Cider Apple Trees

History: Scarlet Vivian was originally an urban wild tree found by Wayne in 2018 and has been grown by Silver Creek Nursery's previous owner Ken Roth. It is likely a cross between a crabapple and an apple. We are excited to introduce this new variety in 2023!

Why We Grow It: Scarlet Vivian is quite similar to Dolgo although a little larger. For those who like very tart apples, this is an excellent one for fresh eating! The flavour is rich and complex, but balanced enough that it is quite enjoyable. However, Scarlet Vivian is best made into a jelly where its red colouration really shines. It may also have potential in cider blends. Based on Ken's observations, the tree appears to be relatively free of pest and disease issues.

History: Somerset Redstreak originated in Somerset, England in the early 1900s. This cider apple is still widely planted in the UK.

Why We Grow It: These attractive apples, yellow with red blush and striping, create a nice bittersweet juice with no sharpness. 

History: Sweet Coppin originated in Devon, England, in the early 1700s. It was grow on a relatively large scale in the 1800s before its popularity waned, although it has since made a comeback and is grown around the world. 

Why We Grow It: While this old English cider apple has a very good but mild flavour that is suitable for fresh eating, it is most well known for its cider qualities. It produces a full sweet cider of vintage quality

All around the world, the public’s taste for fermented cider has been growing more rapidly than at any time in the past 150 years. And with the growing interest in locally grown and artisanal foods, many new cideries are springing up all over North America, often started up by passionate amateurs who want to take their cider to the next level as small-scale craft producers.

To make the very best cider—whether for yourself, your family, and friends or for market—you first need a deep understanding of the processes involved, and the art and science behind them. Fortunately, The New Cider Maker’s Handbook is here to help. Author Claude Jolicoeur is an internationally known, award-winning cider maker with an inquiring, scientific mind. His book combines the best of traditional knowledge and techniques with up-to-date, scientifically based practices to provide today’s cider makers with all the tools they need to produce high-quality ciders.

The New Cider Maker’s Handbook is divided into five parts containing:

• An accessible overview of the cider making process for beginners;
• Recommendations for selecting and growing cider-appropriate apples;
• Information on juice-extraction equipment and directions on how to build your own grater mill and cider press;
• A discussion of the most important components of apple juice and how these may influence the quality of the cider;
• An examination of the fermentation process and a description of methods used to produce either dry or naturally sweet cider, still or sparkling cider, and even ice cider.

This book will appeal to both serious amateurs and professional cider makers who want to increase their knowledge, as well as to orchardists who want to grow cider apples for local or regional producers. Novices will appreciate the overview of the cider-making process, and, as they develop skills and confidence, the more in-depth technical information will serve as an invaluable reference that will be consulted again and again. This book is sure to become the definitive modern work on cider making.

A mechanical engineer by profession, Claude Jolicoeur first developed his passion for apples and cider after acquiring a piece of land on which there were four rows of old abandoned apple trees. He started making cider in 1988 using a “no-compromise” approach, stubbornly searching for the highest possible quality. Since then, his ciders have earned many awards and medals at competitions, including a Best of Show at the prestigious Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition (GLINTCAP).

Claude actively participates in discussions on forums like the Cider Digest, and is regularly invited as a guest speaker to events such as the annual Cider Days festival in western Massachusetts. He lives in Quebec City.

History: Thunderchild is a crabapple that was developed by Percy Wright, a prairie plant breeder in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Although it is unknown when exactly Thunderchild was created, it likely came about in the 1900s and can still be seen as a common ornamental tree in the area.

Why We Grow It: Thunderchild makes for a lovely ornamental tree with a profusion of pink blossoms in the spring and deep red foliage. The tiny dark red fruits it produces can be used in cider blends and to make jellies with a gorgeous orange hue. The tree is quite cold hardy and generally disease resistant. 

History: Little is known about the origin of this heritage apple, but Tolman Sweet has been highly valued since its discovery. It is uncertain whether it came from Massachusetts or New York in the 18th or 19th century but it was first recorded in 1822. This hardy tree was used as a source of rootstock at one time.

Why We Grow It: Tolman Sweet is a great all-purpose apple. The fruit are medium-sized with yellow skin, and have a distinctly sweet, dry flesh. They are nice for fresh eating but can also be used in baking, drying, and pickling. Their unusually low acid content helps to reduce acidity in both sweet and hard cider.

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

History: This particular iteration of Trail, previously referred to as Bilodeau, has a bit of a messy history. A Trail crabapple tree was mislabeled at a Quebec nursery in the 1980s and sold to an unknowing customer named Claude Bilodeau who thought he was purchasing a pear tree. Later on Claude Jolicoeur, well-known Quebecois cider-maker and pomologist, took a cutting from this tree and found that the fruit (definitely not a pear!) was excellent for making cider. Since it was still a mystery what the original variety was, the crabapple was named Bilodeau by Jolicoeur after the owner of the tree - only for Paul Kron from the University of Guelph to confirm that it was actually Trail via DNA testing in 2022. The Trail crab was bred at Ottawa from a cross of Northern Queen x Rideau, it was selected in 1913 and introduced in 1920.

Why We Grow It: Despite the confusion, we are regardless happy to have this apple in our catalogue! This bittersharp cider apple has excellent cider-making qualities and, unlike most crabapples, is also great when eaten fresh or made into jelly! 

History: Tremlett's Geneva Bitter (aka Geneva Tremlett's Bitter) come from a tree that was believed to be Tremlett's Bitter, an English cider variety. It was imported to Geneva, New York from England in the 1960s but at some point there was a mix-up and the mistake was only uncovered after many American growers had received scions from the erroneous tree.

Why We Grow It: Although this isn't the traditional bittersweet cider apple popular in England, Tremlett's Geneva Bitter still produces a good quality bittershap cider. Some say it is even better than the original!

History: Westfield Seek-No-Further was discovered in Westfield, Massachusets in the 1700s. Its flavour is reminiscent of popular fresh eating apples in England which is probably why this apple was so popular among English colonizers. It was the most popular fresh eating apple in New England during the 1800s.

Why We Grow It: Historically a favourite eating apple, Westfield-Seek-No-Further's sharp, nutty flavour is as unique as its quaint name! It now has potential as an addition to cider blends.

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: 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: 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: 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.

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

History: Well-known Quebec cidermaker Claude Jolicoeur discovered this variety as a chance seedling growing on his property. The fruit is bitter with a banana-like aroma, and was therefore given the name Banane Amère (translated from French as 'bitter banana'). 

Why We Grow It: Despite its inedible nature, Banane Amère is an excellent cider apple and produces a bittersweet juice. It shares some characteristics with the popular cider variety Yarlington Mill but tends to ripen better in our climate.

History: Brown Snout was discovered on a farm in the UK in the mid-1800s. Its name comes from the brown russet around its calyx. H.P. Bulmer, a cider-making company, further propagated and spread this apple in the UK where it is still used today.

Why We Grow It: This medium bittersweet cider apple has small, uniquely coloured fruit that are sweet, slightly astringent, medium-tannin, and have low acidity. 

History: Greensleeves was bred as a cross between James Grieve and Golden Delicious by Dr. Frank Alston at the East Malling Research Station in the UK in 1966. In 1981 it received the Royal Horticulture Society Award of Merit and was released the year after.

Why We Grow It: These round, golden apples have a nice sweet/tart flavour that mellows out with maturity. They are great for making juice or cider as well as fresh eating. The tree has low vigour so it naturally stays more compact, a useful feature if you don't have a lot of space.

History: Little is known about Kermerrien aside from the fact it originated in the Quimplerlé region in France. It was exhibited by an orchardist at an event in 1896 and was described in a book on cider apples published in the same year, but it is unknown how old the variety is. It is commonly used to make traditional Breton cider. 

Why We Grow It: This bittersweet cider apple produces a good single-variety cider with a nice golden juice. The tree is vigorous and starts bearing at a young age.

History: Kingston Black is named after the English town Kingston St Mary where it was grown in orchards around a parish. Its dark maroon flesh earned the second part of its name, 'black.' This apple produces a great single-variety cider which made it quite popular by the 1800s and by 1950 it was the most commonly grown cider apple in the West of England. Although its popularity has waned due to its poor cropping and disease susceptibility, it is still renowned among cider enthusiasts.

Why We Grow It: This English cider apple produces a well-balanced juice, capable of creating a vintage cider of excellent quality. Although the variety has its downsides, there is a reason it has remained popular with cider enthusiasts. 

History: Maypole was developed in 1976 by Plant Breeding International at the East Malling Research Station in the UK as a cross between Wijcik Spur McIntosh and Baskatong. Wijcik Spur McIntosh originated as a mutation discovered on a McIntosh tree in 1962 in the Wijcik Orchards in British Columbia, the branch growing oddly straight with little branching. Several varieties were deliberately bred to have this mutation and now Maypole, released in 1986, is one of six columnar varieties developed at the station. This series of trees is known as Ballerina in the UK but due to that name being unavailable in the US, they are known as Colonnade in North America. 

Why We Grow It: Not only is Maypole unique as a columnar apple, this crabapple also boasts lovely red flesh, bronze coloured leaves, and pretty pink blossoms in the spring. This makes it overall a lovely ornamental tree to have, whether planted in the yard or in a pot. The fruit is also excellent for jelly, apple butter, and cider, adding a red hue to each. It can also be eaten fresh although it tends to be quite acidic with a touch of sweetness.

History: Little is known about this variety aside from that it originated in the Brittany region of France in the 1800s. The variety is held in high esteem as a traditional French cider variety. Translated from French, its name means 'Queen of Apples.'

Why We Grow It: Reine des Pommes produces a bold, fragrant flavoured bittersweet cider that is quite unique. It is good both as a single-variety cider and in blends. The tree is fairly vigorous and produces good crops. 

History: Not to be confused with Stembridge Cluster, Stembridge Jersey was introduced in Somerset, England, in the 1950s. To this day it remains a popular variety in UK cider orchards.

Why We Grow It: The good-quality bittersweet juice produced by this variety explains why it is still popular in the UK. Although Stembridge Jersey suffers from a tendency to only produce fruit every other year, it does produce good crops in those alternate years and is relatively disease resistant.  

History: This English cider apple originated in and was named after Rodney Stoke, a small village in Somerset, England. It was discovered around 1920 and has been popular in England since. 

Why We Grow It: Stoke Red produces a great bittersharp juice that is well-regarded for cider making. As an added bonus, it is a heavy cropper and resistant to scab.

History: Pine Golden Pippin's exact origins are unknown, but it is quite an old variety that either originated in northern England or in Scotland. It was first formally described by nursery worker Thomas Rivers in A Descriptive Catalogue of Fruit Trees in 1863. In 1875, Robert Hogg claimed that Pine Golden Pippin was one of the best fresh eating apples around in his book The Fruit Manual. 

Why We Grow It: Robert Hogg was correct about Pine Golden Pippin! Despite the small size of the fruit, it makes up for it with crisp and juicy fruit with a sweet/sharp flavour that has a hint of pineapple and resin. The fruit is great for fresh eating and can also be used in cider blends. It tends to be slower growing but produces good crops. 

History: The origins of Pomme Gris (translated as 'gray apple' from French) are a bit of a mystery. It may have originated in France in the 1600s as either a seedling or sport of the variety Reinette Gris which was then brought to Quebec by French or Swiss colonizers. Alternatively, it may have its origins in Quebec, perhaps being grown and propagated in Canada from the start. The first instance of this variety's documentation was by a William Forsyth in 1803 who believed the apple originated in Canada and made its way to Europe sometime in the 1700s. Regardless, this variety was grown in Quebec for centuries. 

Why We Grow It: Pomme Gris is an excellent all-purpose apple! Although not the prettiest apple in the world, it is crisp, juicy, and aromatic with a nutty flavour and hints of vanilla. It was really a standout when our tree first produced fruit a couple years ago! The fruit can also be used for cooking and the apple would likely be a good addition to cider blends. 

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. 

History: Cortland apples were first bred in 1898 by Cornell University in New York and introduced in 1915. Since then, they have become one of the top fifteen apples in the US and Canada, although the majority are still grown relatively close to the university where they originated. While there are different versions of Cortland available with features such as redder skin, we are happy to offer the original!

Why We Grow It: Especially with older, popular varieties, we are always happy to offer what is, to the best of our knowledge, the original strain. Cortland is a sweet apple with crisp, juicy flesh. It is great for applesauce or drying as the flesh is slow to brown. The fruit keeps until Christmas under home storage conditions although the crispness and flavour does fade over time. This variety crops well annually and makes a good pollinator for others. 

History: Arkansas Black originated, as its name implies, in Arkansas sometime in the mid to late 1800s although there are conflicting opinions on who exactly discovered it. Some say John Crawford developed it in the 1840s, others believe DeKalb Holt developed it at his brother's nursery in the 1870s, and another account claims John Braithwaite found it growing in his orchard. Regardless, this unique looking apple eventually became the most popular apple in the state until a bad codling moth infestation followed by the Great Depression devastated commercial orchards. Despite this heavy blow, it is still a popular apple in backyards and small-scale orchards.

Why We Grow It: Arkansas Black produces a unique fruit that is a dark purplish-red that at times almost looks black. Fresh off the tree the fruit is hard and fairly acidic, but it softens and sweetens in storage and develops a more pronounced spiced flavour. It is good for pies, sauce, and cider and the fruit stores quite well! The tree itself is fairly disease resistant as well.

History: Spigold (aka Spy Gold) was developed at the New York Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York and released in 1962. It is a cross between Red Spy and Golden Delicious that has remained somewhat popular in North America. 

Why We Grow It: Spigold marries the best qualities of Golden Delicious and Red Spy. It produces very large apples that are crisp and juicy with a honeyed sweet/tart flavour. These large apples are excellent for fresh eating, making applesauce, baking into pies, and making into cider. They also store quite well and some say the flavour actually improves in storage.