Harvest August through mid-September Season August- September Quality juicy, tart and crisp, excellent quality, not the best keeper Use fresh-eating

Alexander

Harvest late September Season late September- mid October Quality large, attractive, juicy and tender, fairly crisp Use excellent cooking apple, good dessert apple

An old Russian variety, Alexander is a large, beautiful apple that is not as common as it once was. It is esteemed more for culinary use than as a fresh-eating apple, and is especially good for sauce. It is lightly scented and somewhat sweet. Not a very good keeper.

Arkansas Black

Harvest end of October into November Season until April or later Quality very crisp, juicy, firm flesh, flavor sharp, aromatic Use excellent for fresh-eating and good for culinary use

Arkansas Black is one of the prettiest apples to look at with its deep red color and symmetrical shape. It keeps forever and the taste improves in storage. Not a bland apple, it is crisp, strongly flavored and aromatic.

Ashmead Kernel

Harvest October Season October-January or later Quality russeted yellowish fruit, very crisp and strongly flavored Use award-winning dessert apple with very distinctive flavor

An old English dessert apple, Ashmead Kernel has dense, crisp flesh that is aromatic with intense flavor. This apple has won numerous taste tests over the years in England and in America, but it is much more strongly flavored than the apples most Americans are used to eating. It keeps very well.

Baldwin

Harvest late September- end of October Season October - April Quality medium to large red apple, sweet and crisp Use good to very good as a fresh-eating and culinary variety

Baldwin may have been the most popular apple in America at the turn of the century. It is medium to large, red and attractive, with coarse, crisp flesh. It is juicy, sometimes very juicy, and can be a good to very good fresh-eating apple. It stores extremely well, and is a desirable variety for pies. It was once widely planted throughout New England, Ontario and Michigan. Today it is rare.

Boskoop

Harvest late September Season late September through December Quality large, russeted apple, tart, highly flavored Use fresh-eating and cooking

Boskoop, or Belle de Boskoop, as it is also known, is a large yellowish russeted apple that is very popular in Europe as a cooking and fresh-eating apple. Boskoop is an apple that bites back and may be too strongly flavored for Americans who are used to a bland diet. It was discovered in Holland in the 1850's and has been grown here since at least the 1890's. It is firm and crisp, tart and somewhat dry, full flavoured, very aromatic and gets sweeter in storage. Boskoop does well in storage, keeping 3-4 months or more.

Beacon

Harvest late August- September Season August through September Quality attractive, striped apple, juicy, good eating Use fresh-eating, sauces, pie

A newer variety, Beacon is a cross between Wealthy and Malinda. A beautiful apple that has lively, juicy flavor and is good for baking, it does not keep extremely well.

Ben Davis

Harvest late September Season late September into Spring Quality coarse, dry Use all purpose

One of the oldest American varieties, it was at one time widely planted in all parts of the country, especially the South. It is a consistent producer and ships and stores extremely well, and for those reasons was an important commercial apple before 1900.