Did You Know?
- Each year Vermont growers produce around 1,000,000 bushels (or about 40 million pounds) of apples.
- Visitors to pick-your-own orchards pick about 200,000 bushels of apples each year.
- Grocery stores sell about 300,000 bushels.
- Vermont orchards grow more than 150 varieties of apples.
- Apples originated in Central Asia, where they have been grown for thousands of years.
- Apples came to America with European settlers in the 1600s.
- The McIntosh is the most important apple grown in Vermont. This tasty variety accounts for about 50% of Vermont’s apple crop.
Apple Varieties
Want to eat apples, make some cider, or cook an apple dessert? These are some of the best varieties you can pick. Rated on a scale of zero to four stars for fresh eating, cooking, and juicing.
Variety (Cultivar) |
Fresh, out-of-hand |
Cooking | Juice/Cider | Availability | Comments |
Cortland | ★★★ | ★★★★ | ★★★ | Sept-Apr | Sweet with slight tartness, good for pies, salads, baking. An 1898 McIntosh-Ben Davis cross |
Empire | ★★★★ | ★★ | ★★★ | Sept-Apr | Nice blend of sweet/tart, juicy, crunchy. Developed in 1940s from McIntosh-Red Delicious parents |
Gala | ★★★★ | ★ | ★★★ | Sept-Apr | A recent introduction to Vermont, so supplies are limited. Originated in New Zealand |
Honeycrisp | ★★★★ | ★★ | ★★★★ | Sept-Apr | Honey-sweet with hint of tartness, very crispy, great for snacking. A 1960 Macoun-Honeygold cross from Minnesota. |
Jersey Mac | ★★★ | ★★ | ★★★★ | Aug-Sept | An early-season apple for snacking, applesauce, cider. For cooking, use extra-thick slices |
Jonamac | ★★★ | ★ | ★★★ | Sept-Dec | Best for fresh eating & for applesauce |
Liberty | ★★★ | ★ | ★★★ | Oct-Nov | A nice, fresh dessert apple. A naturally disease-resistant cultivar developed in 1955 from a Macoun cross. |
Macoun | ★★★★ | ★ | ★★★★ | Oct-Nov | One of New England’s favorite sweet-tart fresh eating apples developed in 1932 |
McIntosh | ★★★★ | ★★★ | ★★★★ | Sept-Apr | Vermont’s favorite variety, great for fresh-eating and sauces. (Keep chilled for best crunch.) For cooking, use extra-thick slices or chunks |
Northern Spy | ★★ | ★★★★ | ★ | Oct-Apr | New England’s hands-down favorite for pies. An early 1800s discovery from New York |
Paula Red | ★★★ | ★ | ★★★★ | Aug-Oct | An excellent early season apple for fresh-eating & applesauce. Keep chilled. |
Red Delicious | ★★★ | ★ | ★★★★ | Sept-Apr | A juicy, sweet fresh-eating apple, discovered in the 1880s. Vermont Red Delicious apples are finer textured than those originating in the Western U.S. |
Spartan | ★★★ | ★ | ★★★★ | Sept-Apr | A good, juicy all-purpose apple, with a balanced sweet-tart flavor. A good keeper. |