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Altapass, North Carolina

Hosts: Bill, Judy, Kit, & Gretchen

Pecks of apples for sale.

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Altapass Apples

Last updated on May 08, 2008

    May 2008:  The Orchard at Altapass enjoyed a fine blooming season this spring making way for prospects of a bumper crop of The Orchard's well-loved mountain apples. See the table below for apple descriptions and approximate harvest times. Bring your family to pick your own favorites, or choose from bags of apples harvested for you by our experienced staff members.  Photo below by Margaret vonRosen.

 For a larger image of each apple, please click on the photos below.

Grimes Golden

 

People visit from miles away to pick this parent apple of the Golden Delicious. The Grimes Golden is ready to pick in mid-September. It's sweet, delicate flavor is prized for eating, cider and  jelly.  It makes particularly fine apple butter.

Rome Beauty

Rome Beauty

 

Rome is the classic pie apple - firm and tart, and holds its shape.  Our supply of Rome Beauties is limited. Romes are available in late-September.

Virginia Beauty

 

 

Locally this is the favorite!  With a tender fruit, a very heady apple taste, and aroma that deepens after it is picked and wrapped in newspapers for several weeks.  Its color is wine with gold russeting at the stem.  Locals make milk shakes from very ripe Virginia Beauties.  It is also good for cobblers, pan-fried apples, and extra-sweet eating. Available around the end of September or early October.

Golden Delicious

Golden Delicious

 

Our Goldens have a red blush! This is because they are not picked before they are ripe and ready. This makes them crisp, sweet, and pungent - unlike most of those found in grocery stores.  They are great for snacking, and very fine for pies, cobblers and baked apples.  Golden Delicious hold their shape well when cooked. They are harvested in late September and early October.

Stayman-Winesap

 

Cooks and cider makers make annual visits to The Orchard to pick our Staymans (locally called Stayman-Winesaps.)  They are also the choice of people who like hard, crisp, medium tart eating apples.  No matter how many Stayman we are able to harvest, we always wish we had more. They are picked around the same time as the Golden Delicious, late September and early October.

King Lucious King Luscious

 

The largest apple we grow (it's huge) is very juicy and sweet - fine for eating and for light cooking. The King Luscious are best picked in mid-October.

Red Delicious Red Delicious

 

Our "Red" Delicious is a favorite lunch box apple. It is a long lasting sweet eating apple.  We also grow the old fashion Stark Red, a historical version of Red Delicious. Available in mid-October.

York Imperial

York Imperials

 

York is lopsided with a dull skin, but has a fabulous flavor and firm texture that improves when kept months in a cool place.  It contributes heavily to the great taste of our late fall cider and apple butter. Fine for eating and all cooking purposes. This is a late apple (mid-late October), but it gets sweeter as you keep it.


 

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