Apple Trees

History: A chance seedling discovered in the 1980s in BC, this tender, aromatic, honeyed apple has been a hit ever since! 

Why We Grow It: This delicious apple is very popular in the fresh eating market in Canada, thanks to its attractive bi-colour skin and slow browning qualities. It produces a medium-large fruit and is a good cropper.

History: Bramley's Seedling was first planted in the UK in 1809 by Mary Ann Brailsford-Trump and was later named after the butcher who bought the property. Long considered the definitive British cooking apple, Bramley's Seedling is celebrated with its own festival, a plaque, and a commemorative window that was installed on its 200th anniversary. The original tree is still growing where it was planted over 210 years ago.

Why We Grow It: With its strong flavour and acidity, this apple is hard to beat when used for cooking, although the fruit doesn't hold its shape as well as other varieties. The fruit is large, greenish-yellow with orange flush and broad red stripes and store all winter. The trees are quite hardy and heavy croppers.

History: Bulmer's Norman was imported from Normandy, France to England in the early 1900s by the cider making company H.P. Bulmer. This variety didn't even have a name when it arrived but quickly grew in popularity for use in making cider. This apple has since fallen out of the limelight and is primarily used for grafting other varieties onto its sturdy trunk. 

Why We Grow It: Although less popular these days, this variety boasts vigorous growth, decent disease resistance, and a surprising tolerance for cold. This conical, green apple produces a bittersweet juice and is high in tannins.

For the most up-to-date information see Claude Jolicoeur's website here!

History: Douce de Charlevoix (translated from French as 'sweet Charlevoix') was discovered by Claude Jolicoeur in a Quebecois village in the county of Charlevoix in the 1990s. He has since dubbed it a 'first class early cider apple' and in 2015 a cider blend using 40% Douce de Charlevoix won a bronze medal at the GLINTCAP competition. 

Why We Grow It: This apple is quite attractive with orange-red stripes across green skin and makes an excellent juice with a notable bitter taste. In general this apple has medium tannins, some sweetness, and very little acidity. The tree itself is also quite vigorous and hardy.

History: Egremont Russet first emerged in Britain in the early 1870s and has remained popular ever since. Even today, it is the third most common apple grown commercially in England. 

Why We Grow It: Although the russet, a thick rough skin, coating this apple can be an acquired taste, there is a reason this apple has remained so popular. The fruit itself is an attractive gold dotted with yellow and it has an excellent sweet, nutty flavour. They are delicious fresh, when used for cooking, and in ciders. The trees are known for producing good, regular crops. 

History: The creation and selection of Empire apples was a lot more intense compared to the chance origins of some of our older varieties. In 1945, scientists from the Cornell University New York State Agricultural Experiment Station collected thousands of seeds from the orchard of fruit nutritionist Lester C. Anderson. For years these seeds were grown and tested until Empire emerged as the best apple from amongst its siblings. It was released to the public in 1966 and has since become one of the top ten most popular apples in North America.

Why We Grow It: Empire is an excellent general-purpose apple for the Great Lakes area. The attractive green and red fruit is crisp and sweet and keeps well into the winter. The trees crop heavily and reliably, and the fruit is resistant to bruising, making life easier for the grower. They are also resistant to fireblight and cedar apple rust.

History: Freedom was developed in a breeding program at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York in 1958. The goal was to create an apple that was immune to apple scab, and this particular variety was chosen from 120 other apples that were planted out from seed selected through an intensive breeding program. It was released in 1983 and given the name Freedom to represent its freedom from apple scab. 

Why We Grow It: Low maintenance, disease-resistant, vigorous, good flavour, and a good keeper... all in one apple! Freedom is the perfect variety for growing organically, for pick-your-owns, backyards, and community orchards. Large red skinned apple, similar to McIntosh in flavour with sweet, subacidic, sprightly flavour and juicy white flesh. Crunchy, fine grained flesh.

History: A highly regarded cider apple of Normandy, France, where it has been grown for centuries. This cultivar is one of the traditional cultivars in the production of calvados (a brandy made from apples and sometimes pears) in the Pays d’Auge region.

Why we grow it: This cider apple has a unique spicy flavour that is high in tannins, low in acidity, and low in sugar. With it's rich history and beautiful brass coloured juice, this cultivar is a must in every well-rounded cider orchard. 

History: The Geneva crabapple was developed in the 1930s in collaboration with the Ottawa Experimental Farm and the New York State Agricultural Research Station based in Ottawa. The creation of this crabapple was head by Isabella Preston who specialized in creating cold-hardy ornamental plants.

Why We Grow It: This attractive crabapple has deep maroon flesh. The tree itself is quite visually appealing, sporting red leaves and bright pink flowers in the spring. The taste is reminiscent of rhubarb and is suitable for cooking as well. As it is a low sugar/high acid juice, it is best blended with another high sugar variety for cider. It also adds a nice red hue to blends.

History: Ginger Gold has quite the dramatic origin. In 1969 Hurricane Camille hit Virginia and brought awful floods, devastating the orchards of Clyde and Frances "Ginger" Harvey. As Clyde Harvey went to save the few remaining trees in his Winesap orchard, he discovered a mysterious seedling that produced yellow apples instead of red. Genetic testing showed it was a seedling of Golden Delicious, Albermarle Pippin, and an unknown third variety. Clyde named the variety after his wife and it was introduced commercially in 1982. Since then, it has become a commercially popular early variety! In 2007, the Virginia General Assembly proposed a bill to make Ginger Gold the official state apple, although this bill was sadly tabled.  

Why We Grow It: It is easy to see why this such a popular early apple! Ginger Gold produces lovely bright yellow apples that sometimes sport a red blush. These medium-large apples have are firm and juicy with a pleasant sweet flavour that has a nice tart finish. The fruit is slow to brown which makes them even better for fresh-eating along with drying. For fans of feeding wildlife, Ginger Gold apples are known to hang onto the tree well after they are ripe.

History: Glowing Heart was bred in Toronto by Fred Jansen, one of the founders of the North American Fruit Explorers (NAFEX). This unique apple is still in its early years.

Why We Grow It: This variety has a unique pink and white flesh and is quite acidic. One bite will make you pucker! Although not the best option for fresh eating, this apple creates an aromatic jelly with rich flavour and can be used in ciders as well. It does well in organic orchards.

History: Golden Nugget was created more or less by accident when Golden Russet and Cox's Orange Pippin were crossed at the Kentville Agricultural Station in Nova Scotia in 1932. Despite being an accident, once researchers realized how flavourful this variety was they continued to raise it and eventually released it in 1964. Although a delicious apple, its small size prevented it from attaining true commercial success.

Why We Grow It: It is prized for its incredible flavour which is super sweet and tangy like a pineapple. Along with being great for fresh eating, it is also suited for cider. The tree itself boasts decent disease resistance.

History: The origins of Golden Russet are unclear, but we know it was discovered in New York in the first half of the 1800s. It may have come from the seedling of an English russet variety and could have Ashmead's Kernel parentage. It was grown commercially for some time before falling out of favour, although it has regained some popularity recently due to its strengths in cider production.

Why We Grow It:  With both lots of sweetness and acidity, Golden Russet is one of our favourites for fresh eating. The flavourful juice from these apples is also great for making cider. The thick russetted skin discourages insect damage and it is resistant to scab, canker, and powdery mildew. Its tip-bearing habit gives these hardy trees a wispy appearance.

History: Honeycrisp apples were developed by the University of Minnesota in the 1960s and released in 1991. It is one of almost thirty varieties created by the university's breeding program since it began in 1888. The excellent flavour of Honeycrisp has allowed it to become one of the most popular apples in North America and in 2006 it became the state fruit of Minnesota.

Why We Grow It: Honeycrisp is popular for a reason. The apples are large and attractive with good flavour under favourable growing conditions. However, they are not an apple for beginner growers due to issues with some diseases especially in storage, but with diligent care you can produce these crunchy sweet apples in your own backyard/orchard.

History: The exact origins of Hyslop are unclear but it was discovered sometime in the early 1800s around Boston by the Hyslop family who helped develop the area. This apple was popular for over a century but in recent years has fallen into obscurity. 

Why We Grow It: Although definitely not recommended for fresh eating, Hyslop crabapples have a sub-acid, astringent flavour and are great in cider blends. They are also known as being one of the best apples for jellies. The tree is quite attractive with blue tinged blossoms in the spring and brilliant red/purple fruit in the fall.

History: John Downie was raised by Edward Holmes, a nursery worker in England, in the 1870s. The variety was named after another nursery worker and friend of Holmes, John Downie. John Downie crabapples remain one of the most popular of the English crabapples.

Why We Grow It: This crabapple sports bright orangey-red fruit, often used to create some of the best jelly around. With its sweet-tart flavour, this crabapple can be pressed into a cheery orange juice that is a great addition to cider blends.

History: Ketchankookem Trail was discovered in 2022 by Wayne Kuntze while he was vacationing on Manitoulin Island with his family. He found it growing wild along Ketchankookem Trail, being drawn to its bright yellow fruit with a pinkish-red blush. Now we are happy to officially introduce this variety in 2023! 

Why We Grow It: This variety is worth growing for the name alone! Ketchankookem Trail shares a lot of similarities with Lodi and Yellow Transparent in terms of its early ripening time, yellow skin, and sprightly flavour. Like these other fine early-ripening varieties, it may also be good for sauce along with fresh eating.

This is a brand new variety and we're still learning about it! For any avid apple growers who decide to plant these out, feel free to keep us updated on how it grows, what you use the fruit for, etc, so we can provide as much information as possible!

History: Lady apples are one of, if not the oldest, apple varieties in existence with a verifiable history. It is said to have originated in the Brittany region of France before 1628 and was grown during the reign of King Louis XIII. This apple goes by several other names as well. It is also known as Api or Pomme d'Api, named after the Forest of Api in France where it is believed this apple may have been discovered. This particular name is similar to Appia, an apple variety popular in Ancient Rome, which some believe is the same apple as Lady. Lady apples are also known as Christmas apples due to their use in adorning Christmas wreaths and trees. 

Why We Grow It: It's hard not to be interested in an apple with such a long history as this one. The fruit is small but attractive: red flushed over yellow. The crisp, sweet fruit maintains its good quality all winter in storage.

History: Liberty was developed by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, NY, in 1955 and released in 1978. It is a cross between Macoun and a Japanese crabapple (Malus floribunda), bred in hopes of achieving the disease resistance of the Japanese crabapple. 

Why We Grow It: The creators of Liberty were highly successful in their goal, creating one of the most disease-resistant varieties. Liberty is a favourite for organic production as a result. The fruit is bright red with sweet, creamy flesh and it stores well.

History: Lodi is a cross between Yellow Transparent and Montgomery Sweet created at the New York Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, NY, and released in 1924. Although it is not suitable for commercial production due to its poor keeping qualities and tendency for the flesh to crack in storage, it is still commonly grown by homeowners in the southern US today.

Why We Grow It: If you're looking for an early apple to get started on making applesauce, Lodi is the way to go! These large yellow-green apples are ready to harvest by the end of July and do not bruise as easily as their Yellow Transparent parent.

History: Maiden's Blush was first described in New Jersey in 1817 although it had already been popular in Philadelphia markets for some time. It likely originated around New Jersey in the late 1700s. Maiden's Blush continued to be commonly grown in the southern US through the early 1800s. 

Why We Grow It: Maiden's Blush's uniqueness is still worthy of attention today, its flavour being an interesting mix of citrus-like acidity and sweetness that stand out among other apples. While it is good for fresh eating, particularly after a few weeks off the tree, it is most well known for cooking, baking, and drying due to its non-browning qualities.

History: Major dates back to potentially before the nineteenth century and was commonly grown on farms in Devon and Somerset in England. It remains a traditional English cider variety.

Why We Grow It: Major produces a lovely bittersweet juice that is good both in blends or on its own. It ripens relatively early so it is a nice apple for extending the cider pressing season.

History: While on vacation on Manitoulin Island in 2022, Wayne Kuntze found Manitowaning Pink Heart growing wild in the corner of the Gulyas family's yard and (with permission) brought the apples and some grafting material back to Silver Creek Nursery. The distinct pink colour and the heart shape of the fruit caught his eye, along with the pink flesh inside. Fittingly, he named it Manitowaning Pink Heart after the village where the property was located and the unique appearance of the apple. A truly unique variety, we are happy to officially introduce it in 2023!

Why We Grow It: We love unusual apple varieties and Manitowaning Pink Heart really stands out! With its attractive pink blush over yellow skin, pink flesh, and heart-shaped fruit, this is a one of a kind apple! Despite its sweet appearance, this crabapple is quite tart and tannic. Like other crabapples, this one is best suited for jelly and cider. Its pink flesh may help add a distinctive colouration. 

This is a brand new variety and we're still learning about it! For any avid apple growers who decide to plant these out, feel free to keep us updated on how it grows, what you use the fruit for, etc, so we can provide as much information as possible!

Bloom photo courtesy of Christine Gulyas

History: John McIntosh planted several apple seedlings upon settling in Dundela, Ontario. From these, he discovered the famous McIntosh apple as a seedling in his orchard. The family began selling the fruit and grafted McIntosh trees in 1835 and in 1870 it entered commercial production. By the 1900s it was one of the most popular apples in northeastern North America, although its popularity waned over time as varieties such as Gala were introduced. Nonetheless, McIntosh apples still remain some of the most popular in North America. The original tree died in 1906 after being damaged by a house fire and a commemorative plaque marks where it stood. The apple has since been named Canada's national fruit. The Macintosh line of Apple computers was also named after this variety.

Why We Grow It: For fans of Canadian heritage apples in particular, this one is hard to beat. To the best of our knowledge, this is the original strain of McIntosh. Aside from its storied past, McIntosh apples boast soft, slightly tart flesh with high Vitamin C content. It is excellent for fresh eating and making applesauce.

History: Melba was developed by W.T. Macoun at the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa in 1898. In 1924 it was released commercially and three years later received the Silver Wilder Medal from the American Pomological Society. 

Why We Grow It: Melba is a lovely early market apple or backyard tree for making applesauce! The fruit is yellow with crimson flush and the crisp, white skin has a very sweet flavour.

History: Mindemoya was discovered growing along the shores of Lake Mindemoya on Manitoulin Island along with Mindemoya Maroon. Wayne Kuntze happened upon these trees in 2020 while vacationing with his family. The good size and pinkish striping on the fruit caught his eye, and the sweet flavour sealed the deal! Now in 2023, we are happy to introduce this variety to the world!

Why We Grow It: Always on the search for new varieties, we are happy to grow and offer something that Wayne discovered! Mindemoya is an attractive whitish apple with pinkish-red stripes. It has a pleasantly sweet flavour and plenty of juice, along with a soft texture that may make it good for applesauce along with fresh eating.

This is a brand new variety and we're still learning about it! For any avid apple growers who decide to plant these out, feel free to keep us updated on how it grows, what you use the fruit for, etc, so we can provide as much information as possible!