|
|
Variety Origin & Date |
Size, Shape & Flavor |
Color & Texture of Skin & Flesh |
Year Planted |
Merits & Faults Ratings |
|
Cole's Quince
|
large wider than classic apple shape, ribbed or knobby rich; sweet to sub-acid |
yellow, dotted; thick skinned yellow, blushed; texture is crisp and tender |
2007 Fresh eating, culinary T2 |
Merits: Tree: annual; early bearer. Fruit: good for fresh & "first-rate" for cooking. Faults: Fruit: poor keeper. Merit or fault?: ripens over several weeks. Ratings: AoNY: favorably mentioned, but not rated; NY1907: _ [Supplanted by better sorts]; Bull91: 5-6/* [97 & 99: no change]; B-H: g-vg; Can: best [but may refer to different apple]; Cole [son of its propagator]: "when in perfection, we have not seen its superior; Eliott: vg; Lowther: vg; ME94: vg/*; ME08: vg; Hooper: 2; UIll: vg for cooking (one of 17 of "greatest promise for general usefulness"); Ragan: vg; Waugh: fair |
|
Dolgo
Crab
|
small olive shaped sprightly |
bright red deep yellow stained with red |
2007 Ornamental, cider T1 |
Merits: Tree: naturally spreading; early pollinator; resistant to scab & many diseases; may be somewhat insect resistant. Fruit: prized for jelly, cider blending. Faults: Fruit: quickly browning flesh Merit or fault?: Tree: naturally small; has white, not light pink, blossoms. |
|
Duchess of
Oldenburg (Borovitsky, Duchess, Oldenburg)
|
large classic apple shape, slightly ribbed tart |
maroon over cream or green, blue bloom; moderately thick skinned pale cream; semi-firm; texture is moderately fine-grained & juicy |
2005 Culinary T2
|
Merits: Tree: very hardy (ironclad); early bearer; heavy cropper of large fruit; well adapted to different soils and climates; bears fruits uniform in size & shape; fruits hang well on tree; require little pruning. Fruit: prized for early season cooking and sauce; Faults: Tree: susceptible to various diseases. Fruit: poor keeper; becomes mealy when overripe; not prized for fresh eating. Merit or fault?: Tree: tip bearer (pruning challenge); ripens over several weeks; tends to be biennial, but often annual; naturally small tree. Fruit: not very juicy (makes it good for baking); reports on flavor vary: not highly flavored, too tart, or well flavored. Ratings: AoNY: g-vg for culinary purposes; NY1907: * [** in other regions]; NY1916: 13; Baker: NY (20); BC: good; Bull91: 4-5/** [97 & 99: no change]; B-H: described but not rated; Can; dessert fair, cooking good, commercial value - first class; Cole: excellent only for cooking; Lowther: G; Hooper: 2; ME94: good/**; MICH: f/m; Ont: 2/10/10/10; Ragan: good; Waugh: fair ; Wilkinson: good/* |
|
Zestar
|
medium classic apple shape flavorful, sweet & tart |
greenish yellow with red streaks and blush white; fine; crunchy |
2012 Fresh eating T3
|
Merits: Tree: early bearer. Fruit: billed as crunchiest early season apple, longest storing (2 months) of early season apples. Merit or fault?: color often dull Ratings: [too new] Special: I'm not including the exclamation point that is officially part of its name. |
|
Ginger Gold
|
medium to large wider than classic apple shape spicy sweet; complex flavors |
green-yellow with slight red blush; tough skinned white; texture is crisp
|
2009 Fresh eating T2 |
Merits: Tree: bears fruit uniform in size & shape. Fruit: non-browning flesh; does not bruise easily; excellent keeper for an early fall apple. Faults: Tree: slow to mature; Fruit: not good for cooking or baking. Merit or fault?: Tree: naturally large. Fruit: sweetness too cloying? Rating: A21: vg |
|
Summer Limbertwig |
medium flattish unusual, musky & spicy/sweet, 2 on the
sweet-tart scale |
Skin: pale yellow overlaid with pink and dark red
striping with patches of russet; thick Crispness: 3 Juiciness: 3 |
2020
Fresh eating, culinary, cider T2, extreme drooping Fireblight: 2 |
Merits: Tree: annual. Fruit: aromatic. Faults: Fruit: dull color is not especially attractive. Merit or fault?: Fruit: the distinctive "Limbertwig flavor" is both loved and disliked. Ratings: Ragan: vg; Warder: vg, if not best Special: may be the only limbertwig that ripens early enough to be successfully grown in northern climes. |
|
Fameuse (Snow)
|
small to medium classic apple shape sweet, with some sub-acid |
prominent red over yellow;
moderately thin skinned
non-browning white; tender, aromatic, juicy |
2007
Fresh eating, culinary, cider T2 |
Merits: Tree: hardy and productive. Fruit: non-browning flesh. Faults: Tree: biennial, upright growth. Fruit: susceptible to scab, tender; not a good keeper. Ratings: AoNY: vg for dessert; NY1914: vg/X; A21: vg; Baker: NY (20), MA (6), IL; Bull91: 8-9/** [97 &99: no change]; B-H: vg; BBG; Can; dessert best, cooking fair, excellent for jellies, commercial value - first class; Elliot: vg; Hooper: 2; NE16; Lowther: vg; ME94: vg/**; Ont: 9/5/9/8; Ragan: vg; Waugh: vg; Wilkinson: vg-b/*; Y. |
|
Hewes Crab
(Virginia Crab)
|
small classic apple shape tart |
yellow, with some orange red
blush; moderately thin skinned
non-browning white; tender, aromatic, juicy |
2005
Cider T1 |
Merits:
Tree: annual, productive. Faults: Tree: didn't seem to like the north. Fruit: not a good keeper. Merit or fault?: Fruit: specifically for cider
|
|
Winekist
|
small to medium classic shape intense, cranberryish, 4
to 5 on the sweet-tart scale |
Skin: deep crimson to purple, with prominent
white dots; thick Crispness: 4 Juiciness: 4 |
2019
Fresh eating, culinary, cider T1, upright Fireblight: 3 |
Merits: Tree: very hardy (to z3). Fruit: One of the darkest and most solid red of the red-fleshed apples, inside and out. Faults:
Tree: slow to start bearing, poor keeper. Merit or fault?: Fruit ripens
before most other apples we use in cider, making cider blending
a challenge. Ratings: Bunker: "If you like really tart apples, you'll be a fan of this medium-sized, red-fleshed apple". Special: Even the leaves and
bark are tinged with red. The Winekist
Dakotas was developed by Carl Hansen of Brookings, South Dakota.
Morris Towle of Winthrop, ME, was credited until 2020 by John
Bunker of Fedco as introducing the apple. I didn't think so,
since Towle was a collector of rare apples, not an apple
developer. It is nice to be proven correct. |
|
Gala |
medium classic apple shape mild, sweet |
Ours was the Brookfield strain
which had red stripes over dominent red and some yellow;
moderately thin skinned
yellowis h-white; texture is moderately crisp, very fine-grained, & juicy |
2009
Fresh eating, cider T2 |
Merits: Tree: resistant to mildew; crops heavily regularly; widely recommended for both home and coommercial orchards. Fruit: has become a new standard for sweet fresh eating apples; holds its shape when cooked. Faults: Tree: susceptible to scab; requires much thinning for good sized fruit; brittle wood breaks under heavy loads. Fruit: turns mealy when over ripe; too bland when cooked; too bland for good cider. Merit or fault?: Fruit: too sweet for some. Ratings: A21: vg/b; BBG; Y |
| Opalescent (Hudson's Pride of Michigan) (Twenty Ounce open pollinated) Xenia, Ohio introduced 1899 |
very large roundish, but asymmetric mild, 4 on the sweet-tart scale |
Skin: greenish yellow, splashed and striped with
some red; thick, tough Crispness: 3 Juiciness: 3
|
2019 Culinary, especially baking T2, drooping, spreading Fireblight: ?? |
Merits:
: Tree: very hardy (to z3); precocious bearer; heavy
cropper, thinning required for good sized fruit
and to prevent biennial bearing;
fruits hold well to tree. Fruit: excellent keeper for ripening so
early; does not bruise easily. Faults: Tree: susceptible to winter injury. Merit or fault?: Fruit: wide disagreement concerning quality of taste for fresh eating. Ratings: Beach: g-vg; Hedrick: g-vg, worthy of trial; Hedrick1914: g/**; NY1916: 8; Hedrick13: good-vg, worth planting commercially; AA: **; AFC: 14/2 NY (second quality); APS1911: **KM; BC: good; B-H: good; Bull91: 6-7**; Bull09: gvg*; Bunker: "a high quality dessert apple"; Can; dessert poor, cooking good, commercial value - first to seond class; FB208: HR(KM); FB1001: D2; F&T: $ (1 region [WNY]); Hayes; Hooper: 2; Lowther:vg,11(22); ME94: vg/*; Michigan1879: good, 5.7.9; Ont1892: 2/8/7/8; PA1910: (N) Meets a good market demand on account of large size and good cooking qualities; Prince [under Cayuga Redstreak]; Ragan: g-vg; Scott: 2; Waugh: fair; Wilkinson: g to vg/* Special: Oddly it is better rated by modern sources than older ones. |
|
Rhode Island Greening
|
large wider than classic apple shape tart, sprightly |
grass green with late developing yellow tinge & occasional bright cheek, dotted, slight bloom; moderately thick skinned greenish-yellow; texture is crisp, tender, & juicy |
2005 Fresh eating, culinary, cider T3 |
Merits: Tree: reliably heavy cropper; bears fruits uniform in shape and large size; long lived; once second leading apple variety grown in New York State. Fruit: very juicy; aromatic; keeps well even in less than ideal conditions (except for some scalding). Faults: Tree: triploid (does not pollinate), slow to mature; biennial; may drop fruit prematurely; susceptible to scab, mildew, cankers. Fruit: bruises easily; can be astringent. Merit or fault?: Tree: naturally spreading and droopy, but crooked growth. Fruit: waxy skin. Ratings: AoNY: vg; NY1907: **; NY1914: vg/**; NY1916: 2; A21: vg; Baker: NY (6), ME (8), MA (12), RI (12), CT (6), NJ (6), PA (12), No. OH, MI; B-H: vg; BBG; Bull91: 7/** [97: no change; 99: 7-8/**]; Can: dessert fair, cooking best, commercial value - best; Hooper: 1 (but variable with location); Lowther: vg; ME94: vg/**; MICH: f/m; NE1; Ont: 8/10/8/8; Waugh: good; Wilkinson: vg; Unimpeachable; Y. |
|
Reinette Grise de Parmentier |
large (largest of the russets) variable from classic shape to flat, with some ribbing intense, but
mellows in storage, nutty, complex
sweet/sharp taste that doesn't fit well on the
sweet-tart scale |
Skin: bronzed russeting over green; thick Crispness: 5 Juiciness: 2 |
Fresh eating, cider
T2, upright Fireblight: 2 |
Merits: Tree: heavy cropper, but thinning required for good sized fruit. Fruit: aromatic; excellent keeper [stores exceptionally well without losing quality]. Faults: Tree: slow to start bearing; triploid. Fruit: quickly browning flesh. Merit or fault?: Fruit: subject to watercore; ideal flavor comes after it mellows in storage. Ratings: Engelbrect: not spicy but lightly seasoned and just as sugary; S-L: de premiere qualitie; Smith: "very good flavor and crunch.' Special: Largest of the
russets. |
|
Roxbury Russet
|
med-large irregular, slightly ribbed sub-acid to tart |
green brown russet; rough, thick skinned quickly browning cream; texture is moderately coarse & juicy |
2004 Fresh eating, culinary, cider T2 |
Merits: Tree: keeps well even in less than ideal storage; resistant to scab & cedar apple rust; once fifth leading apple variety grown in New York State. Fruit: prized for rich flavoring & high sugar content for cider. Faults: Tree: biennial; often a shy bearer; quality variable due to soil and climate; fruit subject to cracking; may drop fruit prematurely. Fruit: quickly browning flesh; rough skin is not attractive. Merit or fault?: Fruit: russet quality; coarse flesh; does not bruise easily, but tough skin. Ratings: AoNY: g/vg; NY1907: **; NY1914: g-vg/**; NY1916: 4; Baker: NY (6), MA (12), RI (6), RI (6), NJ (6), MI; BC: nr; A21: g/vg; B-H: g-vg; BBG; Bull91: 7-8/** [97: no change; 99: 6-7/**]; Browning; Can: dessert only fair, cooking good, commercial value - first class; Grootendors: "shows an austere perfection and refinement of flavor"; Lowther: vg; Hooper: 3 for table, 1 to 2 for cooking; ME94: vg/*; NE11; Ont: 6/8/8/9; Waugh: good; Wilkinson: g to vg; Y Special: discovered in the town of Roxbury in mid-17th century, it may be the oldest named American variety. It has better documentation to the claim than does the Rambo. |
|
Wickson |
small round intense, both sweet and tart; doesn't fit on the
sweet-tart scale |
red creamy yellow firm fine-grained,
|
Cider; fresh eating, if you
dare
T3 Fireblight: 1 |
Merits: Tree: annual, prolific bearer. Faults:
Fruit: subject to cracking Ratings: AA:***; Heavy: "Hands down our favorite of the bunch. Super high acid with a profoundly cherrylike flavor"; Jacobsen:"ferments beautifully into a bone-dry, water-white, high-alcohol cider with a nose of guava and lychee with an astringent crab apple finish"; Salt. Special: Perhaps Albert Etter's
most successful apple "invention." Named after his friend and
pomologist E.J. Wickson. Etter left notes about parentage naming
Newtown and Spitzenberg, but it is now believed that these were
names of other crab varieties he was working with, not the
Newtwon Pippin and Esopus Spitzenberg. |
|
Black Oxford
|
small to medium classic apple shape mild, sub-acid to tart |
deep purple, blue bloom, dotted; tough skinned greenish white; texture is crisp, very firm, and moderately dry |
2004 first fruit: 2010 Fresh eating, culinary, cider T2 |
Merits: Tree: annual; disease resistant; late blooming protects it from frost damage; fruits tolerate fall frosts and mild freezes. Fruit: handsome dark color. Faults: its hard flesh earned it the nickname “the rock.” Merit or fault?: moderately dry flesh Ratings: Baker: ME; BC: nr; B-H: good; ME94: .../_; ME08: good; Ragan: g |
|
Yellow Bellflower
|
medium to v. large distinctively elongated, rich, 3 on the sweet-tart scale |
pale yellow yellowish white firm, moderately fine-grained Juiciness: 2 |
2009
Fresh eating, culinary, cider T2; somewhat spreading and drooping
|
Merits: Tree: late blooming protects it from frost damage; Fruit: valued for multiple purposes. Faults: Tree: slow grower; bears fruits variable in size; may drop fruit prematurely; susceptible to scab;. Fruit: bruises easily; quickly browning flesh. Merit or fault?: Tree: described as both a heavy and shy cropper. Fruit: ideal flavor comes after it mellows in storage. Ratings: Downing: vg; Bull97: 7-8**; Bull99: 8-9*; Bull09: vg*; Beach: vg/b; NY1907: *kLM (valuable in some districts); NY1914: g/*; Allen; BC: good; Baker: **, CT (Top12), IL (Top12), KY (top12), NJ (Top12), RI (Top20), MI, OH; CG: 40/18/18/78; Barron: first quality; Barry: (W), "rich"/"breaking, spritely, sharp" W; Bridgeman: alike excellent for dessert or cooking, Unimpeachable; Burford*; Dickerman: NY*; FB113: &; FB208: R(DKM); FB1001; Folger: (0 regions); Hansen: vg or best; Hayes; Heavy: "Tart and bright...ton of juice...straightforward"; Hedrick: good, *, valuable in some districts; Hooper: 1; HSL: 1; Kenrick: *(excellent); KOB: satisfactory, dselicately spiced; Lear: 10; Lowther: vg,12(41); Lewelling; Manning: a fine apple; ME94: vg/**; Michigan1879: vg, 8.10.7; Michigan1890: vg, 8.10.7; Milam: pie:vg/sauce:vg; Ont1892:8/7/5/5; Pomologie: *****; Powell: "every way an excellent fruit where it is at its best," " in Michaigan no apple outclasses [it]"; Prince; Ragan: vg; S-L: de premiere qualitie; Scott: 1, deserving of extensive cultivation; Smith: right flavor for classic baked apple...perfectly OK fresh eating but not great; Thomas: *(excellent); Warder: best; Waugh: vg; Woolverton: dessert good, cooking good, commercial value - home market first class; Yepsen: "blossoms are large and especially attractive". Special: thought to be one of the parents of the Red Delicious. |
These trees all once grew well but died of injury, girdling, crown rot, other disease, or of unknown cause. It is not a complete list. For a variety of reasons we have not replaced them. |
|
NOTE: Some details came from earlier versions of the
chart and do not precisely match the main apple page. See main page for the KEY to the sources used for apple ratings. This page written and maintained by John R. Henderson (jhenderson@ithaca.edu). |
The Orchard at Sage Hen Farm: Apple Trees No Longer Grown
