Anyone who has ever taken a bite of an heirloom apple knows the rich and luscious taste that comes with the apples of yesteryear. Many of these heirloom apple varieties which were prolific in the 1700s, 1800s and early 1900s on such farms as Jefferson’s Monticello are now fading away.
Honey Brook Farms has taken a special interest in these apple varieties. It is our desire to bring back the apples which were once known for their distinctive taste. Some are amazingly long keepers, others make some of the best cider, there are varieties especially known for eating, and many that offer scrumptious tasting apple sauce, cobblers, & jellies.
Honey Brook Farms will be offering an assortment of heirloom apple trees. These varieties have been grafted onto MM-111: a disease resistant rootstock that produces trees about 75% the size of standards (15-20 feet tall). We have a desire to see families enjoy their own fruit off their own tree in their own backyard with a minimal need for pesticides and chemicals used all too frequently by commercial orchards. To this end, Honey Brook Farm continues to experiment with methods of pest and disease control that do not use pesticides and chemicals. Classes on apple tree care may be available in the future.
We look forward to becoming your fruit tree resource. Please contact with any questions. May you be blessed with an abundance of fruit in the years to come!
Apple Varieties:
Mother
A hardy bearer that requires cross-pollination. Juicy, sweet, and acidulous. Early ripening.
Spartan
Large in size. Apple is crisp with a subacid flavor. Similar to McIntosh. Stores well. Disease resistant.
Holstein
A triploid (needs two other pollinators). Very scab resistance. Stores well. Often russeted.
Jonathan
Flesh is firm, tender, and juicy, with a sprightly sub acid flavor. Self-fruitful. Not as disease resistant.
Court Pendu Plat
A very old apple that buds late (escaping late frosts). Apple has a rich and acidic flavor.
Ashmead Kernel
This apple is good for cider and winter storage. It has a rich and strong flavor with some russeting.
Northern Spy
Fruit is large. Flesh is very juicy, crisp, tender, and sweet. Blooms late and escapes frost.
Black Twig
Apple stores extremely well & has shown resistance to pests & disease. Juicy, breaking, & aromatic.
VA Beauty
Apple stores very well. Ripens in October. Apple is fine-grained, tender, with a light sweet flavor
Smokehouse
Good all purpose apple. A virgorous grower. Flesh is crips & tender with a subacid flavor.
Baldwin
This apple is good for cider and winter storage. It has a rich and strong flavor with some russeting.