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History: White Jersey is another English cider apple whose origins are a little obscure. It was popular in the Somerset area of England during the 1800s where it was first recorded in 1895. It is still grown in modern cider orchards in the UK today.

Why We Grow It: Although it has been deemed an apple with 'average quality juice,' White Jersey is still worth checking out if you are interested in cider making. It does well in the Great Lakes area and it compensates for its average juice quality with good productivity and a tendency to start bearing fruit early.

History: White Lady was created by Zaiger Genetics in California as part of their fruit breeding enterprise. It was selected for its unique white flesh, reddish skin, and overall excellent fruit quality. The variety was introduced in 1986.

Why We Grow It: White Lady is a unique variety featuring red blush over white skin and firm, white flesh. This freestone peach has quite low acidity giving it a very sweet flavour and it is great for fresh eating, canning, preserving, and baking. The tree itself is adaptable and the blossoms tolerate unpredictable spring weather better than most. 

Grafted Peach Trees
We are very pleased to be able to offer peach trees to our customers. They are both challenging and rewarding plants to grow. However, due to the unique challenges of growing peach trees, and the increased care required for their success, we regrettably cannot offer our standard 90 day guarantee on peaches. Please inspect your peach trees to your satisfaction when you pick them up at the nursery, or immediately upon arrival if they are shipped. For shipped trees, make your claim within 7 days of receipt of the trees. After 7 days of receipt, you will have been deemed to have accepted the trees in as-is condition.

History: One of Thomas Jefferson's favourites, the origin of this fig is a mystery; one old account claims it was planted during the rule of Henry the Eighth by Cardinal Pole, while another claims it was planted at the Archbishop of Canterbury's palace at Lambeth. Regardless, this fig has certainly stood the test of time, and with good reason!

Why We Grow It: White Marseilles produces small, green-white figs with excellent aromatic flavour and a firm yet melting texture. Delicious! This variety grows well in a container too.

Photo courtesy of figdatabase.com

Species: Ribes rubrum

History: Developed in Holland, White Pearl currants, like all white currants, are actually an albino mutation of red currants. This variety has been popular in Europe for quite some time, although aside from its place of origin it appears there is little information on how it came to be. 

Why We Grow It: These delicate translucent berries are white with a pinkish-gold hue, making them delightful to see growing in the garden. They have sweet and mild flavour that is slightly floral. The plant itself is quite cold hardy and bears prolific crops.

History: Whitney crabapples were grown from seed by nurseryman A.R. Whitney around 1865 at Whitney Nursery in Illinois, US. It became popular for its excellent cold hardiness and productivity and in the 1900s the state of Montana recommended it as one of the best crabapple varieties to grow. 

Why We Grow It: These large (for a crabapple) yellow and red apples boast a sweet-sharp flavour with some astringency and juicy, crispy flesh. They are a truly multipurpose fruit and can be eaten fresh (if you like some astringency to your apple) or used for cooking, sauce, cider, and jelly. The trees are very cold hardy and boast good disease resistance as well.

History: Winesap's origins are unclear but it is believed to have originated from New Jersey pre-1800s where it was popular for making cider. It is first mentioned in a couple of books on apples in the early 1800s. Winesap was popular in the US until the 1950s due to its good keeping ability but the advent of better storage technology allowed better tasting apple varieties to eclipse it. It is still quit popular with backyard orchardists.

Why We Grow It: Winesap's all-purpose nature helps to explain why it hasn't faded into total obscurity like some other varieties. The medium-large red and yellow skinned fruit is good for cooking and making cider. It has sweet flesh with some tang or 'winey' flavour that is also decent for fresh eating. On top of that, the tree is productive, very resistant to fireblight, and the fruit stores well.

History: Winnal's Longdon was raised by a Mr. Winnall in the parish of Weston-under-Penyard, a village in England, around 1790. Despite being named after Winnall, Winnal's Longdon is now commonly spelled with only one 'L' after it was recorded incorrectly in the 1920s. This pear is still grown in small quantities in England. 

Why We Grow It: This old English variety is a high quality perry pear. It was blended with Hendre Huffcap to form a perry which won the Long Ashton Perry competition many years in a row. The tree is known for its vigorous growth, heavy crops, and high resistance to scab which make it quite suitable for organic production.

History: Winter Banana originated on David Flory's farm in Indiana around 1876. It was named Winter Banana due to the apparently banana-like aroma it gives off when ripe. It is also named Flory Banana or Flory Apple after David Flory. Winter Banana was grown on the west coast and gained some popularity in England and Germany. The thin skin of this variety is easily bruised which prevented it from being a commercial variety but it is still commonly found in gardens and farmer's markets. 

Why We Grow It: This all-purpose apple is extremely attractive with pale yellow skin and a pinkish-red blush. The banana-like aroma is accompanied by sweet flesh with an acid tang. The flavour improves in storage and the apples can be kept all winter.

History: Winter Bartlett pears originated on the western coast of the United States, likely in Eugene, Oregon. They were introduced by D.W. Coolidge in 1880 but it is believed the variety may have existed for some time before that. It earned its name from it's resemblance to the Bartlett pear in taste and shape and it's designation as a winter pear.

Why We Grow It: As opposed to summer pears which are meant to be eaten shortly after picking, winter pears are supposed to be allowed to ripen for months in cold storage and enjoyed during later seasons. It is worth the wait for this variety, which produces a medium to large fruit with golden-yellow skin covered in patches and dots of russet and red streaks. It has a sweet and slightly subacidic flavour paired with firm, coarse, juicy white flesh. It is also great for cooking. 

History: Wolf River was raised from seed by Quebec lumberman William Springer in the latter half of the 19th century. When Springer and his family were moving by wagon to Wisconsin, they bought a bushel of Alexander apples along the way. Upon arriving at their new home, he planted the seeds from said apples along the bank of the Wolf River and the Wolf River apple grew from there. This variety has since garnered a reputation as a good cooking apple and for the incredible size of its fruit.

Why We Grow It: First and foremost, Wolf River is legendary for the huge size of its fruit. The apples can weigh a pound or more and there are stories of pies being made from a single apple. The fruit, green with red blush and stripes, has a sweet and tart flavour that is good for cooking and it holds its shape well when cooked. The tree itself is hardy and relatively disease resistant as well.

History: Woolbrook Pippin originated in 1903 at Woolbrook Nursery in the UK. It was discovered by J.H. Stevens and Son. It is a Cox's Orange Pippin seedling and received an Award of Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1929.

Why We Grow It: Woolbrook Pippin produces a greenish apple overlaid with bright red stripes that is excellent for fresh eating. The fruit is firm, crisp, and juicy with a sweet, aromatic flavour balanced by a bit of tartness. This is a great choice for fans of Cox's Orange Pippin!

History: The origins and history of this variety are unknown based on our current research.

Why We Grow It: This variety produces a medium-sized freestone plum with purple-pink skin and yellow flesh that is sweet and juicy. It is one of the hardiest European plums around, making it a good choice for our colder climate! 

History: Yarlington Mill was discovered growing in the wild by a Mr. Bartlett. He discovered it in 1898 near a mill in the English village of Yarlington, hence the name 'Yarlington Mill.' It was further propagated and made popular by the grower Harry Masters (who also grew Harry Masters Jersey). This variety is still commonly planted in cider orchards in England. 

Why We Grow It: This is an excellent cider apple for our climate. It produces a medium bittersweet juice with good flavour. The tree is hardy and vigorous but tends to bear biennially so it requires attentive thinning.

History: Generally just known as Gravenstein, it is unknown when or where exactly these apples came from but they were imported from France to Denmark in the 1600s by Count Frederik the Younger and planted at the summer residence of the Danish royal family, Gråsten Palace. As a result the variety was named Gråsten (Danish for graystone) which translates to Gravenstein in German. This apple has been popular in Canada since the 1820s, particularly in Nova Scotia, and provided the dried apples and applesauce for American soldiers during WW2. In 2005 it was declared the national apple of Denmark.

Why We Grow It: Yellow Gravenstein's excellence as a fresh eating and cooking apple makes it easy to see why it is grown in so many different countries, even if the tree is slow to bear fruit and is prone to many common fruit tree diseases (although we haven't had much issues growing it here). It has a great sweet/tart flavour and is crunchy and juicy. The fruit is a nice yellow with red striping. 

History: Yellow Long Neck, aka Honey Fig, was discovered growing at the San Diego Botanic Gardens although there are little details on its origins. Some say it came from the University of California Riverside Fig Breeding Program which began in the early 1900s. 

Why We Grow It: Yellow Long Neck produces medium to large fruit with a bright yellow colour. True to their other name, Honey Fig, the fruit has a deliciously sweet flavour. It is excellent straight off the tree but can also be used to make great jams and pies. The tree itself is quite vigorous and will still produce fruit in the same year where the tree dies back to the ground during the winter.  

History: Yellow Transparent (aka White Transparent and Glass Apple) originated as a chance seedling in a nursery in Riga, Latvia around 1850. At the time Latvia was part of the Russian Empire so this variety is often considered Russian. Due to its early ripening and cold hardiness, this variety was widely grown in Europe, especially northern countries, where it is still grown today. It was imported to the US in the 1870s as part of an effort to import cold hardy Russian species that could potentially survive in states with harsher winters and became quite popular. 

Why We Grow It: This classic early apple deserves a home in every home orchard. The fruit features pale yellow skin that almost looks transparent and white flesh with a sharp, sweet flavour. It can be eaten fresh but also makes a great applesauce. Like many early ripening apples, the fruit does not last long. 

Species: Sambucus canadensis

History: York was developed at the New York Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York in 1964. It is a cross between the varieties Adams 2 and Ezyoff.

Why We Grow It: York is known for producing exceptionally large berries that are quite flavourful. This variety is also quite productive, a good choice for fans of these delightful dark purple berries! Eating the raw elderberries can cause adverse reactions so it is recommended that you cook them first.

History: York Imperial was discovered as a seedling tree growing on the farm of John Kline in Pennsylvania. Nurseryman Jonathan Jessop, of Springwood Farm in York, Pennsylvania, began propagating the variety in 1820 after witnessing schoolboys digging through the leaves around the base of the tree in spring and retrieving apples there were in great condition despite spending all winter on the ground. In an age without refrigeration, Jessop knew this variety had excellent commercial potential. It was initially named Jonathan's Fine Winter for its excellent storage properties but was later renamed York Imperial after horticulturalist Andrew Jackson Downing called it the 'imperial of keepers,' again referencing its storability and the location of Jessop's farm. It quickly became popular and remains one of few heritage apples that are still commonly grown in the US today. 

Why We Grow It: York Imperial produces a rather lop-sided fruit with yellow skin and red striping. It is crisp and juicy with a lovely sweet, honeyed flavour that is hard to turn down. The fruit is truly all-purpose, also being great for cooking, baking, jelly, juice, drying, and cider and generally storing quite well. While not the fastest growing tree and with a tendency to start producing fruit a little later than other varieties, York Imperial is an exercise in patience that is well worth the wait. 

Publisher: New Society Publishers
Pub. Date: 2020-02-18
ISBN: 9780865719224
Format: Paperback - 288 pages
Size: 7.5" x 9" (w x h)

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