Varieties

A huge apple believed to be related to a Wolf River and Secor. It takes only two apples (no kidding) to make a pie. The taste is slightly lemony. Really a favorite of ours. Supply is very limited right now, but we have planted more trees.

Our latest ripening apple, but well worth the wait. A New Zealand apple, it is crunchy and tart. It also stays in good shape until Christmas.

this one was developed right here at Iowa State University. It is a cross between Red Delicious and Jonathan, and seems to take the best from both apples. A nice sweet/tart taste, good crunch and it makes delicious pies!

The very best apple for salads, it stays white when cut without the use of lemon juice. A nice, large apple with a middle, sweet/tart taste.

Very sweet and crunchy like a regular Fuji, except this one comes in September!

An underrated apple I think. Empire really is an all-purpose apple. Most people know of only its great taste, but it makes one of the best tasting pies. It also breaks quite easily into sauce. A Red Delicious/McIntosh cross.

A great, late October apple, Fuji is very crunchy, sweet and keeps well in storage. Compares well against a Honey Crisp.

The sweetest apple we carry and not coincidently, one of my favorites. Its parents are Golden Delicious and Kidds Orange Red. It behaves very much like a Golden Delicious except being juicier and smaller in size. The texture is finer too. Very orange in color.

The best all-purpose apple, Golden Delicious has been around for many, many years, and is the parent of countless others. It tastes sweet and crunchy and can be used satisfactorily for anything

An early type of Golden Delicious, Golden Supreme is very similar in use. It does have a finer texture though and a bit milder taste. Very clear, yellow skin.

An antique, German apple, it has been rumored that some would mortgage the farm for a couple of bushels. It makes absolutely superior apple sauce, and is tart enough to curl your hair.

The original Red Delicious was found in Iowa. Our 50-year old tree was grown before hybridization. The skin is much thinner and palatable and the flavor is great. It is smaller and lighter in color than the hybrids.

Our best selling apple, we do have people mortgaging the farm for this one. In truth it is spectacular when growing conditions have been perfect. Unbelievably crunchy. Has a sweet/tart taste, but can be bland if the weather has been unfavorable.

The perfect pie apple, Ida Red is large, keeps well, and has just the right sweet to tart ratio to make tasty deserts.

I personally like this one better than Honey Crisp. It isn't nearly as temperamental and is slightly sweeter. It is very crunchy, but unfortunately is not a good keeper.

One of the new disease resistant varieties, very good for baking and will stay firm. People that like Jonathan usually like this one for eating and cooking. Parentage is the Wealthy and McIntosh.

An antique variety, McIntosh comes from Canada and was first produced in 1810. Excellent all-purpose apple, especially sauce and crisps.

This apple is being beat up and I must defend it by saying that it is very tasty and crunch(yes!) when it first comes off the tree. It is delicious. It is not a long keeper though and will get that unfortunate mushiness after about two months.

A good keeper that is primarily used for baking. Fresh eating is rather bland. A beautiful, dark red skin adds beautiful color to cooking.

My great-grandma's favorite, and they have become so popular at the orchard, we are putting in more trees. A small, but tasty, bright red apple with unusually white flesh.

A newer variety with a very distinct taste. Juicy and crunchy. I haven't experimented much with its cooking qualities because they taste so good fresh.

Antique type, and very unusual. It is a greenish apple that you expect to be sour, then surprise - It's really sweet. A very rough texture, this is one that grows on you.

One of my favorites for sauce. It breaks down into sauce in about half an hour. Very tart, green and round. Wealthy is an antique variety.

Our newest and earliest, sweet eating apple. Tastes like brown sugar! I still have to experiment with its cooking qualities.