What’s Ripe for Picking?

Currently ripe for picking-

McIntosh- a classic Vermont apple, tart and sugary, chunky flesh with a unique skin. Great for baking, sweet cider, and fresh eating. Reminds one of snowflakes and woodstoves.

Honeycrisp- the most popular apple at our orchard. Super crisp, honey sweet.

Cortland- Our favorite baking apple, but also a good eater if you prefer a more tart option. Cortland are large, relatively tart, and stay firm when baked.

Wolf River- In 1856, William Springer brought a seedling tree from Quebec to the Wisconsin Wolf River Basin. And there the story of the behemoth apple began. Wolf River are our largest apple, weighing well over a pound each in some cases. Wonderful for baking, they turn to a custard like texture in pies. They are, however, terrible when eaten fresh. They have almost no flavor. But for the baker, flavor is easily created.

Gingergold- thin skin with fine grained texture make for a wonderful apple. Early in the harvest window they taste like a Granny Smith. Later they sweeten up substantially and become a gourmet level dessert.

Saint Edmund’s Russet- Snickers bars and sour patch kids. That’s what these taste like at their peak flavor- nutty, caramel, and sour. A favorite at Burtt’s.

Jonamac- a sweeter version of McIntosh. Nice snack size for kids and great for apple sauce.

Freedom- similar to Cortland, Freedom are large, tart and good for baking.

Gala- Good one for keeping into winter. Firm, not overwhelmingly sweet, and fine grained flesh.

Johnnye Quinn- named after Mamma Burtt, this variety was grafted off an old apple tree on the farm from which Johnnye Burtt made award winning apple pies. Turns out it’s an original strain of Cortland.

Cabot Russet- grafted from a roadside tree just down the hill. Nutty, chewy, banana.

Snowsweet- vanilla ice cream. That’s what comes to mind when I bite into this one. I good keeper too.

Liberty- One of those savory tart apples.

Pixie Crunch- candy sweet and a nice snack size. Super crisp

Macoun- fine grained flesh. Cool, crisp and refreshingly sweet. Also a good baking apple.

Fuji- the world’s most popular apple, mostly thanks to its high production in China. Sweet and crisp.

Cox’s Orange Pippin- champagne in an apple. Spritely and savory. Chunky firm flesh.

Empire- one of the tastiest eating apples in our opinion. This skin, zesty, and juicy.

Ashmead’s Kernel- the zany apple. Champagne and syrup sweet.

Sweet Sixteen- wholesome sweet, dense flesh. Has a super fan following.

Keepsake- the best apple we grow for long term storage. Cinnamon spice. Rock hard flesh. Good eater.

Pomme Gris- tiny grey russet apple. Brown sugary and wholesome.

Northern Spy- Renowned old fashioned baking apple.

Winter Banana- not sure why its called this, but its a nice looking apple.

Jonagold- large, dense and fine grained flesh. Wonderful eating apple.

Golden Delicious- Grandma’s favorite. Good keeper. Wholesome sweet and crisp. Good for baking too.

Ripening soon-

Zabergau Reinette, Arkansas Black, Dabinett, Mutsu

Tap the “Learn More” tab below to see a full list of descriptions of apple and pear varieties.