Heirloom Apples

Heirloom vs. Hybrids. Apples, and produce in general, are generally divided into two large categories - heirloom and hybrid. Many of the commercial apple varieties we see in grocery stores are hybrids combining the favorite attributes of various heirlooms - namely, predictable traits of size, color, transportability, and storage life. Heirlooms, on the other hand, are open pollinated and have been preserved and passed along for generations in their “pure” form. In today’s commercial market, heirlooms might be less desirable as they can have funny shapes and quirky colors (here’s looking at you, Knobbed Russet) and may only get sweet enough to eat out of hand after a couple months in storage.

Preserving Heirloom Varieties. Our work at Scott Farm is not only to preserve these incredible heirloom varieties but to honor the many nameless homesteaders, gardeners, and horticulturalists who have given their time and effort to keep these varieties in existence. We continue this work by trying to make the many varieties we grow as widely available as possible.

Learning About their History & Characteristics. Learning about heirlooms takes time and, best of all, tasting. We can’t wait to see you during harvest time on the farm; but if you find yourself dreaming of fresh apples in January, peruse our list below and learn a little about the history and characteristics of these unique varieties, all of which are grown in our orchard.

Note: Not all varieties you see here will be available in the Farm Market at any given time, as we may only have a few trees or branches of that type or are not harvesting that variety at that time. Additionally, some varieties are noted as “not available for Gift Boxes.” This is for a variety of reasons: they may only exist on a single tree or even a single branch in the orchard, are not fully producing yet, are available too early in the season, or are only in our PYO orchards.