North Star Orchard

Apples

North Star Orchard currently grows 50+ varieties of apples! Most of the varieties are either very new or heritage/antique varieties. The following alphabetized list includes details of those varieties that have borne fruit. Those without information are young trees, and we will update this list with information as it becomes available.

For more information about our unique apple varieties, go to our FAQ page, and read the
"Beyond Delicious" article that appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News.

Please note: We do not ship fruit at this time. Our fruit can be purchased at weekly farmers' markets in our area, or through membership in our CSA Fruit Share.

Adam's Pearmain: Small to medium sized, russet-y yellow with red blush. A classic antique variety. Aromatic/spicy flavor, hard, very sugary. Early September.

Ambrosia: Medium-sized green and red. Very sweet, fine texture and juicy. This is probably an offspring of 'Gala', and you can tell. Mid-September.

Baldwin: (not fruiting yet)

Caville Blanc: (not fruiting yet)

Chehalis: Large, yellow, and tart-sweet . Firm, with a coarse texture and very juicy. Excellent dessert apple. Mid-August.

Crimson Crisp (Coop 39): Medium sized, cherry-red, very rich and sugary. Very hard and crunchy. This is a wonderful dessert apple and is excellent for baking due to its aroma and texture. Late August.

Eclipse (NY75441-67): Large size, very dark red/purple color. Slightly tart and very juicy. Skin is quite tough at the first bite, but then the delicious juicy flavor takes over and the apple is eaten before one knows it! Addictive flavor...reminds me of apple cider! Late September.

Emperor (Coop 31): Medium size, mottled dark to light red. Very hard and juicy with a rich, unique fruity/spicy flavor. Excellent hard/crunchy dessert apple. Early October.

Enterprize: Large size and dark red. Slightly tart to sweet. Fairly rich and spicy flavor, which is unusual in an apple this sweet. Excellent fresh eating, as well as for all cooking uses calling for sweeter apples. Dessert quality increases greatly after a few weeks in storage. Early October.

Esopus Spitzenberg: Medium sized, light to dark red with white speckles. Tart with a rich, aromatic flavor. Excellent dessert apple. This is reported to be Thomas Jefferson's favorite apple. Late September/early October.

Everready: (not fruiting yet)

Florina: Medium sized, red, very sweet, and juicy. We call this the "Bubblegum Apple"... and you'll see why when you taste it! Excellent dessert apple. Late September.

Freyburg: Green/yellow. Slightly sweet, with hints of vanilla and anise flavors. Early September.

Fuji: Large size, pinkish color. Very sweet, with a rich perfumy flavor. Early October.

Gala: Very sweet and crisp. Late August/early September.

Golden Russet: Small to medium sized, mostly russeted fruit with some yellow and orange peeking out from under the russet. This is a classic (400 year old variety) apple with a rich, sugary sweetish aromatic flavor. Pure juice of this variety has a subtle pear flavor. Distinctive firm texture, with non-breaking flesh. Great at wine and cheese events. Late September.

Gold Rush: Medium to large size, green to yellow with red blush and some russeting. Hard, crunchy, tart and juicy. Develops an excellent and unique spicy/aromatic flavor after several weeks in storage. Keeps for months in a cool area or refrigerator. Excellent for all uses. Really!!! A favorite for pies, varietal cider and drying. Dried Gold Rush are addictive. We use an American Harvest dehydrator...check our 'links' page for more information about dehydrators. Mid-October.

Goldstar: (not fruiting yet)

Grimes Golden: (not fruiting yet)

Honeycrisp: Stripey red/yellow. Very sweet and crunchy. Has a rich, complex flavor for such a sweet apple. Late August.

Hudson's Golden Gem: Large and smooth, although completely russeted. Rich, sweet flavor. This is the most recently introduced russeted variety (released in the 1940's)...a "must have" for the heirloom apple grower. Late September.

Jonagold: Slightly sweet and crisp, with a very nice aromatic flavor.
Early to mid-September.

Liberty: Macoun cross. Medium sized and quite juicy. Flavor changes rapidly from a tart and mild flavor at harvest to a slightly tart, rich perfumy flavor and aroma a few weeks after harvest. Excellent for fresh eating, and excellent for pies, tarts and crisps. Early September.

Monolith: Medium sized and red. Don't let the red color fool you...this is an apple that'll bite you back! Very tart and intense. It has a great crunch and is quite juicy. A variety from our own breeding program. Late August.

Newton Pippin: Medium sized, yellow-green with speckles and some russet. Has a handsome rustic appearance. Somewhat tart, but has a sugary, rich fruity flavor. Very juicy with fine hard texture. In the 1800's, it was the most popular apple in the Mid-Atlantic region. Late October.

Novaspy: Very large and dull red. Flavor very similar to Northern Spy (a bit tart and juicy), with a dash of vanilla thrown in. Late September.

Orin: Large and yellow, with pronounced lenticels. Sweet flavor, with hints of banana. Late October.

Pink Sugar: Large, very light pink. Sweet and fruity. Early September.

Pixie Crunch (Coop 33): (not fruiting yet)

Premiere: Large size, with a rich flavor. Very aromatic with hints of honey and cider. Has a great crunch. An intense eating experience. Mid-August.

Priscilla: (not fruiting yet)

Princessa: Medium sized. Slightly sweet, crispy and juicy, with a perfumy aroma. Mid-August.

Pristine: Medium sized, and bright yellow. Slightly tart and very fruity. Mid-July.

Pumpkin Russet: (not fruiting yet)

Rajka: (not fruiting yet)

Razor Russet: I always love russet apples..they seem to have the best flavor! Interestingly, this is a fairly new, fully russeted strain that comes from "Golden Delicious". It is what growers call a 'sport' of Golden Delicious...that is to say that is is a naturally occurring genetic mutation that was discovered and then propagated because it is so good. (Honestly, Golden Delicious is tasty if you can find them tree-ripened!). The flavor of these are even a bit richer than a truly good Golden Delicious. You'll be amazed! Delightful! Mid-September.

Rebella: (not fruiting yet)

Redfree: Medium sized and red. Slightly sweet and juicy with tender, crisp flesh. Late July.

Reinette Simerenko: Small to medium sized. Green, with some pink color. Very tart and juicy, and has a somewhat "tropical fruit/citrus" flavor. An old Eastern European variety. Early October.

Resi: (not fruiting yet)

Roxbury Russet: Antique variety, tart and flavorful. Late September.

Royalty (NY75413-30): Very large bright red fruit. This is a cross of Liberty by Red Delicious, with slightly tart to sweet, rich perfumy flavor. (Does not taste like Red Delicious!) Good for fresh eating, baking, and pies. Some Royalty have 'honeycore' (glossy splotches within the flesh of the fruit), which indicates areas that are saturated with sugar. Yum! Mid September.

Rubinette: Medium sized, yellow with some russet. On the tart side, with complex aromatic flavor. Early September.

Russet Beauty: Don't judge an apple by its cover...these are quite tasty and firm. Sometimes, the homely apples are the most interesting! Early September.

Sansa: Medium sized, pink to light red. Very sweet, crunchy, and fruity. Late July.

Shenshu: Medium sized, dull red. Has a sweet, well-balanced flavor and texture. Delightful eating. Early September.

Shizuka: Very large and greenish/yellow. Very sweet and juicy, with a coarse, crisp texture. Nice for fresh eating or to serve as slices with dinner. Mid-September.

Sophie (NY73334-35): Very large size, pink and red striped. A cross of Liberty by Red Delicious. It is quite sweet, with a perfumy flavor reminiscent of Red Delicious, but it tastes better! Late September.

Spigold : Large, red/green. Very crisp and juicy. Fairly sweet, the flavor reminds me somewhat of apple cider. Late September.

Stars (NY 75414-1): A Liberty by McIntosh cross. This is a smaller apple, green with red blush. White speckles in the blush are the 'stars'. It is thin-skinned and tender-fleshed. Nice flavor and aroma - similar to Macoun. Excellent fresh eating apple for McIntosh and Macoun lovers. Also makes good sauce. Late August.

Stayman: (not fruiting yet)

Stellar: Large size, beautiful golden color with blush. Excellent, sweet flavor, very juicy and crisp. Excellent dessert quality. It will never be a 'commercial' variety because it bruises too easily...bummer! Late September.

Sugar Snap (NY74840-1): Dark red striped fruit, NY58524-14 by Empire cross. The name says it all! These are primarily for fresh eating - on the tart side, with a sugary component as well. I call them sweet-tart...great flavor and crunch, and quite juicy. I think they have the quintessential apple flavor and texture. Mid-September.

Summer Blaze (Dayton): Medium/large size, greenish with some red blush. Slightly tart to slightly sweet, with great crunch and juiciness. Subtle fruit flavor. Amazing flavor for an early eating apple! Early August.

Summer Rambo: Antique variety. Sugary-tart, and traditionally used for applesauce-making. Mid-September.

Suncrisp: Large sized and yellow, with a rich flavor that varies from intense to very intense, with hints of a banana-type flavor. Mid-October.

Sweet Sixteen: (not fruiting yet)

Tsugara: Medium sized and red. Very sweet and tender, great for fresh eating. Mid-August.

Virginia Beauty: (not fruiting yet)

Winter Banana: Yellow/Green and slightly sweet. Hints of (you guessed it!) banana flavor. Weird! What's weirder is that Ike decided to plant this one...he HATES bananas! Well, then there's more of them for us to enjoy! Late September.

Winter Joy: (not fruiting yet)

York Imperial: (not fruiting yet)