We start our apple harvest with Sanza in late August and finish with Granny Smith in late October. In between we pick another twenty some varieties ranging from the well known Gala and Fuji to the eclectic Esopus Spitzenberg and Pitsmaston Pineapple. Each variety has it’s own unique flavor. Sweet and tart are just the start of the descriptions of all the subtle flavors. Taste the banana in a Gala or the licorice in the Freyburg. If you think Golden Delicious are mealy and bland, try one that is picked correctly – spicy, sweet, knock your socks off flavor.
We pick all our apples at their peak of flavor and sell them right away. The best possible flavor off the tree is our goal and we taste test every variety multiple times before deciding when to pick them. Our goal is to have a new variety of apple every week at our markets and to help you realize the diversity of flavor that apples have.
Part of what we value is the conservation of biodiversity and the resilience it adds to our ecosystem and to our food supply system.
We seek out and graft heirloom apple varieties which might otherwise be lost to age and obscurity. Little pieces of grafting scion wood are cut from heirloom trees around the US (though the varieties may have originated elsewhere). We slip them onto strong trunks already growing in our orchard which adopt the little shoots into the tree structure.
Bringing those varieties directly to you at farmers markets, and to specialty cider makers, together we’re keeping history and variety alive.
Yellow Transparent ~ Redbird ~ Ginger Gold ~ Macoun ~ Galarina ~ Northern Spy ~ Keepsake ~ Goldrush ~ Cripps Pink ~ Sansa ~ Zestar! ~ Gala ~ Golden Supreme ~ Jonathan ~ Swiss Gourmet(Arlet) ~ McIntosh ~ Jonagold ~ Honeycrisp ~ Ashmead’s Kernel ~ Cox’s Orange Pippin ~ Esopus Spitzenburg ~ Freyburg ~ Karmijn de Sonneville ~ Pitmaston Pineapple ~ Empire ~ Golden Delicious ~ Hubbardson’s Nonesuch ~ Fuji ~ Braeburn ~ Granny Smith
SEE ALL APPLE VARIETIES >>
Apple Storage & Care
Full of fiber and easy to grab for a snack on the go, apples really do warrant the old adage about an apple a day keeping the doctor away. And with twenty-two Ela varieties to choose from – ranging in flavor from explosively sweet to tart and spicy — you don’t have to worry about flavor fatigue.
Apples are hardy and don’t require the TLC demanded by other fruits. For consumption within a week, simply leave them out of the sun on the counter. For use within several weeks, it’s best to store them in the refrigerator. Keep in mind that our late-harvest varieties such as Fuji, Braeburn and Granny Smith will last up to eight weeks if stored properly.
Prior to long-term storage, first inspect apples and remove any with bruises. Then put them either in a refrigerator away from green peppers (apples can absorb odors) or in a cool garage in a cardboard box covered by a blanket or in a cooler. Place the box or cooler on the ground, not on a shelf, for extra warmth as temperatures dip. Apples kept in the freezer can be used in countless ways, such as in applesauce, pies, crisps and muffins. For tips on how to prepare them for the freezer, check this University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service publication, and for canning info, refer to this from the CU Extension Service.
