The Fruits of Alyson’s Orchard

Alyson’s Orchard 37 Varieties of Apples

We offer over 37 varieties of apples here at Alyson’s, from heirloom apples to the standard classics to the latest varieties. Other fine fruits that we grow here include peaches, plums, pears, nectarines, blueberries, raspberries and quince.

Below you will find a list of the apples we grow along with a brief description and estimated harvesting dates. We focus our efforts on taste, quality and ecological growing methods. Please try all of them!

( *) indicates Heirloom Apple

VARIETY NAME
HARVEST DATE
HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION
GOOD FOR
Duchess of Oldenberg*

Late August
Fruit medium to large; color pale yellow covered with splashes and stripes of pinkish red. Excellent flavor with tart overtones.
Eating, Cooking, & Desert
Paula Red

Late August
Early apple, hard and crisp with sweet, full flavor.
Eating, Sauce
Ginger Gold

Late August
With a sweet and tangy flavor, the Ginger Gold is excellent for eating , but its ability to hold its shape also makes it an excellent cooking apple: perfect for baking.
Eating, Cooking
Sansa

Late August
This sweet, early apple is much like a pear in its texture and flavor. Its flesh is green-white, firm but tender, and juicy.
Eating, Cooking
Jersey Macs

Late August
Cross between NJ24 and July Red. McIntosh type apple.
Eating, Sauce, Pie
Dolgo Crab*

Early September
Siberian crab imported in 1897. Medium-sized (for a crab) fruit is well-flavored and rich in pectin.
Jelly, Cooking
St. Lawrence*

Early September
Carmine striped with a deep bloom. Sweet, crisp and juicy, melting flesh. 19th century market apple form the St. Lawrence Valley in Quebec. Not a keeper.
Cooking, Baking
Wolf River*

Mid-September
Very large apples, often weighing 1 pound. The shape is often irregular. Pale, dull red skin has patches of yellow and the coarsely textured flesh is tender, soft, juicy and cream colored. The flavor is a bit tart.
Cooking, Sauce, Drying
McIntosh

Mid-September
The most crisp, juicy and flavorful McIntosh apples are found in the orchards of Northern New England, where warm, sunny days and frosty autumn nights prevail.
All Purpose
Cortland

Mid-September
A great apple for baking, Cortland’s won’t turn brown as quickly as other apples when cut. Perfect for snacking. Crisp, juicy and not too sweet.
All Purpose
Honey Crisp

Mid-September
As the name suggests, this is a large, juicy, extra sweet apple and is one of the most sought after at Alyson’s.
Eating, Baking, Sauce
Fameuse Snow*

Mid-September
This apple is thought to be the parent of the McIntosh. It is speculated that the origin is French or Canadian. Beautiful in appearance with tender white flesh.
Dessert
Jonagold

Late September
A cross between the Jonathan and Golden Delicious. Jonagold is an excellent sweet-tart dessert apple. They have a creamy yellow flesh and are noticeably crisp and juicy.
Eating, Dessert, Pie
Gala

Late September
Texture and taste are similar to a Golden Delicious, but Gala is crisper and has a distinct spicy flavor.
Eating, Pie, Sauce, Cider
Liberty

Late September
The white flesh is crisp, juicy and flavorful. Great apple for eating .
Eating, Baking
Maiden’s Blush*

Late September
Originated in Burlington, New Jersey in 1817 and first named by Samuel Allinson. It is a very lovely apple with a sharp, tangy flavor. Fruit medium to large with smooth, pale waxen yellow skin with a crimson blush.
Eating, Drying, Cooking
Cox’s Orange Pippen*

Late September
It was first grown in England 200 years ago. Today, the dry orange apple is a specialty of Alyson’s. A pie made with these will be wonderfully pear scented.
Eating, Sauces, Cider, Pie
Zabergau Rienette*

Late September
A russet apple with a dull yellow skin and a potato like shape with a rich, nutty flavor.
Pie
Black Gilliflower*

Late September
Black Gilliflower Apple is a large, long, conical, ribbed apple which, when highly colored, becomes almost purplish and has a distinctive unusual flavor, reminiscent of Spitzenburg, rich and sweet, with relatively dry flesh.
Eating
Blue Pearmain*

Late September
An older variety of unknown origin thought to be American and dating back to 1800. “The apple in Grandmother’s back yard.” Coarse flesh, mild flavor, very aromatic.
Baking
Hudson’s Golden Gem*

Late September
This apple was discovered as a chance seedling at Hudson’s Nurseries in Oregon in 1931. This apple is a “gem in the rough.” Don’t let the fruit with dull, rough skin fool you. Inside, is a sweet, juicy flesh with a delicate almost pear like flavor. It keeps well.
Eating, Dessert, Cider
Macoun

Late September
Cross between Jersey Black and McIntosh, introduced in 1923 by the New York Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, NY.
Eating, Sauce, Pie
Ashmead’s Kernel*

Early October
Grown first in the 1700’s, its skin is russeted and its flesh, crisp and extremely tart. When eaten fresh, it can be a bit like eating a crunchy lemon, but the Ashmead’s flavor mellows out the longer it is kept in storage and they store well.
Eating, Cider
Ananas Rienette*

Early October
Russet freckles over gold skin. Crisp and juicy with intense sweet, sharp flavor, developing the pineapple flavor late in the season (its name means pineapple russet).
Eating, Cooking, Juice
Empire

Early October
Cross between Red Delicious and McIntosh. White flesh
Eating, Salad, Sauce
Tolman Sweet*

Early October
Highly esteemed for baking, stewing and making cider, this is one of the best late sweet apples. Pale yellow skin with russet lines envelops firm, white, sweet fleshed medium to large apples.
Eating, Dessert, Cooking, Baking
Esopus Spitzenberg*

Early October
This variety was found in the late 1700’s on a farm near Esopus, a town in New York’s Hudson Valley. It was a favorite of Thomas Jefferson. The flesh is pale yellow, firm, crisp and tender, with an aromatic, spicy character. It ranks among the best dessert apples and is suited for baking.
Dessert, Cooking
Winesap*

Early October
Winesap is thought to have come from New Jersey. By 1817 it was recorded as an important cider apple in the state. Beneath its sturdy skin, the yellow flesh is firm and very juicy with a powerful sweet-sour contrast and has a characteristic winey flavor and aroma.
Sauce, Pie, Cider
Coral

Early October
Originated in the 1980’s as a limb sport of Gala whose parents are Golden Delicious & Kidd’s Orange Red. Larger, more handsome fruit than Gala. Otherwise similar in taste and season.
Eating
Fortune

Early October
A descendent of the Northern Spy, this large, red apple is crisp, juicy and tart.
Eating, Cooking
Bramley Seeding*

Early October
Favorite cooking apple of the English. Makes a great sauce. A large green apple with a sharp acid taste and very high in Vitamin C. A large, vigorous tree that bears heavily.
Cooking, Baking, Cider
Baldwin*

Mid-October
Discovered before the 1750’s near Lowell (now Wilmington), MA, this apple was the first true commercial apple in the United States. Baldwin is a squat, medium sized apple, pale green, with deep red to maroon blush. It has a lively sweet-tart flavor.
Cooking, Eating, Cider, Sauce
Northern Spy*

Mid-October
First found in New York around the 1800’s. It’s known as one of the best pie apples and the yellow white flesh is juicy and sweet-tart with high vitamin C.
Pie, Eating, Sauce
Fuji

Late October
Originated in Japan, this fruit is crisp, sweet, juicy and stores well. Its popularity is well deserved.
Eating
Mutsu

Late October
The Japanese bred apple is a favorite of Alyson’s proprietors. The Mutsu (also known as Crispin) is an outstanding all purpose apple. It is crisp and juicy. The rich, sweet flavor is unlike any other apple grown in New England.
All Purpose
Roxbury Russet*

Late October
The oldest American-born apple, from a tree in Roxbury, MA, in the late 1600’s. The texture is crisp and hard; some liken the flavor to that of a pear, and others to a coconut.
Cider, Pie
Lady*

Early November
Tiny, doll-like lady apples are sweet-flavored and are a beautiful decorative apple.
Eating, Dessert, Sauce
Black Oxford*

Early November
A New England original found in the 1700’s in Oxford, Maine. It is a medium sized purple apple, almost black. Its sweet flavor is balanced with a touch of tartness. It keeps exceptionally well and is so hard and crisp it was once referred to as “the rock.”
Eating, Cooking, Cider

( *) indicates Heirloom Apples

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