Calville Blanc d' Hiver is the gourmet culinary apple of France, excellent for tarts and holds its shape when cooked. Uniquely shaped medium to large size fruit, yellow skin with light red flush. Flesh is tender, sweet, spicy, flavorful, with a banana-like aroma more vitamin C than an orange. Grown by Le Lectier, procureur for Louis XIII; the Calville Blanc continues to be served in fine Parisian restaurants today. Calville Blanc d' Hiver was also grown in the garden at Monticello in the 1770's by Thomas Jefferon. This apple will make you pucker when first harvested. Mellows to a wonderful pear/pineapple essence in cold storage.
France before 1600; large heavily ribbed, smooth green-cream skin; very tasty in right conditions; must have some calcium in soil; good D R; keeps 3 months; good baked.
Canadian Strawberry (D, C)
It's a juicy apple with nice well-balanced flavors of vanilla, lychee, and corn syrup. A dash of generic berries is the closest this sample comes to the distinctive strawberry.
Celestia
This is a flavorful old-fashioned apple, sweet with nutty notes and also something a little warm, like cinnamon (but not cinnamon). Other flavors include sweet grass, floral notes, berries, lychee, and a suggestion of table grapes. Celestia is a very fine subacid variety of the old school, a seedling of another old apple called the Stillwater Sweet.
1842? Ohio; dusty rose with frog egg light circles around lenticels; excellent flavor in right conditions (succeeds in Michigan) and very juicy; once thought extinct.
Cherryfield (Collins)
Cherryfield Apple Fall-Winter. Unknown parentage. Wyman B. Collins intro, Cherryfield, Maine, about 1850. Also called Collins.
This all-purpose variety has become one of my favorites. It does everything well. Very nice fresh. Relatively tart with only a hint of sweetness. Good in salads. Quick tart sauce with a smooth texture, the skins mostly dissolved. Makes a highly flavored pie, a bit loose with great color and texture. Excellent sliced up on pizza. Ripens about Oct. 15 and keeps until the end of March.
Connell (Red): 1957 bud sport of Fireside (1946 U MN) very hardy and vigorous, red waxy fruit is late and productive, keeping well, quite sweet and aromatic in MN; not yet fruited for me.
1957 Wisconsin bud sport of Fireside; fruit large, red and waxy, sweet; late harvest keeps to April; resists cedar apple rust; vigorous & hardy to -40F; mid-late bloom.
Cortland (Royal Court): 1898 Ben Davis x McIntosh, Geneva NY; medium to large, blocky, red flush, light stripes; sweet/tart, juicy, Mac flavor; no browning when cut; PSF; fair DR. Keeps 6 weeks.
Cox Orange Pippin
Classic English apple. Tree was discovered as a chance seedling and has inspired apple lovers ever since. Upright tree with a spreading growth habit. Fruit has a yellow skin with an orange-red blush. Complex flavor hints of orange and mango. Superb fresh and in pies, sauces, or ciders. Antique variety, originates from England, circa 1825. Cold-hardy. Ripens in mid to late September.
Dabinett (C-BS)
A classic English hard cider apple variety, which produces a full bittersweet juice. It is also one of the most reliable and easy cider varieties to grow.
Unlike many hard cider varieties which are best-used for blended ciders, Dabinett can also be used to produce a single-varietal full-bodied medium-dry cider. Note that Dabinett apples are not suitable for eating fresh, they can only be used for producing juice for hard cider.
Dickinson (click here for picture)
(Description by David Benscoter)
Below is a description from The Apples of New York, vol 2:
…Very productive. Fruit resembles Yellow Bellflower in shape, but the color is red. It is of good size and attractive enough in appearance to make a good market apple, but it is not above second rate in quality.
Historical. Grown from seed of the Yellow Bellflower by Sarah Dickinson, Westchester, Pennsylvania……..
Fruit medium to large, somewhat variable in size. Form oblong-conic…Skin smooth, light yellow or green, blushed and mottled with bright red, striped with darker red, sprinkled with inconspicuous, small green and whitish dots. Prevailing effect red with well-colored fruit…
Flesh yellowish, juicy to very juicy, moderately fine-grained, slightly aromatic, subacid, moderately firm, tender, fair to good. Season November to April. Known as a good keeper. This apple was re-discovered in Whitman County, WA, in 2016.
Dutch Mignonne
late September. A Dutch dual-purpose culinary-dessert apple first brought to England in the 1770s. sometimes known as 'Reinette de Caux'. A simple golden apple with brown spots on a branch with seven green leaves.
Early Bird Fuji
Early Fuji apples are round and large. It has a mostly red colored skin with small patches of golden yellow blush and light vertical striations. The Early Fuji has a white to cream-colored, dense, yet crisp flesh. Complex in flavor, low in acidity and very sweet with notes of both honey and citrus.
The Early Fuji apple is a member of the Rosaceae family in the Malus domestica species. Early Fuji apples have all of the positive characteristics of the Fuji apple but it ripens five to six weeks earlier than the original variety. The Auvil Early Fuji ™ apple was discovered by the renown Washington State apple grower, Grady Auvil. This patented apple variety is also known as Fuji 216 cultivar and was introduced to the market in the late 1990s.
Early Harvest (E)
As the name suggests this high-yielding apple tree is among the first to be ready for harvest. These apples are ready to be picked as early as July in some locations, with the latest harvest in September. Grows well in moist, well-drained soil, it is not drought tolerant. (Hardiness zones 3-8).
Fast growing tree, growing more than 2 feet a year and reaching 20-25 feet at maturity.
Edelborsdorfer
1175 Pforta Abbey, Naumburg, Germany; med-large, wide shoulders, yellow waxy, ripe September in eastern WA, upright moderate vigor. (Oldest apple I know of with actual date.)
1175 Pforta Abbey, Naumburg, Germany; ripe September; yellow, waxy, med-large conical, sweet & spicy; keeps 6 weeks; average upright vigor; mid-late pink bloom; good DR.
Ellis Bitter (C-BS)
Ellis Bitter is an heirloom English bittersweet cider variety from Devon, England. This apple is unpalatable fresh, but is a popular choice for cider in its native England.
A larger than average cider variety (2 1/4"), yellow with orange and red streaks. Yields a high alcohol, full body, dry, and astringent cider.
The tree is vigorous, precocious and productive; susceptible to fire blight, and moderately susceptible to scab. Ellis Bitter is a tip bearer, late blooming, and September harvest. Short storage life.
Erwin Bauer
Erwin Bauer is a German apple, first introduced in Eastern Germany in 1928, but it did not become popular until after the war in 1955.
This heirloom is medium sized, with a deep yellow skin covered in dark red-orange stripes. This apple is large, sweet-tart, aromatic, and a good fresh eating apple. It is a seedling of Duchess of Oldenburg, but its fine flavor and aromatics so much resembles Cox's Orange Pippin that Cox is regarded as probable pollen parent. The tree is small to moderate, and a heavy producer, annual bearer. In upstate New York, it ripens late autumn (October). Good keeper. Hardy to zone 4.
Ewalt
(Description from David Benscoter)
The Ewalt originated at the farm of John Ewalt near Bradford, Pennsylvania, sometime before 1800. The apple is described as a large yellow apple with a crimson flush. The flesh is described as firm, juicy, with good to very good quality. A good keeper apple, the Ewalt can last in storage until April or longer. This apple was re-discovered near Hauser Lake, ID, in 2017.
Enterprise: 1993 Purdue/Rutgers/Indiana (PRI) red round-to-long; late harvest keeps 6 months; sweet/tart; disease resistant; vigorous & spreading.
Esopus Spitzenburg: by 1770 NY; rich flavor if kept 4+ weeks, variously shaped & colored, ripe Oct. Adaptable to most climates, but susceptible to every disease; fairly vigorous; mid-late bloom.
Fall Jeneting (click here for picture)
(Description from David Benscoter)
One of the most unusually shaped apples ever. The tree produces beautiful orange, red, and yellow apples that have distinct ridges. The apple was popular at one time and is described in a variety of books and pamphlets from the 1800’s into the early 1900’s.
The book “The Apples of New York”, by S.A.Beach, volume 2, 1903, describes the Fall Jenetting as “very good for culinary uses and acceptable for dessert; is not a good keeper.”
The twenty-fifth annual report of the Fruit Growers Association of Ontario (Canada) sessional papers (37) 1894, stated that the Fall Jeneting “is a variety that cannot possibly be beaten in the way of canning apples.”
The apple is stunning in appearance, good tasting, but as a fall apple, ripening before the end of September, will not last in your refrigerator as long as winter varieties.
This apple was re-discovered in Maine in 2013. A second Fall Jeneting was found in Whitman County, WA, in 2014.
Fameuse (a.k.a. Snow Apple) (C, D)
Famous for its pure white flesh and spicy, aromatic, subacid flavor. Small to medium-sized fruit with beautiful light red stripes over a cream background. In cool climates, the skin is a solid, very dark red. Used primarily for dessert, also for cooking and cider. Keeps after harvest until the holidays. Very hardy, long-lived, heavy-bearing tree. Originated from French seed planted in Canada in the late 1600s. Parent of McIntosh.
Before 1750 Quebec, Canada; very hardy; small to medium; white flesh does not brown, good flavor and balance; good crops; resists disease except scab; late bloom; keeps two months.
Fuji (Morning Mist)
This strain should ripen before (original Fuji; 1962 Delicious x Ralls Jenet, Japan) large, sweet, productive; average vigor; mid-late bloom; vulnerable to fire blight.
Flushing Spitzenburg
(Description from David Benscoter)
Named by William Prince of Prince Nursery in Flushing, N.Y. prior to 1820. Medium to large in size, with deep orange-red skin. The flesh is white; juicy and sweet, sometimes stained red, ripe in October. Considered extinct when it was re-discovered near Hauser Lake, ID, in 2017.
Frazier’s Prolific, aka Cantrel or Pride of Washington
(Description from David Benscoter)
Cantrell (Cantrel) Frazier planted one of the first commercial orchards in Walla Walla County. Walla Walla historian W. D. Lyman wrote about Frazier in 1918, saying one of his seedlings grew into a mammoth tree that was reputed to be the largest in the state - more than 7 feet, 7 inches in circumference around the base with a spread of 57 feet and height of 42 feet. Frazier and his tree gained fame when it yielded a crop of over 126 boxes of apples in 1907. The tree was commonly called Frazier’s prolific apple tree. Although the original tree died in the 1980’s it was cloned shortly before perishing. A clone was planted near Fort Walla Walla Mueum and still produces big crops of apples.
Frequin Rouge (C)
Frequin Rouge is a bittersweet (amere in its native French) heirloom cider variety from Normandy, France. The apple is yellow with red stripes, crisp, juicy and strong in tannins. It is a very popular cider variety in France and has been used there since the end of the 19th century. This heirloom is precocious and productive but tends to biannual cropping with some susceptibility to scab and fire blight. Matures early midseason.
Ginger Gold
Ginger Gold is famous as the apple that Hurricane Camille brought forth, first discovered in Viriginia in 1969. Camille brought devastating floods to Nelson County, Virginia, and the orchards of Clyde and Frances "Ginger" Harvey were badly washed out. In recovering the few surviving trees around the edge of one Winesap orchard, another tree was found which Clyde Harvey recognized as being different. It was planted with the rest, but was found to produce yellow rather than red fruit. An extension agent identified the parents as Golden Delicious, Albemarle Pippin, and some other unknown variety. The variety was eventually named after Clyde Harvey's wife.
In the 21st century this has become an increasingly popular variety. It is the first yellow apple to ripen in the fall, and the quality and consistency of its bearing have suited it to commercial growing. In January 2007, the Virginia General Assembly proposed a bill designating the Ginger Gold Apple as the official fruit of Virginia. The apple is green-yellow, sweet-dart, simple, crisp and juicy. Hardy to zone 5.
Ginger Gold is an early season apple, ripening early September in upstate New York. Susceptible to fireblight and cedar apple rust.
Gloria Mundi
By 1800 NY? Maryland? massive, rather tart green cooking apple with undistinguished flavor, regular bearer.
GoldRush
PRI 1993; 2 ¾ inch, rugged gold, light blush, very hard, high spicy flavor, no browning when cut; keeps long; multi use; grows fast young to modest vigor; good DR except CAR; late bloom.
Golden Delicious
One of the finest quality apples ever found, and perhaps the most famous. Fairly tolerant to fire blight. Susceptible to cedar apple rust. An excellent pollenizer for most other varieties.
1890s W. Virginia; bought named & marketed by Stark Bros. Mid-late frost tolerant bloom is PSF; poor disease resistance; low-average vigor.
Golden Russet (C, D, K)
Golden Russet was first discovered as a seedling of English Russet in upstate New York, 1845, but it could be older. Excellent cider and out of hand eating apple.
The fruit is medium-sized, russeted skin, varying from grey-green to bronze with a copper-orange cheek. The flesh is fine grained and crisp, with sugary juices that produce a full bodied cider with a rich aroma. High sugar and acidity, low tannin, a sharp cider apple. A good keeper, stays sweet, hard, nutty and crunchy throughout the winter. Golden Russet is medium vigour, scab and cedar apple rust resistant. Ripens late October, best for eating between October-March. Hardy to zone 4.
Before 1800 NJ; smaller fruit, bigger flavor, juicy; multi-use includes cider; mid-early bloom; late harvest keeps 3 months; average vigor; fair to good disease resistance.
Gravenstein (E)
Gravenstein is an heirloom apple said to have originiated in Italy, early 1600's, and arrived in Denmark in 1669, where it is now the national apple. First discovered in the USA in 1790, possibly brought over by Russian fur traders. Large, round to slightly flattened orangish yellow fruit with red stripes. Thin skin. Crisp, juicy, fine grained, yellowish white flesh. Known for fine, berry-like, sweet-tart flavor. Unexcelled for cooking. Makes wonderful pies, desserts, sauces, and cider. With proper storage, keeps until November. Tree is large, vigorous, and upright growing, tends to be biennial. Susceptible to abble scab, canker, powdery mildew, and fireblight. Triploid. Ready to harvest August-September, keeps till early November in upstate New York.
Early 1700s Denmark? early season, needs 2-3 pickings, large, blocky, juicy, distinctive flavor, cannot keep long; triploid early bloom; PTB; FB susceptible; vigorous.
Gray Pearmain (D, C)
Fall-Winter. Probably Skowhegan, Maine, before 1870.
Absolutely delicious dessert (fresh eating) apple with a distinct pear flavor and firm white juicy mildly tart flesh. Steadily gaining a devoted following. Medium-sized slightly ribbed and muffin-shaped fruit has a soft opaque greenish-yellow skin with a rosy pink blush, a russet veil, and a greyish bloom. Produces excellent juice. Pick late and eat them in the fall and all winter. Until recently the only trees we knew of were at The Apple Farm in Fairfield, across the line from Skowhegan. Through the generosity of the Meyerhans, the Gray Pearmain is now being grown throughout Maine and beyond. Annually bearing easy-to-grow medium-sized spreading tree. Blooms midseason. Z4-6. Maine Grown.
Green Sweet (K, D)
A desirable late keeping apple excellent for either eating or culinary use. It holds it's flavor and remains crisp, brittle and juicy until spring. Skin grass-green becoming a pretty yellow with a thin brownish red blush in highly colored specimens. Flesh greenish-white, tender, fine grained, juicy, very sweet.
Grimes Golden
Grimes Golden is an American heirloom apple first spotted in West Virginia, 1832. Medium to large clear yellow fruit. Flesh is crisp, fine-grained, and juicy yellow flesh. Rich, distinctive, aromatic spicy flavor. Similar to Golden Delicious but with more richness and tang (It is a parent of Golden Delicious!). Makes great cider - has 18% sugar that ferments to 9% alcohol. Also good for fresh eating and applesauce. Tree bears young, but is an irregular bearer and has poor productions some years. Ripens in October in upstate New York, keeps till January. Moderately resistant to fire blight and cedar-apple rust. Not very cold hardy, hardy to zone 6.
1832 Virginia, probable seed parent of Golden Delicious; similar look, smaller shoulders, subtle flavor with sweetness; self-fertile, thinner skin.
Hall (K)
One of the greatest finds in recent memory, Hall is one of the finest old Southern apples ever grown. It originated sometime from the late 1700’s to the early 1800’s on the farm of a Mr. Hall of Franklin County, North Carolina. It is believed that Magnum Bonum, another fine old Southern variety, was grown from seeds of Hall in 1828. Although it is an outstanding apple with exquisite flavor and great keeping ability, Hall fell from favor due to its small size which could not compete with the public’s bias toward large apples. Credit and recognition must be given to the venerable apple hunter and collector, Tom Brown of Clemmons, NC, who rediscovered Hall in the mountains of North Carolina in the summer of 2002. Fruit is small and roundish to slightly conical in shape. Skin is smooth and thick, yellow covered with clear or dull red. The yellow flesh is tender, juicy, fine-grained, aromatic with a terrific flavor with hints of vanilla. Ripens late fall and is a good keeper. The Hall is old highly prized variety that was only rediscovered in 2002 in NC.
Harrison
Well before 1800 NJ, thought extinct, Paul Gidez rediscovered 1976; small, yellow, black dots, long stem; vigorous, productive late bloom & crop; disease & rot resistant; premium cider apple.
Hawkeye
Hawkeye is the original Red Delicious. This is the legendary apple that old Jessie Hyatt took to Mr. Stark -- the apple that gave rise to a whole new industry. No cardboard here -- the Original really is Delicious! No, not beautiful red wax images of apples, but the real thing. Color is typically "buckskin" in the south, red striped in the North. Flavor is crisp, juicy, and mild, and much better than a Red Delicious you find in the grocery store. The tree is vigorous, slow to begin bearing, but bears annual full crops. Hawkeye is susceptible to scab, but resistant to fireblight and mildew and almost immune to cedar apple rust.
1870 (Yellow Bellflower seedling?) Iowa; Stark Bros. bought & renamed it Delicious. Hawkeye is more pink, striped, flavorful. Productive, disease resistant, hardy, vigorous.
Holstein
1918 Cox Orange Pippin cross, Germany; conical, ruddy, a little russet; small to large; flavor similar to COP; resists scab, disease tolerant; average vigor; triploid bloom.
Honeycrisp
1990s U. Minn. Keepsake x MN1627; late precocious bloom; fire blight, mildew & bitter pit sensitive; insects like its thin skin; brittle wood; growth stunted if bearing early in life.
Honeygold
1935 GD x Haralson, U. of Minn. PSF mid bloom; late September harvest keeps 2-3 months; very sweet, little flavor; large apples.
Hubbardston Nonesuch
1832 Mass. Small to medium conic rosy; fennel taste varies according to conditions, small to medium size fruit; PTB; average vigor; scab resistant, ripe early October.
Hudson’s Golden Gem
1931 Oregon; med-large conic russet; crystalline flesh is sweet, subtly scented; fairly disease resistant; upright growth; keeps 2+ months.
Idared
1930s Jonathan x Wagener, Idaho; sweet & tart; long keeping; multi-use; early-mid frost tolerant bloom; heavy crops; smaller vigor.
Jonagold
Jonagold is a cross of Golden Delicious x Jonathan; Developed at Geneva Station, introduced in 1968. This apple combines the good qualities of its parents. The fruit is large, striped red over bright yellow with firm, crackling, juicy, slightly tart flesh. Superb, rich, full flavor. Finest dessert and eating quality, but also good for cooking. Keeps well. The tree is handsome, study, vigorous, and spreading. Blossoms somewhat tender. Susceptible to fireblight, cedar apple rust, and scab, resistant to powdery mildew. Triploid, so pollen is sterile. In upstate New York, we harvest mid September to late October; keeps September-November. Hardy to zone 5.
1953 Geneva, NY, GD x Jonathan, later season large apple, needs calcium to drip line to mitigate bitter pit and Jonathan Spot.
Jonathan
Origin: New York, 1862. Harvest: October, Season: October-January Description: Good eating and keeping apple. Medium-sized, attractive fruit, striped red with high colour in spots. Flesh juicy and crisp. Flavor refreshing and subacid. Tree Characteristics: Tree naturally small, bears young, heavy crops. Self-fertile, better when cross-pollinated.
1864 Esopus Spitzenburg seedling; rounded conic; red and shiny; vinous taste, early September crop keeps a month; poor disease resistance; needs spur renewal by 8 years.
Karmjin de Sonnaville
Karmijn de Sonneville is a cross between Jonathon x Cox's Orange Pippin; discovered in the Netherlands, 1971. Intensely flavored, rich, aromatic, masses of sugar and acidity, crisp, juicy flesh. One of the strongest flavored apples, extremely citrusy and delicious. The tree is susceptible to apple scab and grows best in cooler summer areas. Triploid. Harvest: September - October, Season: October-December.
Cox Orange Pippin x Jonathan 1949 Netherlands; triploid bloom; strong flavor is juicy, sweet & tart! Larger fruit, September crop. Vulnerable to scab, & splits in low humidity?
Kavanagh (D)
Fall. Unknown parentage. James Kavanagh intro, Damariscotta Mills, Maine, 1790.
This unforgettable large apple is sometimes called Cathead because of its distinctive shape: a large stem end tapering to a small blossom end, typical of some Irish varieties. About half russet and half deep rich lime green. Slightly yellow flesh is mild, moderately crisp, moderately tart and subtle. Good fall and early winter eating, excellent for cooking and drying. Even frying. Foams up quickly into a wonderful creamy sauce, no need to remove the skins. Popular ages ago along the Maine coastal peninsulas, anywhere a schooner could land. Featured in 2014 in an extensive Maine Sunday Telegram article. Finally making its comeback! Blooms late. Z4-6.
King David
1893 Arkansas, owned and promoted by Stark Bros, 1902, Jonathan x Winesap? larger than Winesap, similar coloring outside and in, good disease resistance, late season, complex taste.
Kingston Black
Kingston, Somerset, UK 1820? bittersharp cider apple; weak grower, rather disease susceptible, tardy bearer, light crops.
Kittageskee
(Description from Daid Benscoter)
Probably originated with the Cherokee Indians in North Carolina, introduced in 1851. It was sent to France by P. J. Berckmans Nursery, Augusta, Georgia, in 1860. It was sold in Europe until at least 1905. The apple has yellow skin flushed with bronze. It is small to medium in size, the flesh is nearly sweet and aromatic. A very good winter apple. Considered extinct when it was re-discovered near Boise, ID, in 2017.
Liberty
Liberty is a cross of Macoun x Purdue 54-12 bred at the New York Agricultural Station in Geneva, first released to the public in 1972. This variety is extremely disease resistant, and perfect for home growers that do not want to spray.
The apple is large and with a red blush covering nearly all of yellow fruit, sweet, crisp and juicy. It is perfect for fresh-eating or for a sweet cider apple.
The tree is vigorous, easy to grow, and naturally takes a good shape. Resistant to fireblight and powdery mildew, highly resistant to scab and Cedar Apple Rust. Heavy fruit sets require thinning. Liberty is the backbone of any organic orchard. Ready to harvest around September 20 in upstate New York. Flavor develops over one month of storage.
Macoun cross, NY 1978, Sept/Oct crop of juicy Mac-style flavor, must thin for size; disease resistant yet very attractive to codling moth; average vigor, mid-late bloom; keeps 8 weeks?
Lodi (E)
An attractive yellow early-season apple with a sharp flavor, best used for cooking.
Lowry
Virginia ca1850, September crop of bright red barrel-shaped sweet apples, brief keeping.
Lubsk Queen
Brought from Russia ca1880; early crop hangs well & keeps at least 4 weeks, gorgeous pink blush over porcelain white; tart and multi-use; very hardy.
White porcelain-like skin with splashes and blushes of bright pink and red. Firm, tart snow-white flesh. Brisk flavor.
Madonna: Don’t have info yet.
Maiden Blush (D)
Late Summer-Early Fall. Unknown parentage. Most likely originated in New Jersey, well before 1800. Classic all-purpose apple historically grown in thousands of farm orchards throughout New England. One of the first varieties to be grafted in Maine.
Large round-conic yellow fruit, each with a rosy pink “maiden’s blush.” Ripens over several weeks beginning in September. You’re never inundated with all the fruit at once. Fine grained, moderately crisp, tender, very juicy and subacid. Good quality especially for culinary uses: pies, sauce or sautéed.
Before 1800 NJ; red blush over cream, flat/round; early crop needs several pickings; tart, light juice; multi-use includes drying; flesh does not brown; resists fire blight. Spreading tree.
Major (C)
Early Fall. Full bittersweet cider apple. Probably originated in central Somerset County, England, before 1900.
Sweet, soft, woolly, juicy and bitter. (SG 1.054, acidity 1.8g/L, tannin 4.1g/L) Recommended for combining with other early cider varieties such as Ashton Bitter, Ellis Bitter and Nehou. Medium-sized pinkish-rosy-red roundish-oblate-conic fruit, sometimes ribbed and usually featuring a small yellowish russet splash around the stem. One of the English varieties now becoming popular in the U.S. Vigorous tree with a good central leader and a spreading branching habit. Similar to other Jersey-type cider varieties. Scab resistant. Late blooming. Z4-6.
McAfee’s Nonsuch
(Description from David Benscoter)
McAfee’s Nonsuch has been known by many names. Dan Bussey tells of a seedling sown in 1773 at McAfee’s Station near Harrodsburg, Kentucky. The McAfee family came to Kentucky from Virginia and built along the Salt River where they planted an orchard. He described this apple as: “Medium to large in size, roundish oblate conic. Skin rather thin, yellowish green splashed and striped red flushing to crimson, often marked with thin, grayish, mottled or streaked scarf skin and sometimes with fine, irregular broken russet lines.” Considered extinct when it was re-discovered in Whitman County, WA, in 2017.
McIntosh
McIntosh is an apple first discovered in Ontario, Canada 1798, named in 1870. A classic New England heirloom apple. Fruit beautiful deep red color, size variable. Flesh white, firm, tender, very juicy, flavor characteristically aromatic, perfumed, subacid. Have a distinctive, spicy, sweet "Mac" flavor. Tree is moderate to large, tends to be bienniel unless it is thinned. Hardy to zone 4. Susceptible to apple scab. Ready to harvest September; Season: September - December.
Ca1820 St. Lawrence, Canada, Fameuse seedling? Hardy; early-mid bloom; late September crop keeps 4 weeks; resists CAR.
Medaille d'Or (C-BS)
Medaille d'Or is a bittersweet cider apple developed by a Mr. Goddard of Boisguillaume, Rouen, France in the 1860s. Brought to the UK in the 1880's.
The fruit is a medium light yellow roundish fruit mostly covered with patches and netting of smooth tan russet. Medaille D'or yields a high tannin and sugar juice, and produces a rich, winelike cider. Combine with other late varieties for full flavor.
The tree is of average vigour, produces annually, is scab resistant, and hardy to USDA zone 5, possibly zone 4. Fruit ripens around November.
Michelin (C)
Michelin is a French cider apple that originated in Normandy around 1872. It is first developed by Mr. Legrand and named after a famous cider researcher. Introduced into England in 1884. and it has become more popular there than its native France.
Small-medium conical ribbed pale green fruit dotted with russet and sometimes slightly blushed. Sweet astringent flesh and soft tannin juice, best for blending with other midseason varieties. Currently the most widely planted variety in the West of England cider country. The tree is medium-sized, with upright multi-leader habit and an extremely reliable cropper. Mid-late season bloom, good self-fertility; good pollinator. Scab tolerant. Hardy to zone 4.
MN 1734
Minn. vigorous disease resistant productive tree of small hard tasty russeted apples; precocious, late crops keep well; used mostly fresh and in cider. Hardy zone2/3.
Mollie's Delicious (E)
Late Summer-Early Fall. [(Golden Delicious x Edgewood) x (Red Gravenstein x Close)] New Jersey Ag Exp Sta, 1966. Very large blocky conic yellow high-quality dessert fruit. The beloved local favorite at Francis Fenton’s Sandy River Orchard in Mercer, Maine. Francis always called it “Dollie’s Delicious” in honor of his wife, Dollie.
Monmouth Beauty
Welsh ca1775, early season (August?) full crops; rich flavor; deep red with ragged yellow edging; early-mid bloom; keeps 4 weeks.
Mother
Mother is an antique American apple that was first discovered in Bolton, Massachusetts, 1840. In Cornwall called the "American Mother" or the "Cornish Cox."
Mother is an outstanding eating apple. Fruit is round to tallish, conical, red over yellow. Distinctive flavor, wintergreen aroma. Some think uit has a distinctive basalmic flavor. Needs full sun to be at its best.
The tree is moderatly vigorous, spreading, takes a while to begin bearing, but when it does, it is a hardy and dependable. Fairly resistant to all the major diseases except for fireblight, which is it is somewhat susceptible to. Ready to harvest around September in upstate New York, with peak season: October-December.
1844 Mass. medium-large, round-conic; standard red flush & stripes over green-gold; yellow flesh is rich, highly esteemed in UK; PSF mid-late bloom; multi-use; mid-season crop; brief keeping.
Nehou (C-BS)
Nehou is a French cider apple first introduced to England in the mid 20th century. Nehou yields a bittersweet cider with fruity, astringent juice, and high tannin content and low acidity. The tree is heavy bearer, but apples are soft and easily bruised. Hardy to zone 5.
Nero
(Description from David Benscoter)
Originated on a farm in New Jersey in 1879. Popular apple in New York in the early 1900’s. Medium to above medium in size. Roundish and bright red. Flesh crisp, juicy, subacid with sweet taste. Late in season.
Considered extinct when it was re-discovered in Whitman County, WA, in 2015.
Newtown Pippin (D, K)
Newtown Pippin is an American apple variety with a history going back more than 250 years. It is not the prettiest apple you ever saw, but it is one of the best flavored- aromatic with plenty of acid and pleasantly refreshing, and sometimes a pineapple-type note. The flesh is dense, crisp and juicy. Newtown Pippin is not an apple to eat straight from the tree. Instead it should be harvested in mid-October and then stored in a cold dark frost free shed for a month or so, which gives the rich sweet, flavor time to develop. It is a versatile apple for use in the winter, for eating fresh, cookery and also juicing. The rich aromatic flavor of Newtown Pippin was held in high regard in Victorian England too.
Norda
Rosilda (Prince x McIntosh) x Trail (Northern Queen x Rideau) 1960 Alberta, Canada; very hardy, productive, rather precocious; good flavor and keeping; good fresh and cooked/baked.
Norkent
Haralson x Rescue, Alberta, Ca; very hardy, precocious, productive, ripe September and keeps three months.
Northern Spy (K)
Northern Spy is an heirloom apple first discovered in upstate New York around 1800 used for baking, fresh eating and cider. Parentage is unknown, and it was likely a chance seedling. Large, round, often flattened greenish-yellow fruit flushed and striped pinkish red with a delicate bloom, and occasionally russet patches. Fine grained, rather firm, very tender, crisp, juicy, yellowish flesh. Tart, aromatic, and acidic flavor balanced with syrupy sweetness. Excellent all-purpose apple, except not good for drying. Ferments into a crisp, clean cider. Fruit ripens late October in upstate New York. Northern Spy is a large vigorous tree, biennial bearer, and is slow to bear - it can take ten years or more to fruit. It is somewhat resistant to fireblight, but otherwise susceptible to disease. Hardy to zone 4, and may survive at zone 3, although further testing is neccessary.
Northwest Greening
Wisconsin – when that was the NW of the nation circa 1860, vigorous tree resists FB & CAR, fairly hardy, big fruit with little flavor or juice; gray-green, russet by stem.
Nova Spy
Novaspy is a cross between NovaEasyGro x (Northern Spy x Golden Delicious) developed in Nova Scotia in 1986. Large, red fruit with crisp, juicy flesh. Tart, sweet, and a complex vanilla like flavor. Keeps well. Moderately vigorous, more precocious than Northern Spy. It is compared to a more disease-resistant, earlier bearing Northern Spy. Very good resistance to fireblight according to Michigan trials. Resistant to some, but not all, strains of apple scab. Ripens in early-mid October, between Northern Spy and Mutsu. Hardy to zone 4.
1986 Nova Easygro x NY44411-1 (N. Spy x G. Del.); large fruit, more red & tart than N. Spy, precocious & more disease resistant; mid bloom; keeps three months.
Opalescent (D)
Opalescent was once widely grown in New England due to its stunning attractiveness. It ripens to an iridescent glowing crimson on the tree. Opalescent flavor is rich, sweet with a hint of strawberry. Crunchy, with dense flesh that's flavorful but not very juicy. Fruit can be medium to large in size. A fine all-round apple great juiced, cooks superbly as well as eaten fresh. Hangs well on the tree without losing much quality.
Orin
Yellow skin is blushed red-orange and dotted with conspicuous white lenticels. Sweet, very honeyed, pale yellow flesh, but of little taste or acidity of fruit. Shares same parentage as Mutsu. Parentage: Indo x Golden Delicious
Originates from: Japan Introduced: 1940s
Developed by: Aomori Apple Research Station?
Fruit colour: Yellow / Gold Uses: Eat fresh Harvest period: Late season
Vigour: Average growth Fruit bearing: Tip-bearer
Indo x G. Del. Japan 1948? Even sweeter & less acid than GD; similar bloom, harvest & keeping.
Palouse
No info
Peck’s Pleasant
Rhode Island 1835? large, sweet, good flavor, blushed-to-red Out West, several pickings late Sept/early Oct. Keeps well & storage improves flavor.
Pewaukee
By 1860 Wisconsin, Duchess of Oldenburg x Northern Spy; late crop of coarse fleshed juicy useful fruit, vigorous tree very hardy; built like N. Spy, colored more golden than D/O.
Pixie Crunch
PRI developed ’93, released later; small fruit is deeply red, round, sweet, denser than Honeycrisp, resists scab, vulnerable to mildew & CAR; early September; keeps 4 weeks.
Pomme d'Or (D)
Late Summer. Unknown parentage, probably originating in Québec before 1870. Extremely hardy large light-yellow midsummer cooking and dessert apple reminiscent of Yellow Transparent. The fruit is oblong or even rectangular in shape. Occasionally the large hollow core will be partially filled with a sweet nectar you can actually sip after cutting the fruit in half. As the fruit ripens the faint yellow deepens to a rich gold, hence the name (Golden Apple). Eat it fresh and use it in summer pies. Makes a light golden-yellow mild-flavored chunky sauce. Fruit-explorer Gloria Seigars introduced it to me near St. Agatha, Maine, in the fall of 1998. Edwich Michaud believes his grandfather brought the apple to Maine from Canada in 1870. Uniquely shaped, beautiful and rare. Hardy enough for all northern districts. Long mid-late bloom season. Z3-5.
Porter
1800 Mass. large yellow, taller than wide, rich and fairly sweet, multi-purpose; early September? keeps 4 weeks.
Pound Sweet (C)
Very large golden yellow fruit; good eating quality, outstanding baker. According to Burford, Pound Sweet was used in Ohio during the Civil War to make apple butter that was sold to both North and South. Very good cider apple. Dates to the early 1800s.
Prairie Spy (K)
Prairie Spy is a University of Minnesota apple first released in 1940, likely a Northern Spy descendant. Red over yellow, attractive large fruit, with some russeting. It has excellent flavor that improves in storage. Extra long keeping winter apple.
Tree is hardy, vigorous, long-lived, productive annually, and bears young. In upstate New York, ready to harvest early October with peak flavor November-March. Hardy to zone 3.
Primate
1840 NY; August-September, large rather lumpy yellow with red dots or wash, crop needs several pickings, very sweet , soft.
Pristine
Purdue, Rutgers and U. Illinois, 1995, early season green/gold larger fruit is sweet; bred for disease resistance.
Primate (E)
Highly regarded early American summer eating apple. Medium-large, smooth, light green fruit, crisp, juicy, tart. Originates from: New York, United States, 1840’s
Rambour Franc/Summer Rambo: before 1535 Picardy, France, August strong cropping (thin to avoid biennial tendency) good flavor, some fruit keeps 4 weeks, tends to drop. Ensure calcium present inside its drip line.
1535 Picardy, France; August, mid-early triploid bloom, balanced flavor, must be thinned each June; vigorous; no disease problems, add calcium to soil. Multi-use.
Red Astrachan
Russia before 1800; very early, average size; good balanced flavor; short window of ripeness and use; vigorous tree; hardy yet low chill requirement; no disease problems.
Redfree (E)
Also known as: Co-Op 13. Raritan x PRI 1018-101; PRI (Purdue, Rutgers, Illinois Co Op), introduced in 1981. Ripens 7 weeks before Delicious in early to mid August. Description: Medium size, glossy fruit with 90% bright red color. Smooth, waxy, russet-free skin. Light flesh is crisp and juicy. Disease resistance: Field immune to apple scab; field immune to cedar-apple rust; moderate level of resistance to powdery mildew; good level of resistance to fire blight.
PRI 1981; early season, mostly red skin, sweet, firm, little flavor; vigorous tree is very disease resistant.
Red Wealthy
Fall. Cherry crab seedling. Excelsior, MN, 1860. Superb all-purpose fall apple, one of the most famous of all hardy varieties. With its perfect texture and complex flavors, Wealthy is considered to be one of the best apples. Round-oblate medium-sized fruit is pale greenish-yellow streaked with carmine. About as firm as McIntosh. Tender very juicy sweet subacid flesh is white, often stained red. Good eating and even better cooking. Wonderful pies! Good acid source for fermented cider.
Ripens over a long period. Productive moderately vigorous long-lived small- to medium-sized tree. Blooms early. Z3-4. Maine Grown. (3-6' bare-root trees)
Republican Pippin
(Description from David Benscoter)
Found by George Webber in Lycoming County, PA., growing in a woods, prior to 1800. A large apple with yellow skin, striped with bright red. It is tender, juicy and good quality for kitchen use.
Ribston Pippin
Fall-Winter. Ribston Hall, Yorkshire, England, about 1700.
Famous as an exceptional dessert apple. Medium-large roundish-oblate fruit is covered with an incredibly beautiful swirl of reds, oranges and russets.
One of the best for fresh eating from late fall to early January. Sharp, crisp, rich and aromatic. Dried, it has an intense rich flavor. Recommended as an acid source for cider. Sometimes you find watercore in the fruit, an indication of elevated sugar content. Likely the parent of the renowned Cox’s Orange Pippin. One of the first English varieties to thrive here in America, probably brought over by Benjamin Vaughan just before the Revolution. Vaughan grew it on his farm in Hallowell, Maine. The Maine Farmer reported in 1854 that Ribston Pippin “does better in Maine than any where in the U.S.”
Rhode Island Greening (D)
Fall-Winter. Green’s Inn, near Newport, RI, about 1650.
Also known as Greening. The classic New England cooking apple. Large roundish-conic-oblate green fruit often has a tannish blush. Light yellow-green flesh is crisp and tart. Great for pies, also excellent for fresh eating.
The most well-known of the various Greenings. Because of its high-quality fruit and adaptability to a range of soil conditions, Rhode Island Greening established itself as one of the most important commercial varieties throughout the Northeast in the 19th century. Keeps well into winter. About as hardy as Baldwin. Old trees can still be found in central Maine.
Rome Beauty (Law): 1816 Ohio; late season round & red, soft, sweet; partial tip-bearer; susceptible to fire blight and cedar apple rust. Keeps 4 weeks.
Roxbury Russet (D, C-S)
Roxbury Russet is an apple variety that traces its history right back to the colonial era, and it is thought to be the oldest apple variety originating in North America – almost certainly a seedling of the European variety brought over by the early colonists. It remains popular as a variety for gardens and small orchards, not just for its history but because it is also a good all-around apple.
Roxbury Russet is a typical russet apple, with a sweet flavor. However it is larger than most russet apples. The extent of russeting can vary from considerable to minimal, and like many russets it can develop an attractive sun-kissed flush as well.
It has many uses from eating fresh to sweet and savoury salads, juicing and cider. It keeps well in cold storage and can be used throughout the winter months.
Early colonial America; vigorous, adaptable; resists FB, CAR & scab; consistent crops ripen late; eat fresh 4 weeks & more after picking; multi-use; late triploid bloom.
Royal Court Cortland
One of the most popular and widely grown all-purpose heirloom apples. Fruit is large, deep red and keeps well. Flesh is pure white, fine-textured, crisp, aromatic and very slow to brown. Tops for sauce, pies and fresh eating. Very hardy and annually productive. Fruit ripens mid-to-late September.
Salome
Illinois 1884, small-med, good crops and flavor, red stripes over pink, long stem; tree easy to care for (thin to increase size?) probably ripe in October here.
Sansa (E)
Sansa is a Japanese fresh eating apple first released in 1988, a cross of Akane x Gala. In 1969, Japanese researcher Dr. Yoshio Yoshida sent pollen from the Akane variety to his colleague in New Zealand, Dr. Don McKenzie, and asked him to use it to cross-pollinate Gala blossoms. The seeds that resulted from the cross were returned to Japan where researchers evaluated the trees and fruit for nearly 20 years.
The Sansa is a spectacularily good apple, sweet with more complexity than Akane. It has a bright red striped blush over a pale, yellow-green background. The fruit is firm, yet tender, juicy and exceptionally sweet. Superior acid balance to Gala, and a much better producer than Akane. As with many early apples, Sansa should be enjoyed fresh, soon after harvest, for a terrific eating experience.
Sansa is tolerant to scab of both fruit and leaves, highly resistant to cedar apple rust and powdery mildew, virtually immune to sooty blotch and fly speck (due to early harvest). Blight tolerance appears to be average.
Scarlet Surprise
This is an American variety, also known as Bill's Redflesh and Firecracker, and one of the most extreme examples of a red-fleshed apple variety. The red tendency dominates this apple, with not only the skin and flesh but also the leaves, wood, and blossoms all having a very pronounced red stain to them.
The apples are fairly small, round-conical and often slightly elongated in shape, usually about two inches in diameter, and two and a quarter inches deep. The stalk is of medium length, fairly thick, in a shallow cavity, projecting beyond the base. The skin is wholly red and smooth, sometimes with pale dots (lenticels). The flesh is deep pink to red, soft, and tender; the juice is sweet and tart. The eye is closed and there is little or no cavity. The appearance is very similar to Almata (also American) and Huonville Crab (Australian). There are apples in most years, though there is some tendency to be biennial.
This apple is more acidic than most dessert varieties, having an intense sharp brisk flavour. It keeps in good condition for about a week. After this time the acidity declines and the apple begins to shrink slightly. After a fortnight the acidity is less pronounced, the taste is sweeter and the texture rather soft and doughy.
The tree is slender and partial tip-bearing. The blossom is wholly red, new leaves are bronze-coloured, and the wood is red-stained. The flowering period is extremely early; about 20 days earlier than Bramley. It is one of the first apple trees in the orchard to flower. It is a very poor pollinator. The tree grows rapidly and vigorously.
Shackleford - click here for picture
(Description from David Benscoter)
Apple expert Lee Calhoun wrote that the Shackleford is “medium to large, roundish or roundish oblong; skin thick, tough, waxy, smooth, pale-greenish yellow washed with red and mottled and striped with carmine….crisp, juicy, mild sub-acid. Ripe December – May. In a nursery catalog from 1912, the Shackleford was described as “large, well colored, purplish red in the sun, with a delicate bloom; mild sub-acid, aromatic. Considered extinct when it was re-discovered in Whitman County, WA, in 2017. Apple researcher David Benscoter considers the Shackleford one of the best tasting of the recent re-discoveries.
Silken
Summerland, BC 1982 Honeygold (GD x Haralson) x Sunrise (McIntosh x GD); no russet, translucent creamy skin, sweet without tartness, very light flavor; early season, keeps a week.
Smokehouse
1837 Lancaster county, PA, Vandevere OP; mid-season crop keeps a couple months; multi-use, including fried; large, gold with ruddy smudges, complex flavor.
Snow: see Fameuse.
Spartan
McIntosh x Newton Pippin; Developed at the British Columbia Station. Introduced 1936. Harvest: between Cortland and Jonagold; Season: October-December Description: Beautiful medium size dark red almost mahogany dessert quality apple. Pure white flesh, crisp sweet with some acidity. Firmer than McIntosh. Highly aromatic fine flavor. Tree Characteristics: Precocious and consistently heavy bearer. Susceptible to premature drop. Resistant to scab, mildew and fire blight. Reported hardy through zone 3. First apple variety created by the modern university breeding programs.
Spencer
Large nearly solid red or red striped over green fruit. Very sweet with crisp juicy flesh. Fine flavor. Core smaller than McIntosh. Excellent eating quality.
Parentage: McIntosh x Golden Delicious
Originates from: British Columbia, Canada Introduced: 1926
1959 Summerland, BC, McIntosh x G. Del.; round-conic, mid-size orange to cardinal red wash over light green, sweet/tart and rather dry, keeps 5 weeks; fresh and apple butter.
Spokane Beauty
Walla Walla before 1890; large-massive, flat-round, carmine striped over green, russet by stem, ripe Sept./Oct., keeps 3 months; tip-bearer, mid-bloom; fair DR. Fresh, baked, dried.
Starkey (D)
Fall-Winter. Seedling of Ribston Pippin. Moses Starkey intro, Vassalboro, Maine, about 1800. Exceptionally delicious late fall to early winter dessert apple. In the same league as its parent Ribston Pippin and its probable half-sibling Cox’s Orange Pippin.
Medium-sized roundish-oblate fruit is almost entirely rosy red blushed and striped, then sprinkled with prominent white dots. Off-white flesh is juicy, tender, crisp, mild, lively and subacid. Rediscovered in 1998 on the farm of Sue and Walter Ernst in Vassalboro, Maine, with the help of orchardist and life-long Starkey fan, the late Frank Getchell of Vassalboro. A second tree was later discovered in Vassalboro with the help of Bob Clark. In recent years we have also discovered trees farther afield in the Maine towns of Bowdoinham and Industry. Not to be confused with Stark.
State Fair (E)
Summer. MN 1639 [Mantet (Tetofsky x open-pollinated) x Oriole (Duchess x open-pollinated)] U Minn, 1978. One of the best-flavored early apples for northern growers. The result of a 1949 breeding project that merged several of our most important hardy summer/fall varieties. From Tetofsky, its round shape and crisp tender juicy flesh. From Oriole, its fine-grained texture, subacid flavor, and its rounded medium-sized tree. From Mantet, the medium-sized fruit’s glossy red skin and all-around excellent flavor. From Duchess, its productive and precocious nature, and its excellent culinary quality. From all these ancestors comes its great hardiness. It has reportedly survived and fruited after temperatures of -40?. Keeps well for a summer apple. Ripens in time for the Minnesota State Fair (Aug. 24-Sept. 4 in 2017). Zones 3-5.
Stayman
Seedling of Winesap, 1866 Kansas; med-large apples resemble Winesap, flesh creamy w/some of Winesap flavor; mid-late triploid bloom; late harvest keeps 3-4 months. Watch for FB.
Summered (E)
developed in Summerland, British Columbia, Canada, in 1961 by free pollination of Rogers Mcintosh. Parents are Mcintosh x Golden Delicious.
Growth is moderately strong and open. Early bearing and fertile with a tendency to biennial bearing. Without fruit thinning, older trees become biennial bearing and provides small fruits. Summerred are pretty hardy to frost. The apples kan get scab.
The fruit is medium sized, oval with strong dark red top coat. The flesh is medium to solid, juicy with very good eating quality. Ripens early September. Picked by several times. Optimal eating quality in Week 39 – 45. Summerred can be used both as table apple and for kitchen use.
1961 BC; McIntosh x G. Del.; heavy crops need thinning, ripe August & goes overripe quickly in high heat, keeps 4? weeks; mid-late bloom; indifferent DR. Does better in protected place.
1977 U MN, late August average size fruit heavily striped over orange, juicy somewhat subacid with sweetness, keeps a few weeks, good fresh and baked.
Suncrisp (K)
Good looking yellow apple with a 0-40% orange-red blush. Flavor is sweet yet mildly subacid, said to be intense. Cream colored flesh, not prone to browning. Fruit can be stored up to 6 months in cold storage. Bearing regularity: Biennial tendency
Sundance
SundanceTM is a modern disease resistant apple, which was first selected from a breeding programme in the 1960s and introduced in the early 21st century. The following excellent article describes the origins of this apple in more detail: www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/pri/sundance.pdf. Of particular interest is the pedigree diagram which shows the direct relationship with Golden Delicious, along with the more complex parentage necessary to incorporate the gene for scab resistance which occurs naturally in the crab apple Malus floribunda. This is a good illustration of the challenge facing anyone trying to develop a scab-resistant apple, in effect it is a matter of retaining the scab resistant gene whilst breeding out the other less desirable characteristics of the crab apple (small size and acidic flavor) and replacing them with better qualities from high quality apples such as Golden Delicious.
PRI 2003; taller fruit than GD with similar coloring, better flavor; quite disease resistant; mid-late bloom; late crop hangs & keeps well.
Surprise
Surprise is a Turkish red fleshed apple descended from Niedzwetzkyana. Brought to the US in the 1830's and planted throughout the south in late 1800'. One of the parent varieties of Pink Pearl. The skin of the Surprise apple is beautiful, blushed red and the flesh is a pink-salmon color. The apples are crisp, juicy, very tart, tannic and are great for baking and cider. Albert Etter used this variety to develop many pink flesh apples, including Pink Pearl, the most successful of his pink-fleshed creations. Small, green winter apple with creamy white, red stained flesh. Ripens in Oct.
By 1831 Europe, M. Niedzwetzkyana cross, green/gold skin over hot pink flesh is tart, smaller fruit, ripe Sept? Keeps a few weeks. Probably early bloom and very hardy.
Sweet Bough
By 1817 NJ? moderate vigor, good disease resistance and productivity; early season large and sweet; brief keeping; red blush over light green.
Sweet Sixteen
The Sweet Sixteen apple is crisp and juicy with an exotic yellow flesh and a very sweet, spicy flavor with hints of citrus and vanilla. It is a large, boxy apple, mostly red on a yellow-green skin, with prominent white lenticels. Fireblight resistant. The fruit stores for 5 to 8 weeks. Sweet Sixteen was developed in 1973 by the University of Minnesota from Northern Spy and Frostbite parents.
U MN 1977; vigorous tree, hardy (MN!) productive Sept/Oct crop, very sweet, good size.
Tolman Sweet (C, D)
Excellent for cider and drying, also a good dessert and baking apple. Large green or yellow apple, sometimes blushed red with lines of russet, often marked by a suture top to bottom. Flesh is firm, dry to moderately juicy, decidedly sweet. Historically, a highly esteemed "sweet" apple.
Before 1700 Mass.; conic, greenish, often suture line on skin; very sweet, big late crops; multi-use (+ cider base); precocious late bloom, spreading, long-lived. Unusual flavor.
Twenty Ounce
More important than the name, however, are the apple’s qualities. This is a delicious apple that looks as appealing as it tastes and is indeed consistently quite large.
While it’s a solid eating apple, Twenty Ounce is really at its best baked in pies and other baked products.
Cayuga county, NY, 1843 Mass.; large, yellow flesh, bright red over light green; sweet tart juicy, keeps shape baked; PTB; CAR susceptible; early-mid bloom, ripe Sept. Modest vigor.
Vagon Archer (C)
mild bittersweet Collected 1974 by LARS from Whetton's Cider Museum Orchard, Herefords. Pink flushed over yellow, small fruit. F vl. T3. H e-Nov.
Vanderpool (Red)
1903 Oregon; smaller, built like a Winesap but more pink coloring & russet by stem; very good flavor & juice; late harvest keeps well to April.
Victoria Sweet
1840 Chenango county, NY; rust red, flattened-round; sweet, tender and good flavor; ripe October, keeps 9 weeks.
Wagener
Parentage/Origin: New York, 1790s. Harvest: October, Season: October-April. Description: One of the best late fall varieties for dessert, sauce, cider, juice and storage. Doesn't shrivel. Medium sized, glossy green, red flushed fruit. White flesh, very crisp, juicy and tender, resembles Northern Spy in taste. Tree Characteristics: Hardy, scab resistant tree bears well and heavily. Thinning necessary to produce large fruit.
Ca1790 Penn Yan, NY; medium size flat-round deeply red; precocious, moderate spreading vigor, hardy; late heavy crops (thin for size) keep all winter; multi-use (commercial sauce).
Wealthy
Parentage/Origin: Unknown x Duchess; Minnesota, 1861. Harvest: September, Season: September-December. Description: Excellent dessert and multi-use apple, picked a few weeks early for cooking. Beautiful fruit ripens to bright red across the surface. Crisp, juicy flesh. Refreshing, sprightly, vinous flavor. Tree Characteristics: Long blooming period makes it a good pollinator. Heavy and early producer. Tends toward biennial bearing.
First apple bred in Minn. 1860; extended mid-bloom, good crops - thin for size; medium fruit is pink striped/blushed, balanced flavor, multi-use, keeps 3 months; moderate vigor; very hardy.
Westfield Seek No Further
Mass. by 1796; small-mid dull red w/russet; excellent flavor; ripe Sept/Oct; mid-bloom; multi-use; long-lived hardy tree.
White Winter Pearmain
Probably Indiana by 1849; yellow-cream w/light blush, some russet; PSF extended bloom; late productive harvest, subacid & multi-use; keeps through winter.
Whitney Crab
Small, sweet, edible crab apples. This tree produces a large harvest of red, golf ball-size apples that are perfect for canning, preserving, pickling, spicing and cider. Flesh is sweet, juicy and slightly yellow. Also produces beautiful pink and white blossoms in spring. Originates from Franklin Grove, Illinois circa 1869. Cold-hardy and heat-tolerant. Ripens in late August or early September. Self-pollinating.
Wickson Crab (C)
Wickson Crab is an American cider apple developed by California plant breeder Albert Etter in 1944. Potentially a cross of Esopus Spitzenburg x Newtown Pippin. The fruit is small, yellow-red, dense, has high brix and acid content, and is approximately 1 - 2" in diameter. While the sugar content is 25%, the high acid flavor is probably too strong for most as a dessert apple. The addition of Wickson Crab in a cider will increase acidity and alcohol content. In Apples of Uncommon Character, Rowan Jacobson says Wickson "ferments beautifully into a bone-dry, water-white, high-alcohol cider with a nose of guava and lychee with an astringent crab apple finish". Wickson was largely forgotten until the 1990s, when many cider makers began to incorporate it, including Steve Wood, who began to use it to give Farnum Hill ciders a long, tart, and distinct finish. Wickson crab trees are vigorous and heavy croppers, with fruit bearing heavily on first and second year growth in garlands. Early to mid-bloom, ripens in October in upstate New York. Wickson is likely hardy to zone 3.
Winecrisp
PRI 1990, dull red w/russet near stem, 2 ½ inches wide, disease resistant (scab, mildew, FB & CAR), good consistent crops, very long keeping.
Winesap
Parentage/Origin: US, 1817. Harvest: October; Season: October-January. Description: Medium sized, round, dark red fruit with crisp, juicy yellow flesh with a spicy, vinous flavor and aroma.
Colonial Virginia; smaller red on red conical; yellow flesh is hard at first, strong vinous flavor & tartness at harvest; mid-late triploid bloom, needs thinning; good DR; keeps in cellar ‘til May.
Wolf River
Fruit weighs up to a pound, each! Tree is strong and disease-resistant to apple scab, fire blight, and powdery mildew. Characteristically large fruit is perfect for cooking and sauce – holds its shape and requires very little additional sugar. Antique variety, originates from Wolf River, Wisconsin, circa 1870s. Cold-hardy. Ripens in late September.
Alexander seedling? Wis. ca1875; large rather irregular, red over dull green; SF PTB mid-bloom; does not brown, mild flavor; multi-use includes drying; hardy; good DR.
Wynoochee Early
Near Aberdeen, WA before 1950; August crop lovely smaller fruit; grown in moderate climate can have good flavor & keep until Christmas. Smaller vigor, good disease resistance.
Yarlington Mill (C-BS)
The original Yarlington Mill apple tree was found growing out of a wall at a water mill in Yarlington North Cadbury, Somerset, England in 1898. It is a vigorous tree that produces high yields of small yellow apples, the tree flowers mid season and it fruits midseason to late. Yarlngton Mill is sweet to bittersweet English cider apple. Firm, medium size apples hang on tree well. Late season blending apple. Bears consistently.
Yellow Bellflower
Mystery surrounds this apple because no one documented when it originated; however, in 1817 Coxe reported “The original tree at Burlington, New Jersey was large and old.” The Yellow Bellflower apple tree is an old colonial fruit. It was stated that one of the grafted trees carried across the U.S. was a Yellow Bellflower that was reported in Oregon in 1847. A favorite for baked apples. This variety has fruit that's quite variable in size, with attractive lemon yellow color and pinkish-blush in sunny exposures. Flesh whitish, firm, fine-grained, rather tender, aromatic, quite acidic early in season. Ususally picked on the tart side, then mellowed in storage for several months.
1732 NJ; mostly yellow skin; heavy crop may need thinning for size, hangs well; sweet/sharp, juicy, good fresh after some storage; long-lived tree. Lovely blossom.
Yellow Transparent (E)
White Transparent is a chance seedling which was found in the Wagner nursery in Riga around 1850. Medium to large fruit with transparent pale yellow skin. Crisp, sweet and juicy, but has a very short life after ripening on or off the tree. White Transparent is often picked in a greener stage for cooking. Excellent for sauce, pie and drying. Bears very young and heavily. Thin for best size. (aka Yellow Transparent)
Russia well before 1800; precocious, early heavy crop, tart green/gold; brief keeping; cooks to smooth sauce; highly adaptable; resists scab, CAR, but not FB.
York
AKA York Imperial, Penn. ca1830; lopsided, reddish striped to deep red; late dependable crops may need thinning for size, hangs well; modest flavor, esteemed for baking; keeps into spring.
Zestar
University of Minnesota. Large, crunchy, juicy red fruit with a sprightly sweet-tart flavor. Excellent for both fresh eating and cooking. The fruit will store for 6 to 8 weeks. Tree is vigorous, upright, interesting. Disease susceptibility profile: scab susceptible, but significant resistance to cedar apple rust, powdery mildew, sooty blotch, fly speck, and fireblight. Introduced in 1999. Ripens late August to early September.
Legend for Apple Characteristics:
(Partially self-fertile/PSF; self-fertile/SF; partial tip-bearer/PTB; fire blight/FB; cedar apple rust/CAR; disease resistance/DR; parenthetical names indicate strain; open-pollinated/OP)
Descriptions of Pears
Asian:
Hosui: 1970s Japan, round large russeted golden, juicy tasty; drought & heat tolerant, mid-August, SF.
Nijisseiki: AKA Twentieth Century, highly productive, lower vigor, ripe mid-August, self-fertile.
Shinko: early September, smaller fruit, keeps months, not SF, easily grown. Resists FB.
Shinseiki: perhaps first of these Asian pears to ripen, SF, smaller fruit (thin for size).
Shinsui: very sweet, early, small fruit; needs another pollen source.
European:
Luscious: 1977, similar to Bartlett, but ripe from the tree and FB resistant; poor pollen source.
Summercrisp: 1933 U MN, early, well-blushed, medium size fruit, moderate upright vigor, resists FB.
Wilder Early: Chatauqua, NY 1884, vigorous, productive & early, medium size fruit with hot pink blush; lower susceptibility to FB.
Plum
Asian:
Methley: Asian plum cross, very early season, SF, low maintenance tree, use fruit quickly.
Shiro: early season, low chill, yellow clingstone, vigorous, needs pollen source.
European Plum:
Bavay’s Gage: small golden very sweet productive late September crop, later bloom, PSF, moderate vigor.
Empress: late-to-last ripening plum, semi-cling, large, productive, good quality.
Green Gage: pre-1700, small, sweet, prolific, PSF, hangs well, mid-season harvest.
Monsieur Hatif: nearly as old as Green gage, culinary August purple plum, PSF, nearly freestone.
Mount Royal: Montreal by 1903, semi-dwarf, very hardy, productive, multi-use crop ripe August; SF.
Prune d’Agen: its several names might be differing strains or all the same: Petit d’Agen, Prune d’Ente; 1200s; superior plum fresh & dried, appreciates calcium in soil, PSF.
Sugar: Luther Burbank 1889 Petit d’Agen cross; early purple productive, dries well, vigorous but brittle wood – prune to build limbs & reduce breaking.