Old Heirloom, Heritage Apple Varieties

The apple has always been Greenmantle's primary fruit focus. This obviously reflects the broad adaptation and distribution of such a fundamental fruit, as well as its long list of distinct varieties. It also derives from the apple's primacy and longevity in the local landscape. More than a century ago, our region was settled by an influx of Euro-American homesteaders who "proved" their claims in part by establishing orchards. Many survivors of these plantings still stand and produce fruit. And most of them are apple trees.

A Wickson Crab in Etter Orchard, circa 1985
Here in the Mattole River watershed we are situated on the Western frontier of the apple's manifest destiny. The ubiquitous presence of the apple in the New World reflects the early dominance of British colonization. The apple tree thrives in Great Britain, and the British have long enjoyed a nearly obsessive love affair with the genus Malus. Ironically, most of the varieties they attemped to import into North America were not fully hardy here. It took the planting of tens of thousands of pips to create a new breed of American apple.

England's devotion to the apple took root and grew to huge proportions in the American soil. Many of the world's great varieties began as seedlings planted during the colonial period or shortly thereafter. New York and New England became centers of apple culture. The resulting varietal legacy includes Esopus Spitzenberg, Swaar, Northern Spy, Baldwin, Tompkins King. Roxbury Russet. Jonathan, Rhode Island Greening, and many more.

As the frontier was pushed westward, apple trees - both grafted varieties and unproven seedlings - moved with it. The story of John Chapman aka "Johnny Appleseed" is a national legend based on fact. Chapman's pioneer nurseries provided thousands of apple seedlings for settlers in the Ohio River Valley. Some of these ended up as rootstocks grafted over to established varieties brought from the eastern states. And many were left to produce nondescript fruit which was blended into hard cider and apple jack; these were the most popular beverages on the American frontier.

By the time Euro-American dominion established itself in Northern California (circa 1850), the roster of "domestic" apple varieties had become quite extensive. These formed the foundation for homestead orchard plantings here. A survey of the surviving trees reveals that the Mattole and Eel River Valleys of Humboldt County were well suited for growing the classic varieties of NewYork State, including Tompkins King, Esopus Spitzenberg, Jonathan, and Northern Spy. Southern apples like Arkansas Black, King David, and Winesap also flourish here.

Despite its wizened structure, this century old Tompkins King apple tree continues to bear dependable crops of fine fruit.

While California is not usually regarded as "apple country", all kinds of varieties seem well adapted to the Northwestern corner of the state. Our own experience confirms this remarkable felicity. Notoriously tempermental English varieties like Cox Orange Pippin and Pitmaston Pineapple bear first-rate fruit next to long-season Japanese varieties like Fuji and Mutsu. Apples from all over North America and the world seem at home here in the coastal mountains of Humboldt County.

Hyde King Apple - Though it originated in the Midwest circa 1880, this excellent winter-keeper seemed to be extinct except in our local homestead orchards. It deserves to be rediscovered by orchardists everywhere.

MASTER LIST OF APPLE VARIETIES

The apple portraits are reproduced from Apples of New York - S.A. Beach (1905). All the varieties pictured , except Roxbury Russet, have been collected by us in old homestead orchards in Southern Humboldt....

Adams’ Pearmain
Akane (syn. Prime Red)
Akero
Alaska
Alexander
Apricot
Alkmene
Almata
Amberoso™ (Etter 27-10)
Amere de Berthecourt – EHC
American Pippin
Ananas Reinette
,,,,(syn. Reinette Ananas)
Apricot
Arkansas Black
Aroma
Ashmead’s Kernel
Atalanta’s Gold™ (Etter 22-17)

Baldwin
Beauty of Bath
Bellflower – EHC
Belle de Boskoop
Belmont (Waxen)
Benham
Benoni
Bentley Sweet
Berne Rose
Bietigheimer (Red)
Binet Rouge
Black Gilliflower
... (syn. Black Sheepnose)
Black Oxford
Black Twig
Blenheim Orange
Blue Pearmain
Blush Rosette™ (Etter 14-1)
Braeburn
Bramley’s Seedling
Brown's Apple – EHC
Brown Snout - EHC
Bullock (syn. Yellow Sheepnose)
Bulmer’s Norman - EHC

Baldwin

Calville Blanc d’Hiver
... (syn. White Winter Calville)
Canada Red
Cap of Liberty EHC
(Carolina) Red June
Carpentin
Catshead
Centennial Crab
Champagne Reinette
Champlain
Cheddar Cross
Chehalis
Chenango Strawberry
Chestnut Crab
Chisel Jersey - EHC
Christmas Pink ®   (Etter 12-9)
Cinnamon Spice
Claygate Pearmain
Coe’s Golden Drop
Cole’s Quince
Columbia Russet
Colvis Spice
Coos River Beauty
Cornish Gilliflower
Cortland
Court Pendu Plat
Court Royal   EHC
Cox Orange Pippin
Crimson Gold
Crimson King   EHC
Cripp's Pink (syn. Pink Lady) Criterion

(Carolina) Red June

Dabinett – EHC
D’Arcy Spice
Dapple ™ (Etter 24-18)
Davey
Delicious (Hawkeye)
Detroit Red
Devonshire Quarrenden
Discovery
Dolgo Crab
Doux Normandie EHC
Duchess of Oldenburg
Dyer (syn. Pomme Royale)

Duchess of Oldenburg

Early Harvest
Early Joe
Eden ™ (Etter 30-32)
Edelborsdorfer
Edward VII
Egremont Russet
Ellis Bitter EHC
Ellison’s Orange
Elstar
Emneth Early
Empire
Erwin Baur
(Esopus) Spitzenberg
Etter’s Gold

Fall Pippin
Fall Russet
Fameuse (syn. Snow)
Fearns Avenue Pippin
Fenouillet Gris
Foxwhelp – EHC
Freiherr von Berlepsch
Freyberg
Fuji

Esopus Spitzenberg

Fall Pippin

Gala
Gala, Royal
Garden Royal
Geeveston Fanny - EHC
Glockenapfel
Gloria Mundi
Glowing Coal
Golden Delicious.. (Mullins)
Golden Harvey - EHC
Golden Noble
Golden Nugget
Golden Russet
Granny Smith
Gravenstein
Gravenstein, Red
Grenadine ® (Etter 7-13)
Grimes Golden

Golden Russet

Gravenstein

Harrisons‘s Cider - AHC
Harry Masters Jersey - EHC
Hauer Pippin
Hawaii
Herefordshire Redstreak - EHC
Hewe’s Virginia Crab – AHC
Hightop Sweet
Holstein
Honeycrisp
Honey Sweet Cider
Hoover
Hubbardston Nonesuch
Hudson’s Golden Gem
Humboldt Crab
Hyde King

Idared
Ingrid Marie
Irish Peach

Hyde King

Jade ™ (Etter 26-5)
James Grieve
Jefferis
Jonagold
Jonathan
Jonwin

Kandil Sinap
Karmijn de Sonnaville
Katharine
Keepsake
Kerry Pippin
Keswick Codlin
Kidd’s Orange Red
King David
King Solomon (syn. Rainier)
Kingston Black - EHC
Knobbed Russet

Lady Apple
... (syn. Pomme d’Api)
Lamb Abbey Pearmain
Lawver
Laxton Epicure
Laxton Superb
Le Bret EHC
Leslie
Liberty
Liveland Raspberrry
Lord Lambourne
Lord Suffield
Lord’s Seedling
Lubsk Queen
Lyman’s Large Summer

Jonathan

Keswick Codlin

Macoun
Maiden Blush
Malinda
Marechal - EHC
Margil
McIntosh
Medaille d’Or -EHC
Melba
Melon
Melrose
Merton Beauty
Michelin - EHC
Milam
Montreal Beauty Crab
Morgenduft
Mother
Mountaineer
Muscadet de Bernay – EHC
Muscadet de Dieppe - EHC
Muscadet de Lense – EHC
Muscat de Venus ™ (Etter 31-2)
Muster
Mutsu

McIntosh

Nehou - EHC
Niedzwetzkyana
... (syn. Redvein Crab)
Northern Spy
Northfield Beauty

Old Nonpareil
Ontario
Opalescent
Orenco
Orin
Orleans Reinette
Ortley (syn. White Bellflower)

Parmentier
Peck’s Pleasant
Pigeonette Rouge
Pine Mountain
Pink Parfait ® (Etter 7-9)
Pink Pearl
Pink Pearmain ® (Etter 14-9)
Pitmaston Pineapple
Pomme Gris – EHC
Porter
Porter’s Perfection EHC
Primate
Pumpkin Sweet

Northern Spy

Ralls
Reasor Green
Red Astrachan (Blushed)
Red Astrachan (Striped)
Reine des Pommes – EHC
Reine des Reinettes
Reinette Etoile
Reinette Grise du Canada
Reinette Simerenko
Reverend Morgan
Rhode Island Greening
Ribston Pippin
Rome Beauty
Rosemary Russet
Ross Nonpareil
Roxbury Russet
Rubaiyat ® (Etter 8-11)
Rubinette

St. Edmund’s Pippin
Salome
Sam Young    EHC
Sekai Ichi
Shizuka
Sierra Beauty
Sinta
Skinner’s Seedling
Smith Cider
Smokehouse
Sops of Wine
Spigold
Splendour
Spokane Beauty
Stark
Stayman Winesap
Stearns
Stembridge Jersey   EHC
Stoke Red   EHC
Sturmer Pippin
Summer Pearmain
Summer Rambo
Summer Rose
Suncrisp
Suntan
Surprise
Swaar
Sweet Alford – EHC
Sweet Bough
Sweet Coppin – EHC
Sweet Sixteen

Red Astrachan

Roxbury Russet

Taylor’s Sweet – EHC
Thornberry ® (Ettter 16-32)
Tolman Sweet
Tom Putt EHC
Tompkins King
Transcendent Crab
Tremblett’s Bitter - EHC
Twenty Ounce
Tydeman’s Late Orange

Vandervere
Victoria Limbertwig
Vilberie - EHC
Virginia Gold
Vixen™ (Etter 34-3)
Von Zuccalmaglio’s Reinette

Tompkins King

Transcendent Crab

Wagener
Waltana
Wealthy
Westfield Seek-No-Further
White Astrachan
White Winter Pearmain
Wickson Crab
Winesap
Winter Banana
Winter St. Lawrence
Wolf River
Worcester Pearmain
Wyken Pippin

Winesap

Yarlington Mill - EHC
Yates
Yellow Bellflower
Yellow Ingestrie
Yellow Newtown Pippin
Yellow Transparent
York Imperial

Zabergau Reinette

Yellow Bellflower

Yellow Newtown Pippin

Why do we need so many kinds of apples? Because there are so many folks. A person has a right to gratify his legitimate tastes. If he wants twenty or forty kinds of apples for his personal use, running from Early Harvest to Roxbury Russet, he should be accorded the privilege. Some place should be provided where he may obtain trees or scions. There is merit in variety itself. It provides more points of contact with life, and leads away from unifromity and monotony."

  - Liberty Hyde Bailey,  The Apple Tree 1922