We’ve been asked many times what cultivars that we have in the apple orchard, so here they are with brief descriptions:

Arkansas Black 1870 Thought  to be a seedling of Winesap. Harvest in October or November. Medium size, color red, deepening to a purplish red or nearly black. Flesh hard, crisp, and with a distinctive aromatic flavor. It is a long keeper that improves in storage. Good for cider and cooking. Absolutely our favorite variety for Homemade Huber Apple Butter.

Ashmead’s Kernel 1700 Originated in the Gloucester, England, from seed planted by a Dr. Ashmead. Harvest mid October. Russet, yellowish fruit. Very crisp, strongly flavored, and keeps well. Good for eating fresh, cider and sauce

Braeburn red-over-yellow apples that offer a unique blend of sweet and tart. They’re crisp, firm with a juicy texture.

Brambley’s Seedling 1700’s England. Late harvest, October-November, fair keeper. Greenish-yellow, light red striping. Very large; excellent baking apple; tangy, sharp flavor. Outstanding cider apple.

Carter’s Blue 1840's Alabama. Ripens September and not a good keeper. The fruit is very attractive with a bluish color due to its heavy bloom. Medium to large fruit. Flesh is white, crisp and juicy and very fragrant. Flavor has been described as "rose-water."

Claygate Pearmain  England. Ripens in October. Fruit has rich, nutty flavor with a good balance of sugars and acids. Flesh is greenish-white, firm, crisp and juicy. A very high quality English dessert apple

Cox’s Orange Pippin 1825 England. Harvest mid September-October keeps to January. Flesh yellow, firm, tart and moderately juicy. Highly esteemed dessert apple.

Esopus Sptizenberg 1800's. Esopus, New York. Ripens in September. Fabled as all-time favorite of Thomas Jefferson. Apple is medium to large with bright red skin mixed with splashes of orange and having crisp, yellow, aromatic flesh.

Fuji 1962 Japan Medium apple, yellowish-green skin and orange-red flush with darker stripes. Flesh white, firm and crunchy, with excellent fruity flavor.

Gala 1965 New Zealand. A grandchild of Cox's Orange Pippin. Aromatic, very crisp and sweet without the tang of Cox. Heavy red striping over golden skin, a beautiful apple.

Golden Delicious 1910 Also known as Yellow Delicious, with many strains, sports and cultivars. Harvest in September. Second most popular apple in the United States. Large and conic in shape, with golden-yellow skin. Flesh firm, crisp, and juicy with a mild, sweet, flavor. Self-fertile, it is an excellent pollinator for other varieties.

Golden Pearmain 1755. Speculated to have originated in North Carolina.  Another “Thomas Jefferson apple”. Harvest  in September. Round apple with flattened end and medium size. Creamy-yellow flesh, very firm, crisp and juicy. This dessert apple makes exceptionally fine cider.

Granny Smith 1859 Australia  Grass green, crisp and tart. Moderately sweet, snappy flavor. Superb eating and cooking qualities, never gets mushy when baked. An excellent keeper

Hightop Sweet 1600's Plymouth Colony.  Ripens June to July in most areas. Fruit is small to medium with smooth greenish-yellow skin with an occasional red blush. The yellow flesh is tender, dry, and very sweet.

Mammoth Black Twig 1830 Tennessee apple introduced near Fayetteville, Harvest  in October. Usually yellow, washed and striped a dark red or mostly red. It is medium to large in size, and exhibits some resistance to pests and diseases. An excellent keeper, it must be stored to reach peak flavor. The tree growth is dense and drooping. This was taken as a cutting from 100 plus year old standard apple tree on our East TN farm.

Newton’s Pippin 1800'sNew York. A good storage apple ripening in October and keeping into February or later Planted at Monticello, one of three of Thomas Jefferson’ favorite apples. It 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. Considered to be The Apple Pie Apple, with Granny Smith as Number 2.

Red Delicious 1872. It is the most popular and widely-grown apple in the United States. Harvest in September. Its white flesh is tender, fine-grained, crisp and juicy. Flavor is mild, and the skin bitter. 

Victoria Limbertwig One of the best Limbertwigs. Harvest October.  Purple skin with white dots and crisp yellow flesh. Very juicy and rich in flavor, excellent quality. good keeper; dessert apple.

Vine 1890's Virginia. Ripens late October and is excellent keeper. Medium size, conical fruit with distinct lobes. Skin is rough, yellow with red blush. Yellow flesh is crisp, juicy and subacid.

Virginia Sweet unknown origin. Harvest  in September. A very striking apple in appearance with deep, rich red skin, overlaid with large and distinctive irregular russet dots which cover the surface of the fruit. The crisp, juicy white flesh is very sweet and aromatic. A fine dessert apple

William’s Pride 1750 Roxbury, Massachusetts. Ripens in July. A wonderful old southern apple well known for its adaptability to most growing conditions. Fruit is medium to large, conical, and sometimes lobed or angular. Skin is smooth and whitish-yellow with two shades of red wash and stripes. The yellowish-white flesh is tender, moderately juicy, and stained red at the core line.

Two mystery trees!

 

 

 

 

At East Tennessee farm:

Mammoth Black Twig

Bramley’s Seedling

Cox’s Orange Pippin

Porter 1800 Massachusetts. Harvest August-September. Recommended by Fannie Farmer in 1800’s book for cooking. Greenish-yellow, reddish-orange blush. Small to large. Thin, smooth skin. Excellent cooking apple.

Wagener  1791 New York. Similar to Northern Spy; oddly shaped. Harvest October.  Fruit is medium to large with thin, smooth, glossy pinkish-red skin overlaying a background of pale yellow. The yellowish-white flesh is firm, fine-grained, and very juicy. A very fine cooking apple and excellent dessert apple.

Liberty 1962 Geneva , New York. Resistant to apple scab and mildew. A handsome red apple of the McIntosh type with a wonderful sweet/tart balance.

Golden Sweet  Connecticut heirloom. Ripens July to August.  An extraordinarily sweet apple. Once quite popular in the South. Fruit is medium to large with thin, smooth waxy yellow skin. The sweet yellow flesh is firm, juicy, and aromatic.

Dunkerton’s Late Sweet 1940 England Late Harvest, Cider apple