Fresh Eating Favourites

History: Veecot apricots were one of several developed at Vineland, Ontario to survive in a southern Ontario climate. 

Why We Grow It: This apricot is an intense dark orange colour when ripe and the flesh is juicy and smooth-textured. It has a pleasant sweet taste that is good for fresh eating and preserving. 

History: Velvaglo was one of several varieties developed in Vineland, Ontario, in an effort to create apricots that could survive in our southern Ontario climate.

Why We Grow It: Velvaglo produces high quality fruit with juicy, flavourful flesh. This variety is a good choice for farmer's markets or roadside sales as well as canning.

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. While the berries ripen in August, they can hang onto the bush for a couple months and tend to sweeten over time.

History: Vista Bella was created at Rutgers University in New Jersey in the 1950s and released in 1974. Although its poor keeping ability prevents it from being a commercial success, this early ripening variety is still a nice way to herald in the apple harvest season every year. 

Why We Grow It: Vista Bella is the first red apple of the season. The flavour and texture are of better quality than other early apples, making Vista Bella an excellent choice for early farmer’s market sales and roadside stands. The flesh is crisp and juicy, although it softens quickly and, like other early apples, does not keep long.

History: Viva originated in 1935 as a possible hybrid of Hedelfingen and Victor.

Why We Grow It: Viva produces medium-sized, dark red cherries with good flavour. They are suitable for many uses including fresh eating, cooking, and preserving. They are one of the first cherry varieties to ripen, creating a pleasant start to the cherry season.

History: Wagener apples come from a seed that was planted by George Wheeler in the Finger Lakes area of New York in 1791. In 1796, Abraham Wagener purchased Wheeler's property and planted the seedling on his own property in Penn Yan village where the tree was known for producing attractive, tasty fruit in abundance every year. The variety was named after Wagener and became popular for its excellent storage qualities.  

Why We Grow It: Wagener is ideal for the self-sufficient homesteader who values a late keeper, lasting until April in an ordinary cold cellar. When first picked they have a sharp, acidic taste and are great for cooking. In storage, they mellow to an excellent sweet, crisp apple that is perfect for fresh eating.

History: Waneta is a hybrid of Japanese plums (Prunus salicina) and American plums (Prunus americana) developed at the South Dakota Experimental Station by NE Hansen and introduced in 1913. It was developed at a time when hybrid plums were more important as a commercial crop. It was named after a Yanktonai man who played a prominent role in the War of 1812 and later became chief. 

Why We Grow It: Waneta is a juicy and sweet clingstone plum with tart red skin. The flesh is a yellowish colour. The tree naturally stays a little smaller and has good crops, paired with decent cold hardiness.  

History: Waxing Moon was discovered by Steph's cousin Liam Younger who has spent many summers working here at the nursery! He found it growing as a chance seedling on his family farm in 2023, drawn in by the apple's pale white skin. Naming the variety Waxing Moon for its moon-like appearance, he grafted a small number of the trees here and we are happy to introduce the variety in 2024!

Why We Grow It: Waxing Moon produces an exceptionally pale yellow apple that is nearly white! While one would think it is a Yellow Transparent apple, its mild sweet flavour lacks any of the tartness. Like Yellow Transparent, this variety is good for fresh eating and sauce. It appears to be relatively disease resistant, having produced clean fruit with no care whatsoever.  

Since this is a new variety, there is still a lot for us to learn about it! If you grow this variety and have any observations or find any fun uses for the fruit, we'd love to hear from you!

History: Wealthy apples were created by horticulturalist Peter Gideon after spending years trying to breed an apple variety that could survive Minnesota's harsh winters. With the very last of his money, he purchased seeds and scions in 1868 in one final attempt and was able to produce the Wealthy apple which he named after his wife, Wealthy Gideon. He gave scions away freely and Wealthy became one of the top five apples grown in the US.

Why We Grow It: A medium to large sized apple, Wealthy makes splendid applesauce, but is also very good for fresh eating with a balanced sweet-tart crunch. The tree is scab resistant and cold hardy, makes an excellent pollinator for other apples, and is well-suited for organic orchards.

Species: Carya ovata or hybrid. Our seeds are collected from trees that may have been cross-pollinated by closely related species so the resulting seedlings may be hybrids. 

History: These are seedlings of Weschke Shagbark Hickories, a variety that was discovered in Iowa by Carl Weschke and named in 1926. It was selected for its excellent flavour. 

Why We Grow It: While these seedlings will vary from their parents, the goal is that the excellent qualities of Weschke Shagbark Hickories will be passed along to its offspring! Weshcke Shagbark Hickories are known for having excellent flavour and thin shells that are easier for cracking.

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: Westland apples were developed at the Alberta Special Crops and Horticultural Research Centre in Brooks, Alberta and introduced in 1979.

Why We Grow It: This medium sized pie apple is cold hardy, excellent for the prairies and northern regions. The fruit is large and a pale yellow-ish green with red flush and stripes. 

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: 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: 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: 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 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. 

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.