Baking & Cooking Favourites

Available only for pick-up at nursery.

History: Vicar of Winkfield was discovered growing as a wild seedling in the woods near Villiers-en-Brenne in France around 1760. It was originally named Curé (translated from French as 'priest') among other names but became known as Vicar of Winkfield when a vicar of the English village Winkfield named Rev. W.L. Rahm introduced the variety to England. It is a heritage cooking pear and can still be found in old French orchards today.

Why We Grow It: This long, yellowish-green pear is best known for its use in cooking and baking due to its uniquely dry flesh and more tart flavour. Vicar of Winkfield can be stored for several months and will develop a sweeter flavour over time. It is generally recommended to store the pear until after Christmas for fresh eating! The tree is vigorous and produces abundant crops. 

Available only for pick-up at nursery.

Species: Aronia melanocarpa

History: Viking was developed in Finland around the 1980s, likely looking to increase productivity. They succeeded and Viking is now the most productive of all aronia cultivars.

Why We Grow It: With slightly larger than average berries, very good flavour, and the best productivity of all aronia berries, Viking is a hard variety to turn down. Like other aronia berries, they can be a bit tart for fresh eating but are great when used for cooking, baking, wines, jams, etc.

Available only for pick-up at nursery.

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.

Available only for pick-up at nursery.

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.

Available only for pick-up at nursery.

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.

Available only for pick-up at nursery.

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.

Available only for pick-up at nursery.

History: Yellow Transparent (aka Harvest Apple and White Transparent) 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. 

Available only for pick-up at nursery.

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!

Species: Asparagus officinalis

History: The parent of these seedlings, Precoce d'Argenteuil (translated from French as 'early Argenteuil'), is an heirloom French variety that has been grown since either the 1700s or 1800s depending on the source. It was first listed in 1885 and is a selection from the Giant Dutch Purple variety of asparagus, along with the middle and late Argenteuil varieties which were all likely named after the commune in Paris. It is still commonly used in French dishes to this day. The variety is also sometimes called White Gold if grown without exposure to light, causing the plants to remain white. These seedlings may vary from their parents but should bear similar traits!

Why We Grow It: We love offering seedlings as a way to add some diversity to the plants being grown! The parent variety Precoce d'Argenteuil may not be as productive as modern varieties, but its excellent flavour more than makes up for it! Living up to its name, this variety produces thick shoots quite early in the season as well.

Species: Cryptotaenia japonica

History: Mitsuba is native to Japan, China, and Korea where it is used as a garnish, seasoning, and as a root vegetable. Mitsuba translates from Japanese as 'three leaves', referring to the way the plant grows leaves in groups of three. In Japan, it is also traditionally used at weddings where the stems of the plant are tied in knots to bring luck and symbolize the lasting relationship. It is also used in Japanese flower arrangement.  

Why We Grow It: Mitsuba has a light, refreshing, vegetal flavour that is reminiscent of parsley and celery. It is also high in calcium and vitamin C. This variety boasts attractive purplish foliage and produces small, pinkish-white star-shaped flowers which add a nice ornamental touch to the garden.  

History: The history of Quince of Portugal is largely unknown aside from the fact that it was introduced to England in the early 1600s. 

Why We Grow It: This quince is often considered to have the best flavour of all quinces. On top of that, the impressive fruits of this variety can weigh up to 1 lb and are juicier than most other cultivars. When ripe, this quince cooks to a lovely crimson coloured puree. It is best to store the fruit indoors for a couple weeks before eating it. 

Species: Cydonia oblonga

History: The seedlings were sprouted from seeds sourced from Ontario.

Why We Grow It: By growing quince from seeds in our area, we hope these seedlings will be a little more cold hardy. Like all quince, the fruit from your seedlings are best used for cooking, baking, and preserving since the intense, tart flavour is a bit much when eaten fresh.

We have seedlings of the following varieties:

• Ernie's Favourite - A favourite from a homestead in Mt. Pleasant that has produced fruit for decades. It performs well in our climate.
• Quince Seedling - The seedlings were sprouted from seeds sourced from an old mother tree on a local farm. The previous owners have enjoyed the fruit for generations, proving that this is a nice, reliable variety.

History: Red Gravenstein is a sport/mutation of the original Gravenstein/Yellow Gravenstein that is a striking bright red. Some say it is also sweeter than the original.

Why We Grow It: With attractive red skin, this is a lovely sport of the original Gravenstein. It is a good quality and sweet early apple that is excellent for home orchards.

History: Redhaven peaches were created at Michigan State University's South Haven Research Center as part of the Haven series which began in 1924. Redhaven in particular was developed in the 1930s and released in the 1940s, making it the first commercial red-skinned peach variety. It is now one of the most commonly grown peaches in the world.

Why We Grow It: Redhaven is the most popular peach in North America, its sweet fruit being great for just about anything. The fruit is attractive, juicy, and flavourful and is slow to brown. The flesh does not turn brown when cut as quickly as other varieties. To ensure you can enjoy this great peach as much as possible, the tree begins bearing fruit at a young age, bears heavy crops, and the fruit ripens over a prolonged period of time which requires multiple harvests.

Bare Root 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.

Species: Prunus persica

History: These seedlings are grown from Redhaven peach seeds collected from mother trees growing in Ontario. Redhaven was released from Michigan State University in the 1940s and has remained one of the most popular peach varieties in the world.

Why We Grow It: Seedling fruit trees are a great way to add some diversity and mystery to your garden or orchard! We expect that seedling peaches will be even hardier trees than their parents! Redhaven has a stellar reputation due to its excellent flavour and attractive red skin. See our Redhaven product page here for more information.

Please Note: Since peaches tend to stay true to type more than apples, these seedlings will likely bear a strong resemblance to their parent variety. However, any specific information listed on this page should be taken with a grain of salt as there may be some variation from the parent tree.

Species: Prunus persica

History: These seedlings are grown from Reliance peach seeds collected from mother trees growing in Ontario. Reliance peaches were developed in a breeding program at the Agricultural Extension Station in New Hampshire and released in 1964.

Why We Grow It: Seedling fruit trees are a great way to add some diversity and mystery to your garden or orchard! We expect that seedling peaches will be even hardier trees than their parents! The parent variety, Reliance, is a cold hardy variety perfect for Canadian growers. The fruit tastes great and can be eaten fresh or used in baking and preserves.

Please Note: Since peaches tend to stay true to type more than apples, these seedlings will likely bear a strong resemblance to their parent variety. However, any specific information listed on this page should be taken with a grain of salt as there may be some variation from the parent tree.

History: Rhode Island Greening emerged around 1650 where it was grown from seed by a Mr. Green near Green's End, Rhode Island. Mr. Green owned a tavern and often gave scions from the original tree to his customers, although the tree eventually died from the demand for scionwood. The name was originally the descriptive 'Green's Inn apple from Rhode Island' and later shortened to 'Rhode Island Greening.'* This apple was commonly grown in New York and is still quite common today. 

*Fun fact: The Ontario ghost town Unopark got its name in a similar way. It was originally founded by Richard Parker, Mouse's ancestor, and the name is a shortened version of 'You know the Parkers?'

Why We Grow It: This apple's long-lasting popularity is due to its reputation as perhaps the definitive American pie-making apple. The large, dark-green apple is too tart to be eaten fresh but is great in pies and holds its shape well when cooked. It also produces nicely in our test orchard, producing large, blemish-free fruit despite it's generally poor disease resistance.

History: In 1817 Joel Gillet accidentally received Rome Beauty as a seedling in a shipment of nursery trees. His son planted the seedling along the Ohio River in Rome Township. When it began producing lovely red apples, Gillet's cousin started a nursery to propagate and promote it. Originally named Gillet's Seedling, the name was later changed to Rome Beauty in 1832 to honour the township. The original tree collapsed in the 1850s due to bank erosion but the variety still remains popular in the United States today.

Why We Grow It: The fruit is deep red, large, and slightly conical with cream coloured flesh. It has a mild flavour compared to something with more character like a russet, though still an excellent snacking apple. It makes a good cooking apple too since it keeps its shape when cooked. It also stores exceptionally well, lasting all winter long.

History: Romeo dwarf sour cherries are one of several dwarf sour cherries developed and released by the University of Saskatchewan with the goal of creating sour cherries that were cold hardy, shorter in stature, and produced good quality fruit. This initiative began in the 1940s and Romeo was released as part of the Romance series in 2004.

Why We Grow It: Romeo boasts very dark red fruit that has a nice sweet-tart flavour and plenty of juiciness. It has a high flesh to pit ratio, making each cherry just that much more enticing. Although the bush only reaches 7-8ft at maturity, it still yields around 25lb of fruit per plant.        

Check our our blog post with some tasty sour cherry recipes!

History: Rouville apples were created by R.L. Granger and G.L. Rouselle in 1962 at the Agriculture and Agri-food Canada research centre located in St.-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. The variety was introduced in 1983.

Why We Grow It: This lovely Quebec cider apple has a wonderful bitter-sweetness that is great for fresh eating and juicing and sauce. It is resistant to scab and has grown very well in our test orchard.

History: Roxbury Russet is the oldest American apple still under cultivation. It was discovered around 1650 in Roxbury, near Boston. These apples were well-known for their long keeping ability and qualities for cider making. They were grown by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello and are even referenced in one of Nathanial Hawthorne's novels. Due to the russet skin, these apples have never achieved true commercial success but they can still be commonly found in American farmer's markets. 

Why We Grow It: Aside from its historic roots, Roxbury Russet is an excellent all-around apple that can be eaten fresh, used in cooking, and made into a great cider. It has a nice flavour that is sweet and sharp. This variety is also a good choice for organic orchards.

History: Royal Gala is a natural sport (mutation) of the Gala apple that was patented by Stark Bro's Nurseries in 1977. It boasts a deeper red colouring than the original Gala which makes it more visually appealing. In New Zealand, where the Gala apple originated, it has been almost entirely replaced by the Royal Gala in commercial growing operations.

Why We Grow It: Like the Gala apple, Royal Gala is popular for a reason. It is juicy and crisp with a sweet flavour and the fruit stores quite well.

Species: Prunus avium

History: These seedlings are grown from seeds from Sandra Rose sweet cherries sourced in Ontario. Sandra Rose was developed at the Summerland Research and Development Centre in BC. 

Why We Grow It: Seedling fruit trees are a great way to add some diversity and mystery to your garden or orchard! Sandra Rose, the parent variety, produces large dark cherries with excellent flavour.

Please Note: Since sweet cherries tend to stay true to type more than apples, these seedlings will likely bear a strong resemblance to their parent variety. However, any specific information listed on this page should be taken with a grain of salt as there may be some variation from the parent tree.

Species: Prunus pumila var. besseyi (Western sandcherry) x P. salicina (Japanese Plum)

History: Sapa (translated as 'black' from Lakota) was developed at the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station in the US by renowned plant breeder N. E. Hansen and released in 1908. His goal was to create plants hardy enough to grow in the harsh, northern prairies and was one of the first people to start breeding chums. Hansen had a tendency to name his native plant crosses after words from indigenous cultures of the area, choosing the Lakota word for 'black' in this case due to the dark colour of the fruit. 

Why We Grow It: This small, hardy shrub produces purplish fruit with mauve flesh that has a sweet flavour with some tartness. It is good for fresh eating along with a variety of other uses such as cooking, baking, and preserving. It is also quite productive and tends to start bearing fruit at a young age! 

2025 Staff Favourite

Scotia Elderberries are Jenni's favourite this year! In Jenni's opinion “this variety is sweeter and less astringent than others, and I love using it to make elderberry syrup for an immune system boost in the winter months.”

All Staff Favourites are 20% off. The Staff Favourite Discount cannot be combined with other quantity discounts.

Species: Sambucus canadensis

History: Scotia was developed at the Kentville AAFC Research and Development Centre in Nova Scotia. It is a seedling of another variety, Adams 2, and was released by the research station in 1960, alongside the variety Nova. It is grown commercially in Canada.

Why We Grow It: Scotia elderberries ripen early in the season and have the highest sugar content of any named cultivar- though also some of the smallest berries. They are great for a variety of uses such as making juice and wine, baked goods, and even tinctures. Eating the raw elderberries can cause adverse reactions so it is recommended that you cook them first!

Species: Lycium barbarum

History: Goji berries are native to China where they are an important commercial crop. They spread to the UK in the 1700s where they have remained popular as hedgerows and have become increasingly common in North America due to the health benefits of the berries.

Why We Grow It: Goji berries a.k.a. wolf berries are well known in the health food industry for their high antioxidant levels. The plant grows prolifically, and must be trellised or grown against a wall due to it's weeping growth habit. The fruit itself is sweet, with a mild fruity flavour, however the seeds are a bit bitter and seem to sweeten after a mild frost later in the season. The fruit dries well, and makes for a unique tasting jam!

Species: Carya ovata

History: Shagbark Hickory is native to parts of southern Ontario and much of the eastern United States. Much more common than the Shellbark Hickory, Shagbark Hickory is an important source of food for many species. Indigenous peoples also used the nuts as a food source and made the kernel milk into various dishes, along with using the wood to make bows. The strong wood is also used to make items such as tool handles and drumsticks that require extra durability. Check out this blog post by one of our customers to learn more cool history about these trees. 

Why We Grow It: Shagbark Hickory produces an abundant crop of small hickory nuts every year and the sap can also be boiled for a unique flavored syrup (we haven't tried this yet, but would love to hear about it if you have!). The tree gets its name from the unique peeling bark, adding extra visual appeal wherever the tree is planted.

History: Shamrock apples were raised by K. Lapins at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre in 1970 and released in 1986. 

Why We Grow It: This is a Canadian apple for all you Granny Smith lovers! Although a bit sweeter than Granny Smith, Shamrock apples still have some tartness and are hardy enough to survive in Canadian climates. They even resemble Granny Smith with their light green skin and white flesh. 

Photos courtesy of Shannon McInnis!

Species: Carya laciniosa

History: Shellbark Hickory can be found naturally growing in scattered pockets of southern Ontario and parts of the northern and central United States. It is relatively uncommon in its native range due to its poor seed dispersal and human activity has made the tree even more rare. A wide variety of wildlife feeds on the nuts, the largest among the hickories, and there are some plantations although it is not commonly grown commercially as the nuts are quite difficult to crack. The wood, which is hard and strong yet flexible, is used to make furniture and tool handles while the inner bark has been used by indigenous peoples to make items such as baskets and snowshoes. Check out this blog post by one of our customers to learn more cool history about these trees. 

Why We Grow It: Although difficult to crack, it is worth the effort to access the sweet nuts which are great eaten raw or baked into pies like pecans. The tree itself is quite attractive with unique bark that looks like it is flaking or peeling in strips once the tree matures.