Donald Fruit & Mercantile Heritage Apple Tree Collection

The Donald Fruit & Mercantile Heritage Apple Tree Collection is located adjacent to Piety Flats Winery in Wapato, Washington. For directions

Please note, we do not sell wood for grafting or nursery trees from this Collection. We are including this information because the orchard is a local attraction and can be easily visited as it is adjacent to our winery.

November 2006 update - Now that we have removed 1/3 of the antique trees, if you are are interested in old varieties please contact Trees of Antiquity, Paso Robles, CA.

Visitors can view and "test bite" these heritage apples during fall harvest, or have a picnic near the orchard while enjoying a glass of premium Washington wine at Piety Flats winery.

Row 6:

1 – Braeburn: New Zealand, 1952 (chance seedling of Granny Smith?), new late-season apple of very high quality. Fruit is medium to large size with an orange-red blush over a green-yellow background. Quite tart and firm, good for eating and makes a fabulous pie. Rated highly in fruit trials in Oregon and Washington. Very precocious in bearing.

2 – Fort Simcoe: The scion wood for this tree came from one of the apple trees at Fort Simcoe, near White Swan. It is possible that the Fort Simcoe apple trees came from the St. Joseph Mission, out beyond Ahtanum. It is also possible that it also originated from an apple tree at Fort Simcoe.

3 – Fuji: Japan, 1962 (Ralls Janett x Delicious). A tall, rectangular, medium sized apple with yellowish-green skin and orange-red flush with darker stripes. Flesh white, firm and crunchy, with excellent fruity flavor. Needs warm fall weather for best flavor.

Row 5:

4 – Red Gravenstein: Germany 1873. Large, yellow, striped with red. Flesh is firm, crisp, juicy, subacid and aromatic. The large, vigorous tree is early to bear, productive and hardy. Ripens over several weeks. A traditional summer favorite. It is a poor pollinator.

5 – Lady: (Christmas Apple, Api), France, 1600. Fruit small to very small, borne often in clusters, not quick to bear, but reliable. Susceptible to apple scab where springs are wet. Flesh white, firm, fine-grained; flavor aromatic, mild subacid becoming nearly sweet. Traditionally was used in Christmas decorations and stockings, hence the name Christmas Apple. Keeps all winter.

6 – Cox’s Orange Pippin: England, 1830 (seedling of Ribston Pippin). Fruit medium, red and yellow, usually striped. Flesh yellow, firm, crisp, very juicy, aromatic. Highly esteemed in England as a dessert apple; produces an excellent apple in cooler summer climates. One of the best apples for espalier.

7 – Spitzenburg: (Esopus) New York, prior to 1800. Fruit medium to large; skin tough, russet dots, red-over-yellow with inconspicuous stripes. Flesh tinged yellow, firm, aromatic, sprightly subacid. Unexcelled in flavor or quality. Thomas Jefferson’s favorite apple.

8 – Arkansas Black: Arkansas, 1870. Originally from Benton County. Notably beautiful, mid-sized apple with dark purplish-red to almost black fruits when mature. Possibly a Winesap seedling with crisp, juicy, firm, yellow flesh. Excellent keeper has aromatic flavor for ciders, fresh eating or canning.

9 – Standard Delicious: This parent of Red Delicious has superior flavor and crispness to the red offspring in the supermarket bin. Green skin with red stripes and the familiar elongated shape and five points at the bottom.

10 – Pink Pearl: California. A pink-fleshed, pearly-skinned apple that is not just a novelty, but a good-tasting tart apple with firm flesh. Blooms very attractive, darker pink than most. Makes pink applesauce and attractive fruit tarts. An Albert Etter introduction.

11 – Wagener: New York, 1847. Tree dwarfish to medium size. Skin tough, pinkish-red over pale yellow. Flesh whitish, fine-grained, juicy; flavor subacid, aromatic high flavor when well grown. Flavor improves after frost. The variety that may have been called Yosemite was found to be a Wagener last year.

12 – Gala: New Zealand, 1965 (Kidd’s Orange Red x Golden Delicious). A grandchild of Cox Orange Pippin, with some of the aromatic qualities of that famous apple, but very crisp and sweet without the tang of Cox. Heavy red striping over golden skin, a beautiful apple. Precocious bearer.

13 – Wickson Crabapple: California. Another Albert Etter variety named after E.J. Wickson, a distinguished California pomologist. Excellent cider apple, spicy, with lots of sugar and a pronounced acid tang. Size is that of a large crab apple. Reputed to make wonderful champagne cider. Delicious for eating fresh also.

14 – Opalescent: Ohio, 1899. A very attractive apple, being large, shapely, clear yellow, nearly or quite covered with brilliant red. Introduced by McNary and Gaines.

Row 4:

15 – Bisbee Red Delicious: A very productive-type Red Delicious sport. It was one of the more popular Red Delicious varieties for quite a few years.

16 – Twenty Ounce: Origin unknown, about 1850. Very large, striped red over a greenish background color. Flesh white and semi-firm. Excellent midseason cooking apple also good for dessert. Medium-sized tree comes into bearing young.

17 – Westfield See No Further: Massachusetts, 1796. Fruit medium size, uniform. Skin tough, smooth, deep yellow or greenish, shaded dull red. Flesh pale yellow, firm, medium-grained, crisp, rich, complex, sometimes astringent. Crispest mid-season apple.

18 – Rall’s Janett: A small to medium apple with yellow or greenish skin flushed, matted and streaked red. It has scars and whitish dots. The flesh is firm, fine, crisp and tender with a subacid flavor that is slightly sweet. The trees are very late flowering and the season is late.

19 – Pitmaston Pineapple: England, 1785. A small golden nugget, tall and conic in shape, with crisp, yellowish, firm flesh and rich pineapple-like flavor.

20 – Rambo: Hauser Strain—The Rambo has a pale greenish-yellow matted skin with red stripes. The flesh is firm, fine, tender and whitish. It is a subacid apple that begins ripening in early July here in Zone 7 (Georgia). It is one of the very best apples for jelly, pies and drying. This variety dates back to the late 1500’s.

21 – Northern Spy: New York, 1800. Large vigorous tree. Best winter apple in the East, also does well in N. Calif. Fruit large, attractive, red and yellow, thin-skinned. Flesh yellowish, rather firm, very tender, crisp, juicy, sprightly subacid. Stores well. Good in the mouth or pie.

22 – Northern Sweet: Vermont, 1849. Fruit yellow or sometimes with a crimson cheek. Flesh whitish, fine tender, juicy, sweet, very good; season mid-autumn. It is a good apple for the home orchard but not desirable for commercial purposes.

23 – Wealthy: Minnesota, 1860. Very hardy tree that is also low chill. Flesh whitish sometimes stained with red, tender, very juicy, flavor sweet subacid. Skin red, sometimes striped red.

24 – York Imperial: First propagated in 1830, this large apple is intermediate to flat, rectangular with bright green or yellow skin with light red or pinkish red flush. The flesh is firm, crisp, tender, yellowish. The flavor is subacid, aromatic, and the season is late to very late. This is another apple that is outstanding for baking pies, making cider, and is a great keeper.

25 – Jonagold: Geneva, NY, 1953 (Golden Delicious x Jonathan). Another great dessert apple from NY Fruit Testing Station. Large fruit with scarlet red over yellow-green skin. Cream colored flesh, breaking, juicy. Good for pies, sauce or fresh. Tree sturdy, spreading and productive.

26 – Rhode Island Greening: Rhode Island, 1650. Large and vigorous tree. Fruit medium to large size. Skin moderately thick, green, waxy, flesh yellowish, firm crisp, juicy, rich, peculiarly-flavored. Among the best pie apples. Triploid.

Row 3:

27 – Williams: MA 1750’s. Fruit is a beautiful bright red. Flesh is red-tinged, firm, moderately crisp, juicy, yet mildly subacid with an agreeable flavor. Good for desserts. Can become a large apple with small crops. Tree is an annual reliable cropper. Harvest is mid-summer.

28 – Yellow Bellflower: (Summer Bellflower) New Jersey, 1742. Tree medium to large, susceptible to apple scab. Fruit quite variable in size, with attractive yellow color and pinkish blush when lots of sun. Flesh whitish, firm, fine-grained, rather tender, aromatic, quite acid early season. A favorite for baked apples.

29 – Sierra Beauty: California. Large, blocky, handsome apple with green and yellow skin, striped or blushed red. A favorite apple from Boonville, CA. Juicy, very crisp and tart. A good seller in farm markets and an excellent keeper.

30 – Golden Delicious: West Virginia, 1890. This widely adaptable golden apple is an ideal pollenizer because it blooms midseason and has three different sets of blooms. The crop can be picked over a period of time. Fruit off your own tree is much better than that in the store.

31 – Bramley’s Seedling: England, 1813. Favorite cooking apple of the English. A large green apple with a sharp acid taste and very high in Vitamin C. A large, vigorous tree. Triploid.

32 – Sundowner: Golden Delicious x Lady Williams; developed recently in a western Australia breeding program. It is picked after Pink Lady, in mid-November!

33 – Mutsu: (Crispin), Japan, 1948 (Golden Delicious x Indo). Vigorous hybrid with large fruit. Skin green, maturing to yellow, sometimes blushed orange. Flesh yellow-white, firm, juicy, crisp but coarse; slightly aromatic. All-purpose apple, and a favorite with the kids at tastings. Highly resistant to frost injury. Triploid.

34 – Elstar: Holland, 1955 (Golden Delicious x Ingrid Marie). Red stripe over yellow, large fruit with firm flesh. Now one of Europe’s most popular apples. Flavor reminiscent of Cox’s Orange Pippin. Heavy bearer.

35 – Grimes Golden: This apple originated with Thomas Grimes in Brook County, West Virginia and was first known in 1804. This fine old variety is well known wherever apples are grown. The skin is golden-yellow with a little russet and the flesh is soft, coarse cream tinged with orange. The flavor is subacid rich and aromatic. The season is late to very late.

36 – Baldwin: Massachusetts, 1784. Fruit medium to large, sometimes very large. Skin yellow, flushed orange, striped red. Flesh firm to coarse, yellowish; flavor sweet, and crisp. Good cider base. Often a biennial bearer. Triploid.

Row Two:

37 – Criterion: Parker, WA, 1973 (Red Delicious x Yellow Delicious x Winter Banana). Flesh is notably crisp, firm, and juicy. Tastes mild and sweet, with a touch of tartness, and good aroma suffuses it all. Can be recommended for all kitchen uses, plus drying. Following the October harvest, it will keep its quality for some months.

38 – Ashmead’s Kernel: England, 1700. An old English winter russet, medium sized, golden-brown skin, with crisp, dense, yellowish flesh, characteristic of russets, sugary and aromatic with intense flavor. Winner of taste tests.

39 – Duchess of Oldenburg: Russia, 1700. Fruit medium to large; color pale yellow covered with splashes and stripes of pinkish red. Excellent flavor with tart overtones. Very good for cooking.

40 – Newtown Pippin: (Yellow Newtown), New York, 1759. Does well in California. Shape oblate; skin green to yellow, often russeted, with white dots. Flesh yellowish or tinged with green, firm, crisp, moderately fine grained, sprightly aromatic flavor. A good keeper. The California Clone variety of this is similar to the Yellow except has a flatter shape, is slightly drier, and has a more intense flavor.

41 – Smokehouse: Pennsylvania, 1837. Large flat apple, flushed dull red over greenish- yellow. Flesh crisp, yellowish, moderately fine and tender, flavor subacid with a fresh cider taste. Favorite apple at a tasting in the Napa Valley.

Row 1: (next to highway)

42 – Yellow Transparent: (White Transparent), Russia, (Europe 1870). Medium-to-large fruit with transparent pale yellow skin. Crisp, sweet and juicy, but has a very short life after ripe on or off the tree. Often picked in a greener stage for cooking. Excellent for sauce, pie and drying. Bears very young and heavily. Thin for best size.

43 – Calville Blanc D’Hiver: France or Germany, 1598. Uniquely shaped medium-to-large size fruit, skin yellow with light red flush. Flesh tender, yellowish-white; flavor sweet, subacid, aromatic. Higher in Vitamin C than an orange. This is the gourmet culinary apple of France.

44 – Transcendent Crabapple: A variety of Siberian crab, these red cheeked, yellow crabs make excellent jelly. Pink and white blossoms have a marvelous perfume.

45 – Akane: (Tokyo Rose), Japan, 1970 (Jonathan x Worcester Permain). Round bright red with crisp juicy flesh and the sprightly flavor of Jonathan. Good fresh. School boy size, needs thinning for good size. Precious (early bearing) and cold hardy.

46 – Wolf River: Wisconsin, prior to 1881. Enormous fruits, often one pound or more. Famous for one pie from one fruit. Pale yellow skin almost covered with pale dull red. Soft, tender, creamy white flesh. Mostly used for baking and pies, but in the right climate on sandy soil it becomes a good dessert apple. Resistant to scab, mildew, fire blight and cedar-apple rust.

47 – White Permain: Midwest, prior to 1858. Tree vigorous. Fruit medium-to-nearly large, uniform, pale greenish, usually with one side blushed red. Flesh firm, crisp. Dessert apple, mildly subacid and pleasantly aromatic. Once a very popular apple in the Napa Valley, well adapted to coastal districts of California, including Southern Calif.

48 – Alexander: (Grand Alexander) Russia, before 1817. Very large, attractive, red or striped fruit. Primarily used for sauce, cooking to a juicy lemon puree. Eaten fresh, quite sweet, slightly scented. Good for home orchards, as it ripens continuously over a period of about four weeks. Tree is hardy, vigorous, and moderately productive. The Eberhardts in Maine helped resurrect this old variety.

49 – Fameuse: (Snow Apple) Canada, prior to 1824. One of the oldest and most desirable dessert apples, a parent of the aromatic McIntosh. Medium-sized red apple with snow-white flesh.

Visit the Donald Fruit & Mercantile Heritage Apple Tree Collection for a picnic in the apple orchard, to view these unusual heritage apple trees, or to “test bite” an unusual apple during the fall harvest.

and Mercantile
2560 Donald-Wapato Road
Wapato, WA 98951
Tel. (509) 877-3115
Email info@pietyflatswinery.com