Heirloom Apple Trees
If you have an orchard of any size
or just want to plant an apple tree in honor of Iduna, we encourage you to make
the extra effort to look for heirloom apple trees – the old-fashioned varieties
of the ancestors. They are generally hardier, more resistant to disease, and
tastier. What they don’t do is produce perfect, symmetrical fruit that keeps
well in long cross-country truck drives, which is why they fell out of favor
for agribusiness orcharding. But that’s all right, because they’re perfect for
the home orchardist who can walk from tree to house with fresh apples in hand,
and doesn’t care about them all looking the same. Below we list some of our
favorite heirloom breeds, and tree nurseries that carry them.
The Lady Apple. This tree goes back to Caesarian Rome, which makes us assume that the “Lady” in question must be Pomona. They are small compared to modern varieties – only about 3” across – but extremely tasty little handfuls.
Cox Orange Pippin. Yellow with orange blush, this is a crisp, firm, nutty apple that was one of the most famous English eating apples, from about 1830.
Sheepnose, or Black Gilliflower. This apple is conical and ribbed and can be almost a dark purple in color and smells heavenly. Primarily a baking apple, it takes its first name from its shape and its second from its color and scent.
Spitzenburg. Thomas Jefferson’s favorite apple, or at least the one he wrote about the most. Sharp, fragrant, acidic, bright red with white dots and the occasional yellow stripe.
Ashmead’s Kernel. Said to be one of the ugliest of yellow apples, and the most wonderful to eat out of hand – it has a faint orangey flavor and a wonderful soft texture. A good example of how the modern produce industry phased out imperfect-looking fruit and also phased out most of the best apple flavor.
There are so many other wonderful heirloom varieties – Banana Russet, Adams Pearmain, Sops of Wine, Cathead, Belle de Boskoop, Garden Royal, Wolf River, Black Oxford, Canadian Strawberry, Grimes Golden, Duchess of Oldenburg, Northern Spy, Granny Smith, Bramley’s Seedling, Star Lady, Foxwhelp, Pumpkin Russet, Summer Rambeau, and of course the two that originated right near where I live, the Hubbardston Nonesuch and the Westfield Seek-No-Further. By planting these trees, even just one of them, you preserve genetic diversity, honor the ancestors who bred them, get tastier apples than you’ll ever see at the store, and please Iduna. The orchards and nurseries below are just some of the places where you can find heirloom apple trees:
The Heirloom Orchardist
http://www.heirloomorchardist.com/
Trees of Antiquity
http://www.treesofantiquity.com/
Fedco Trees
http://www.fedcoseeds.com/trees.htm
Miller Nurseries
http://www.millernurseries.com/
Holyroot Farm
Big Horse Creek Farm
http://www.bighorsecreekfarm.com/
HeirloomAppleTree
http://heirloomappletree.com