APPLES
Apple Varieties and Ripening Guidelines
The orchard consists of 30 + varieties of apples that ripen from Late July through Early November, see our list below to find your favorite and when to expect to see it in the store!
Apple Varieties
Blondee
Uses: Excellent for eating fresh or in desserts
Flavor: Sweet/tart
Characteristics: Smooth skin and bruise resistant flesh, occasionally blushed on exposed areas, holds several months in storage
Ripening: Early September
History: Discovered in 1998 in Ohio.
Cameo (Red Cameo)
Uses: Attractive and perfect for fresh eating and for baking
Flavor: sweet-tart
Characteristics: Attractive color, crisp, juicy, sweet-tart flavor and outstanding storage quality
Ripening: October
History: Relatively a new strain of apples, a chance discovery in Dryden, WA orchard in 1987
Cortland
Uses: Great all purpose apple, desserts, snacking, salads, sauce, juicing and freezing
Flavor: Sweet with a hint of tartness, juicy, tender
Characteristics: Crimson color against pale yellow with dark red stripes and gray-green dotted skin, very white flesh
Ripening: Early-Mid September
History: Developed in New York in 1898 by varying attributes of the McIntosh with a 19th century variety Ben Davis
Early Gold
Uses: Great for snacking, baking, pies, and sauce
Flavor: Tart and crisp
Characteristics: Medium sized apple with clean yellow skin, short shelf life
Approximate Ripening: Mid-August
History: A chance seedling discovered in Selah, Washington that is a cross between a Transparent and a Golden Delicious
Emprie
Uses: Good for snacking, excellent for salads and baking
Flavor: Juicy, firm, crunchy and sweet
Characteristics: Skin is red with green blush, could store up to 3 months in refrigerated storage
Ripening: Mid-September
History: Developed in New York in 1945 as a cross between the McIntosh and Red Delicious
Evercrisp
Uses: Excellent snacking
Flavor: sweet - crisp, firm, and dense
Characteristics: blushed rosy red over a cream background
Ripening: Late October
History: cross between a HoneyCrisp and a Fuji. Founded in 2008 by the Midwest Apple Improvement Association
Fuji
Uses: Great snack apple and for salads. Good for sauces with little to no sugar needed
Flavor: Sweet, juicy, crisp
Characteristics: large apples with cream flesh
Ripening: Mid-October
History: Developed in Japan in the 1930’s as a cross between Red Delicious and a Ralls Genet (Virginia variety developed in 1700’s)
Gala
Uses: Excellent as fresh fruit eating and in salads
Flavor: Sweet and grainy with mild flavor.
Characteristics: Small apples with thin skin, yellow flesh. Fairly resistant to bruising
Ripening: Early to mid-September
History: Developed in New Zealand in 1920’s. Cross between a Golden Delicious and a Kidd’s Orange Red (cross of a Pippen and Delicious)
Ginger Gold
Uses: Great for snacking, good for cooking and making cider
Flavor: A mild twangy sweet flavor with tart finish
Characteristics: Early apple with very pale green skin ripening to a soft yellow or light gold, will keep in refrigerated storage for up to 6 months
Ripening: Mid to late August
History: Originated in Nelson county, Virginia in 1969 with suspected parent varieties including Golden Delicious, Albemarle Pippin and some other unknown variety
Golden Delicious
Uses: Great for salads, apple sauce, apple butter, and baking
Flavor: Sweet mild taste
Characteristics: Large apple with light green to yellow skin, juicy flesh, prone to bruising
Ripening: Early October
History: Reportedly found in West Virginia as a chance seedling hybrid of a Grimes Golden and a Golden Reinette, marketed in 1914, not genetically connected to Red Delicious
Granny Smith
Uses: Excellent for snacking and salads, cooking and baking pies; it doesn’t get mushy when baked
Flavor: Crisp, juicy, and tart
Characteristics: Medium to large, waxy, grass-green skin with occasional pink blush, firm hardy white flesh, excellent shelf life
Ripening: Late October
History: Originated in 1868 from discarded apples Mrs. Smith from New South Wales, Australia brought from Tasmania
Gravenstein
Uses: Excellent for cooking and baking, good for snacking, cider, and making sauce
Flavor: Sweet tart flavor, crisp, juicy
Characteristics: Skin is a thin, delicate waxy yellow-green with crimson spots and reddish lines, juicy light yellow flesh, not good for storage
Ripening: Variable ripening, late August, early September
History: Native to South Jutland, Denmark discovered in 1669 as a chance seedling; evidence shows it originated in Italy in 1600’s, then traveled north; USA introduction in 1790
Honeycrisp
Uses: Great snack apple and for salads. Good for sauces, baking and pies
Flavor: Honey sweet with slight tartness juicy, super crisp
Characteristics: skin is mottled red over yellow background and flesh is a crisp yellow; will store up to 6 months in refrigerated storage
Ripening: Early to mid September
History: Developed at the University of Minnesota in 1974 as hybrid of the Macoun and Honeygold varieties
Ida Red
Uses: Great for making apple sauces, pies, and cakes, okay for snacking
Flavor: Tart and juicy
Characteristics: Skin is red and green with firm white flesh, will store for up to 3 months in refrigerated atmosphere
Ripening: Early October
History: Developed in Idaho in 1942 as a cross between a Jonathan and Wagener varieties
Jonagold
Uses: Great for making apple sauces, pies, and cakes, okay for snacking
Flavor: Sweet-sour taste
Characteristics: Skin can be red or green or Golden-Red, it is a fluffy crisp fruit, juicy and aromatic.
Ripening: Mid-September
History: Developed in New York in 1953 as a cross between a Golden Delicious and a Jonathan
Jonagored (Jonagold)
Uses: Excellent dessert and snack apple, good for cooking
Flavor: Juicy, medium sweet flavor
Characteristics: Variety of Jonagold, dark red skin, stores well with refrigeration
Ripening: Mid-September
History: A variety of the Jonagold discovered on a farm in Belgium that was introduced in 1968 as a cross between a Golden Delicious and a Jonathan
Red Jonaprince
Uses: Excellent as fresh eating
Flavor: sweet-sour flavor with a dense flesh that is crisp, juicy, and aromatic
Characteristics: fairly large apple with deep red hue
Ripening: Late September
History: Red sport of the Jonagold Variety
Jonathan
Uses: Great for snacking
Flavor: Juicy, crisp, sweet and refreshing flavor, sub-acid
Characteristics: Medium–sized apple with striped red on yellow skin, tough but smooth skin, good storage apple
Ripening: Mid-October
History: Believed to have originated from an Esopus Spitzenburg seedling in 1826 from a farm in Woodstock, New York, once called the Rick apple
Lodi
Uses: Great for sauces and pies
Flavor: Tart and crisp
Characteristics: Medium to large yellow fruit with thick skin and acidic white flesh, do not store well
Ripening: Late July-Early August
History: Developed from a Yellow Transparent and Montgomery apple varieties and introduced in 1924 by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station
Maiden Blush
Uses: Excellent as fresh fruit eating and in salads
Flavor: sprightly, crisp and tender with a sharp acid flavor that mellows when fully ripe.
Characteristics: Pale thin skinned, lemon-yellow color with crimson blush, white flesh
Ripening: Late September
History: One of the oldest American apples, was popular in the Philadelphia markets dating back to 1817
Matsu (Crispen)
Uses: Excellent dessert and cooking apple, good for snacking, making cider and sauce
Flavor: Crisp and slightly tart
Characteristics: Green fruit ripens to yellow, stores well in refrigeration
Ripening: Mid to late October
History: Developed in Japan in 1948 as a cross between the Golden Delicious and the Indo apple varieties
McIntosh (Mac)
Uses: Excellent for snacking and well suited for applesauce, cider, and pies
Flavor: Tart flavor with firm texture
Characteristics: Skin is red and green with tender white flesh, pleasant aroma, short storage life
Ripening: Early to mid-September
History: Developed in 1811 by John McIntosh on his farm in Dundela, Ontario
Molly Delicious
Uses: Early apple excellent for desserts
Flavor: Juicy mild sweet apple with a pleasing aftertaste
Characteristics: Large apple with unique conical shape, pinkish red skin with greenish white background, can store for up to 10 weeks in refrigeration
Ripening: Late August
History: Introduced to market in 1966 as a cross between a Golden Delicious and a Gravenstein apple variety
Northern Spy
Uses: Good dessert and pie apple, also good for juice and cider
Flavor: Juicy, crisp and mildly sweet with rich aromatic sub-acid flavor
Characteristics: skin is green with red stripes and flesh is crunchier than most apples, thin skin, excellent apple for storage
Ripening: Mid to late October
History: Developed around 1800 in East Bloomfield, New York from the Wagener apple
Paula Red
Uses: Great for sauce, suitable for snacking , can be used for pies
Flavor: Sprightly taste, not too sweet, not too tart
Characteristics: Skin is bright red with yellow and tan spots, firm white flesh that becomes soft quickly, not a good storage apple
Ripening: Mid-August
History: Variety of the McIntosh discovered in 1960 in Kent County, Michigan
Red Delicious
Uses: Excellent for snacking and salads, good for baking
Flavor: Mild sweet flavor, juicy
Characteristics: Medium size apple with thick, rich red skin, soft yellow-white flesh
Ripening: Mid to late September
History: Recognized in Wellsburg, Iowa in 1880 as a replacement for the Ben Davis Apple
Rome
Uses: Excellent for baking and cooking, good for salads and freezing
Flavor: Tangy, slightly sweet, mildly tart
Characteristics: Round apple with red glossy thick skin and a greenish white firm flesh, good storage apple
Ripening: Late September, early October
History: Originated near Rome Township, Ohio in the early 1800’s
Ruby Jon
Uses: Great for sauce, suitable for snacking, can be used for pies
Flavor: Tart
Characteristics: Has a deep maroon skin color, firm, crisp, and juicy
Ripening: Late August – Early September
History: Variety of the Jonathan discovered in 1826 in Woodstock, New York
Ruby Mac
Uses: Great for eating or baking
Flavor: Heavier on the tart flavor but a touch of sweetness
Characteristics: Beautiful darker red apple with white flesh
Ripening: Mid September
History: Apple is part Macinstosh, part Rubinstar
Runkel
Uses: Good for snacking, cooking, baking, cider and sauce
Flavor: Mild sub-acid flavor, rich and sweet, very juicy
Characteristics: Medium apple with pink over green yellow colored skin, smooth thin skin, with very good storage life
Ripening: Mid-October
History: A chance seedling developed in Lincoln Park, Michigan in 1940
Smoothee
Uses: Great for salads, apple sauce, apple butter, and baking
Flavor: Sweet, mild taste
Characteristics: Similar to Golden Delicious with a clear skin, tender complexion
Ripening: Late September, early October
History: A sport variety of the Golden Delicious that has smooth skin and russet resistance
Snow
Uses: Excellent for cider, great for snacking, cooking, and baking
Flavor: Spicy distinctive flavor
Characteristics: Skin is red over cream color and the flesh is tender and snow white in color with crimson stains near the skin
Ripening: Late September
History: One of the oldest most desirable dessert apple; parent apple of the McIntosh with origins in Quebec in the 1600’s
Transparent
Uses: Great for making apple sauces and cooking
Flavor: Crisp, juicy, tart, acidic flavor
Characteristics: Yellowish green skin, tender flesh
Ripening: Mid-Late July
History: Imported from Russia in 1870
Williams Pride
Uses: Excellent for desserts, good for snacking
Flavor: Rich sweet sprightly flavor, sub-acid
Characteristics: Medium fruit with skin that is 80% red on green-yellow background, short shelf life
Ripening: Late July, early August
History: Developed by Purdue, Rutgers, and University of Illinois Co-op breeding program in 1988
Winesap
Uses: Great for cider, good for snacking, baking and cooking
Flavor: Juicy, wine-like flavor, somewhat tart
Characteristics: A tough, course yellow and deep read skin with yellow flesh that has red-tinged veins; stores and freezes well
Ripening: Mid to late October
History: Documented in Philadelphia in 1804 as a cider apple, but was known earlier in pre-revolutionary Virginia
Winter Banana
Uses: Attractive and perfect for fresh eating and for baking
Flavor: sweet, tangy
Characteristics: Subtle and sweet tropical aroma, sun-yellow fruit kissed by a smooth red blush. Unique scent, firm and juicy.
Ripening: Later season, October
History: Antique variety, originates from Indiana. Introduced in the 1870’s
Wolf River
Uses: primarily used for cooking
Flavor: fairly sweet
Characteristics: Notable for its large size, keeps its shape when cooked, white flesh
Ripening: Mid-late September
History: Originates from Wolf River, Wisconsin. Introduced in the 1870’s
York
Uses: Good for cooking and baking, sauces and pies
Flavor: Juicy, sweet yet slightly tart, mild flavor
Characteristics: Lopsided apple with red skin and russet specks, creamy white flesh, known as great storage apple with refrigeration
Ripening: Mid to late October
History: Discovered in York, Pennsylvania in 1830
Arkansas Black
Uses: Eat fresh, cooking, juice, hard cider
Flavor: Sweet/sharp.
Characteristics: Small round-conical apples with white to cream, pale yellow flesh. Excellent keeping apples that continues to darken in storage
Ripening: Mid October
History: Originated in the United States, introduced in the 1840’s possible parentage – Winesap, widely grown in Arkansas and Missouri later that century.
If you want to make sure your varieties are being picked, please contact us.