Apples
Mt. View’s apples and pears are as good as you can get,
and come in over 80 varieties. See the guide below for
descriptions of each variety
- WINESap -
Late Season, September
Winesap is a well-known American heirloom apple, and was a major commercial variety in Virginia during the 19th century. Its origins are unknown but it probably dates back to the 18th century. It has all the qualities needed for commercial production - it is a regular heavy cropping tree with very little biennial tendency, and the apples can be kept in natural cold storage for a good 3 months or more. It can be eaten fresh but is primarily a culinary apple, also popular for juice/cider production.
- GOLDEN DELICIOUS -
Late Season
Enthusiasts are increasingly
re-discovering Golden Delicious, and recognising that behind the mass-production and supermarket shelf-appeal there is a very good apple. Part of the problem is that fruit picked for supermarkets is often picked when still green, and then stored for months before sale. In contrast when allowed to ripen to a golden-green color on the tree the true flavour is revealed - exceptionally sweet and rich, almost like eating raw sugar cane. Golden Delicious is also a versatile apple, and can be used both for dessert and cooking purposes, and it has an attractive appearance - which can indeed be golden if left to mature on the tree.
- Ashmead Kernel -
Late Season
Ashmead's Kernel is a versatile apple, not just for eating fresh, it can also be used for salads and cooking, and it is a highly-valued apple for juicing and hard cider.
- MCINTOSH -
Early Season
The McIntosh style is typified by attractive dark red or (more often) crimson colours, and a crunchy bite, often with bright white flesh. The flavor is simple and direct, generally sweet but with refreshing acidity, and usually a hint of wine - often referred to as "vinous."
- Liberty -
Late Season
Liberty was developed at the famous Geneva Research Station in the 1960s. It is derived from Macoun, and is very much a McIntosh-style apple, with red skin and juicy flesh. The flavor is well balanced, perhaps sharper than many of the Mac-related varieties but still with the characteristic vinous note.
- HONEYCRISP -
Mid-Late Season
The flavour is sweet with very little trace of acidity and little depth or complexity. There can also be a trace of pear-drop flavor. Honeycrisp, or Honey Crisp, is a modern apple variety, developed in the 1960s and introduced to the market in the 1990s - sometimes trademarked as Honey crunch
- JONAGOLD -
Late Season
Jonagold is a large apple, and makes a substantial snack. If you are struggling to eat your 5 portions of fruit and veg per day, this can help! The large size is a good clue that this is a triploid apple variety, with 3 sets of genes. As its name suggests, this is a cross between a Jonathan and a
Golden Delicious.
- GRAVENSTEIN -
Mid Season
An old apple variety from Denmark which remains very popular in both Europe and North America on account of its high quality flavor. Fantastic to eat, for pies and for sauce.
- AKANE -
Early, Mid Season
Akane is useful early season apple with an unusually good balance of sweet and sharp flavors. The flesh is firm rather than crisp, but with plenty of juice. Akane was developed in Japan in the 1930s, and represents an unusual marriage of the classic English early variety, Worcester Pearmain, and the high quality American heritage apple variety, Jonathan - and it is a marriage that works very successfully.
- SPITZENBURG -
Late Season
One of the great American apple varieties, thought to be Thomas Jefferson's favourite. Noted for its spicy flavor, my grandmothers favorite for making apple sauce and pies.
- GALA -
Late Season
One of the most widely-grown apple varieties, with a sweet pleasant flavour, and good keeping qualities.
- RED DELICIOUS -
September - July
Red Delicious has a sweet but very mild flavor, somewhat reminscent of slightly over-ripe melon. The flesh is juicy and has a light crispness. The skin can be quite tough. Overall Red Delicious can be quite a refreshing apple to eat.
- FUJI -
Very Late Season
Developed in Japan, but an all-American cross of Red Delicious and Ralls Janet. A very attractive modern apple, crisp, sweet-flavoured, and keeps well.
- ELSTAR -
Late Season
Elstar is another successful offspring of Golden Delicious, developed in the Netherlands in the 1950s. It is a popular easy-eating dessert apple, widely grown in Europe but less well-known in the UK or
North America.
- JONATHAN -
Late Season
Coming soon
- ROME -
Late Season
Rome Beauty is a popular American good cooking apple, which retains its shape when cooked. It can also be
eaten fresh.
- PINK LADIES -
Very Late Season
One of the best-known modern apples, Pink Lady is actually a trademark and the variety is more correctly known as Cripps Pink. Sweet, small, pink cheeks and perfect.
- GRANNY SMITH -
Very Late Season
There is only one word to describe the flavor of Granny Smith: acidic. It is an uncompromising crisp hard apple with a very sharp taste. However, served slightly chilled it can also be very refreshing, and works well in salads. The flavor sweetens in storage
- CAMEO -
Mid Season
A modern sweet variety, reminscent of Red Delicious.
- King david -
Late Season
A good quality American apple variety, notable for its resistance to fireblight
- BRAEBURN -
Very Late Season
Braeburn's depth of flavour makes its main competition - Red Delicious and - seem one -dimensional in comparison. At a time when consumers were starting to look for something less bland in their weekly shopping, Braeburn was the right apple at the right time.
- CRITERIONS -
Mid Season
Larger fruit with dark red skin underlaid with stripes. Crisp pure white flesh resists browning when cut. Tart tangy flavor. Dessert quality. Excellent for eating out of hand, cooking,
and cider.
- GINGER GOLD -
Early Season
The color, shape, and distinctive long stalk all identify it as a relation of Golden Delicious, yet it has a much earlier season - ripening in mid/late August. Unusually for an early apple, but again reflecting a Golden Delicious parentage, it is a good keeper and will last several weeks in the fridge. The flavor is fairly mild, and a bit sharper than Golden Delicious but still sweet for an early variety. It is equally good for eating fresh or processing. Ginger Gold is generally considered one of the best early-season apples