Developed at Rutgers University back in the 1950s, this is a crisp, tart and remarkably rich-flavoured apple for one harvested so early. Ripens in late July, kickstarting the summer harvest. Extremely tart and acidic. Best for eating fresh if you can handle the tartness! Eat within a day or two for optimal freshness.

One of hundreds of Russian apples imported into the United States by the USDA in the late 1800’s as part of a program to introduce very cold-hardy varieties. These apples are best known for their soft, creamy, sweet-tart flesh that makes amazing apple sauce or apple butter. It is said to be creamy like baby food – combine it with a sweeter variety to make a sauce with great flavor and texture. This old variety reminds customers of their Grandmother’s apple sauce and pie.

Hybrid of the ‘Yellow Transparent’ and ‘Montgomery Sweet’ cultivars, both of which were originally from the New York Agricultural Experiment Station. It was introduced in 1924 and has a sharp flavor, best used for cooking. The soft, creamy flesh of Lodi apples lends itself well to pies and applesauce and can be sliced and frozen to extend the harvest.

Originated in New Brunswick, New Jersey and was introduced in 1972. The Jersey Mac is a cross between the July Red and the NH 24. Jersey Macs are moderately firm and sweet-tart.

Developed by Edwin B. Williams, the long-time leader of the disease-resistant apple breeding program at Purdue University. This dark red-skinned apple has an excellent balance of sugar and acid and looks great, too. It’s one of a few varieties we grow that debunk the commonly-held view that early apples are second rate. Firm, with complex flavor. Best for fresh eating; keeps for about 1 month in the refrigerator (unusually long for an early season apple).

Known for its extreme winter hardiness, this is one of many fine old apples of Russian origin. It was introduced into England around 1817. In 1835, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society imported this apple into the United States. Very popular as a cooking and fresh eating apple, Duchess is a medium to large fruit with smooth yellow skin overlaid with red stripes. The whitish flesh is tender, crisp and juicy with a tangy flavor.

An attractive high-quality dessert and culinary apple, first described in 1797. It is well-known in the USA and northern Europe, and is still grown commercially on a small-scale. It is considered by many to be one of the best all-around apples with a sweet, tart flavor and is especially good for baking and cooking. It is known as a good cooking apple, especially for apple sauce and apple cider. The flesh is crisp, juicy, finely grained, and light yellow. Gravenstein was declared the “national apple” of Denmark in 2005. These were Carolyn Rose’s (second generation) favorite pie and sauce apple. But Bill Rose (third generation) prefers them for fresh eating.

An American cultivar – one of the first to survive in the cold Minnesota climate. Horticulturalist Peter Gideon first grew it in 1868 after much trial and error by crossing a Siberian crab apple with seeds from Maine. He named the apple after his wife. The apples are green with a scarlet blush. They have crisp white flesh, with occasional pink flecks. Fruit is multipurpose, but works best in pies, crisps, and sauces.

One of our most popular apple varieties! Great for snacking, for adding to salads, or even for baking as they keep their shape when cooked. The fruit is large, conical and starts out a very pale green, though if left on the tree will ripen to a soft yellow with a slightly waxy appearance. The flavor is mild but with a tart finish. The flesh is light and slow to brown (a sign of high vitamin C content!)

This is an old-school variety dating back to 1535 in Northern France, and colonial times in the U.S.  It is medium – large in size and very low in acidity, making it a favorite for baking or apple sauce.  It was used in the winning pie of the Merryweather Great Pie Taste-Off in 2019!  The flesh is dense and firm with a greenish tint.  

Introduced in 1991 and originated in Excelsior, Minnesota at the University of Minnesota’s apple develpment program. The Honeycrisp apple was thought to be a cross between the Macoun and the Honeygold, but genetic testing has shown the Keepsake apple to be the only identified parent. Honeycrisps are very crisp and sweet apples great for eating.

This apple was one of many seedlings resulting from a cross between a Golden Delicious and a Kidd’s Orange Red planted in New Zealand in the 1930s. They are nonuniform in color, usually vertically striped or mottled, with an overall orange color. They are very sweet, fine textured, and aromatic, and can be added to salads, cooked, or eaten raw. In 2018, they surpassed Red Delicious as the apple cultivar with the highest production in the United States. According to the US Apple Association it was the first time in over 50 years that any cultivar was produced more than Red Delicious.

True to their name, these apples originated in Rhode Island around 1650. They are firm and very tart, similar to Granny Smith. The fruit is large, uniformly round in shape, and flattened on the ends, with a dark, waxy, green skin that turns a greenish-yellow when fully ripe. It ripens from September to October, keeping well into February or longer. These are a great pie apple – we used to sell all ours to Table Talk pies back when we were in the wholesale business!

The oldest apple variety that originated in North America, dating back to the colonial era. It is probably a seedling of an apple variety brought over by early settlers from Europe. The trademark of the russet apples is their rough skin. These russets have a mild, juicy, pear-like flavor. Their uniqueness makes them well suited to cider, salads, or even cheese plates.

Originated in Wilmington, MA during the colonial era. They were first called “Woodpeckers” because the birds frequented the Baldwin tree. A harsh winter in 1934 wiped out many of the Baldwin apple orchards in New England. Their popularity as an eating apple waned, but some orchards were preserved for many years because of its desirability as a cider apple – unlike many apples, they have long been prized for the making of hard cider. They were named after Col. Loammi Baldwin of Woburn, MA, who was a second cousin of Johnny Appleseed and planted a row of Baldwins at his orchard in Woburn after visiting the Woodpecker tree in Wilmington and cutting some scions. Nowadays these apples are hard to come by!

The red apple from Idaho – an attractive apple with a mild apple flavor. Its main feature is its remarkably long storage potential – even in a domestic fridge it will keep for 6 months. As a result it has become quite popular. A cross between two old-time New York apples, Jonathan and Wagener. Makes especially good pink-hued applesauce if cooked with the skins on and strained afterward.

Originated in Ohio early in the 19th century. They are rounded, all red, and very glossy, with a thick skin and firm flesh. Primarily used for baking, as their flavor develops when cooked, and they hold their shape well.

Introduced in 1895 and originated in Peru, Iowa. Red Delicious apples have thick skins with a crisp center and sweet flavor. They have a bad reputation for being mealy, but their texture is actually crisp and juicy when eaten fresh off the tree.

Originated in West Creek, Virginia and introduced in 1916. The Golden Delicious is a firm, crisp apple with a sweet flavor good for eating and baking. It is prone to bruising and shriveling, so it needs careful handling and storage. It is a favorite for salads, applesauce, and apple butter.

Sekai Ichi apples stand out for their extremely large size (up to 2 lbs!) and round shape. Sekai Ichi is a cross between the famous Red Delicious and Golden Delicious apples, originating in Japan. The skin has a yellow background overlaid with red stripes and a pinkish-red blush, although some fruits are entirely red if they receive enough sun while growing. The flavor is sweet but mild, with very little tartness, which gives it a sweet aroma as well. The texture is somewhat firm, crisp, and juicy.

A famous pie apple! Northern Spy produces fairly late in the season (late October and beyond). Skin color is a green ground, flushed with red stripes where not shaded. The white flesh is juicy, crisp and mildly sweet with a rich, aromatic subacid flavor, noted for high vitamin C content. Its characteristic flavor is more tart than most popular varieties, and its flesh is harder/crunchier than most, with a thin skin. They are also great for making cider.

Originated around 1875-76 on the farm of David Flory of Cass County, Indiana and was introduced commercially in 1890. It is a fine fresh-eating apple with a mild, sweet flavor and is best enjoyed as a dessert apple. The mildness of its flavor makes it less desirable as a cooking or baking apple. It is a highly aromatic apple with a pleasant, perfumed aroma that some people discern as banana. According to Bill, our third generation farmer, they make the smoothest hard cider. They’re one of the only self-pollinating apple varieties!

A flattish round, medium size apple. Almost solid red over green background with prominent white or russet dots. Tender, crisp, juicy flesh. Most refreshing flavor. Valued for its size and high quality, it was especially noted for its long keeping abilities. Fruit size is medium to large with thick, smooth, glossy yellow skin overlaid with rich-red and streaks of darker red. The surface is punctuated with large, conspicuous, light colored dots. The yellowish flesh is fine-grained and juicy and often stained with red. Ripens October to November and is an excellent keeper.

This old apple is thought to have come from New Jersey, and brought to Tompkins County, New York, by Jacob Wycoff in 1804, who called it King. It was renamed King of Tompkins County about 1855. Large in size and somewhat flat in shape, it is ribbed with dark red stripes over yellow, flushed skin. When you bite in, the yellow flesh is pretty dense, but plenty crisp and tender, with a sweet and aromatic flavor.

Our hardest apple of all. Originated in New York in the early 1700’s, most likely in what is now known as the borough of Queens, NY. One fun fact is that in 1838 Queen Victoria was presented with two barrels of American-grown Pippins. She so thoroughly enjoyed the apples she immediately lifted the English import tax on apples. This opened the door for the import of hundreds of thousands of tons of fruit from the US to England through the end of World War I when England reinstated the import tax. Yellow Newtown Pippin is a medium to large apple, greenish-yellow in color with hints of pink at the stem end. The yellowish flesh is firm, crisp, and very aromatic. A good storage apple ripening in October and keeping into February or later.

Introduced in 1948 and is a cross between Golden Delicious and Indo apples, both first grown in Japan. Named after the Mutsu province of Japan. A medium to large green apple with flesh varying in color from white to greenish yellow. It is generally not uniform in shape or size. Flavor is aromatic, sweet, and sharp. It is suitable for eating on its own, juicing, drying, or cooking, as it maintains its shape well when cooked. It can be kept for up to three months before going bad!

Bill Rose planted these when he took ownership because he knew they hang on all winter – they’re one of the best “keepers.” They originated in the mid to late 1800’s in Bentonville, Arkansas, possibly discovered and raised by a settler named John Crawford. Believed to be a seedling of Winesap, sharing their tart, tangy flavor and the ability to stay firm, crisp and flavorful after many months in storage. In fact, the apple reaches its peak in flavor and texture after a long period in cold storage – the sharp tartness mellows significantly into a rich sweetness. The hard, dense texture improves greatly as well, becoming a softer and more tender apple while still retaining a pleasing crispness. Very dark red in color with pale yellow flesh and a complex, sharp, wine-like flavor. Holds its shape well when cooked and also makes great juice or cider.

A cross between two classic American apples – Red Delicious and Virginia Ralls Janet, bred in Fujisaki, Japan in the late 1930s. These apples contain between 15% to 18% sugar levels, making them one of the sweetest varieties available. A very round, medium to large apple. Usually green or yellow-green, with red highlights or a pink flush, and a “matte” watercolor-like quality. The flesh is crisp and yellow, and the shelf-life is great for year-round storage.

This is a well-known American heirloom apple, and was a major commercial variety in Virginia during the 19th century.  Its origins are unknown. Winesap apples are dark red, round and medium sized, with exceptionally juicy, creamy yellow flesh. Winesap apples are highly aromatic with a balanced sweet-tart taste and get their name due to their distinctive spicy wine like flavor. Because they’re so flavorful and juicy, they make amazing cider and are great for cooking!

A Golden Delicious type apple that Bill just had to plant because of the name! It was planted the year before Al and Nancy took over the farm.