It is believed that the apple comes from the Dsungarian Alps, a tall mountain range separating Kyrgyzastan, Kasakhstan and China, in an area still hailed as “the original wild apple forest.”  Apples introduced before the beginning of the twentieth century are termed heritage, heirloom, antique, or historical apples.

Some of the varieties you will see in the Gibbs Museum Heritage Orchard:

Haralson
Most famous release by the University of Minnesota; selection date: 1913; public release date: 1924. Number one in acreage and consumer appeal. It is an offspring of the Malinda variety.

Noble Golden
Large, round, clear bright yellow with a few red spots; cooks into a richly flavored frothy puree. An English variety from 1820, it surpasses other eating apples in Vitamin C.

Yellow Newtown Pippin
Originated in Newtown, Long Island, in 1759, the seed carried to New York from England in 1666. Bred by early colonists to satisfy British quality standards, it kept well during the long ocean voyage. High quality dessert apple. Ripens in late October, but merits inclusion for of its historical significance.

Spitzenberg
Dates back to 1790, Jefferson’s first choice at Monticello. When he returned from his years as America’s minister to France, he planted more Spitzenbergs in his sprawling orchard. Red, crisp, aromatic yellow flesh and a rich sweet-tart flavor; ripens late, stores well, and unsurpassed as a winter eating apple. Marginally hardy in Minnesota, we have grafted it to a special rootstock that may increase its hardiness. Special steps are required to prepare it for winter.

Beacon
A later University of Minnesota release:1936. Highly popular; early maturing (late August); bright red, crisp, juicy. Its parents are two heritage varieties the Malinda and the Wealthy.

Wolf River
A teacher’s desk apple, the Wolf River originated near Wolf River, Wisconsin, about the time of the Civil War. Vigorous, extremely cold hardy, a premier drying apple; good for pies and other cooking.

Malinda
Vermont origin, introduced in 1860. Excellent eating, sweet after-taste, very hardy. Considered the number one ancestor and one of the parents of many Minnesota varieties, including Haralson, Chestnut Crab, Beacon, Sweet Sixteen, and Honeycrisp, and thus deserves a place in our Heritage Orchard.

Red Astrachan
Ancient Russian apple, known in America for 150 years. Ripens in early August; tart for eating out-of-hand, treasured for apple pie and sauce. Very hardy, but bears in alternate years.

McIntosh
Developed in Canada as early as 1810; number one apple in Canada and number three in the United States in 1990. Bright red, tender, thin skin, sprightly, tingly taste, appetizing aroma, and white flesh. Hardy, vigorous, ripens early to mid-September in Twin Cities.

Dolgo Crab
Russian ancestry; in America since pre-revolution. Premier variety for jelly; heavy pollen producer, attracts bees. Ripens in late August; very hardy, vigorous, resistant to scab, cedar apple rust, mildew, disease, and fire blight and may be somewhat insect resistant. Beautiful flowers and reddish green foliage.

Fameuse Snow Apple
Canadian origin from seeds brought from France in 1730; delicious for eating out-of-hand. One of the McIntosh’s parents. Popular in the United States for more than 150 years. Deep crimson, tender, aromatic, juicy, sweet and tart, hardy and long-lived.

Cox’s Orange Pippin
Emerged in 1825 from the orchard of Richard Cox, a retired English brewer; in America from the earliest days. A rich, nutty flavor blending sugars and acid; dull orange red fruit; flesh is yellow, firm, juicy, sweet with a slight tartness. Bears young, blooms late, and might be biannual. The parent of one of the "new" apples, the Gala.

Wealthy
Developed in 1860 by Peter Gideon in Excelsior, Minnesota, excellent early fall apple. Crisp, tender, very juicy, sub-acid flavor, often stained red. Excellent for eating, sauce, and best pie apple. Productive, extremely long-lived and hardy, but susceptible to disease.

Northwest Greening
Originated in Wisconsin in 1827 and is hardy, excellent for cooking. Similar and perhaps related to 1650 Rhode Island Greening variety, the favorite American cooking apple in Colonial times. An excellent cooking and drying apple from a long-lived tree.

Dudley
Most widely planted variety in the late 1800s in the northern United States. Bears young; heavy annual crops, extremely hardy and long-lived. An eighty-year-old Dudley orchard in Bayfield, Wisconsin, is still bearing. Firm, tender, aromatic, mild sub-acid juicy flesh.

Duchess Of Oldenberg
Russia upper Volga region origin, 1700. Reached America in 1835; medium large, red stripes over a yellow background. Juicy, rich sub-acid flavor; early-bearing, long-lived, hardy, and disease resistant. Number one commercial apple in the early 1900s.

Chestnut Crab
University of Minnesota 1946 release; with shared 1800s parents the Siberian crab and Malinda, an example of a full-size tree on a standard root stock. Not a "good looker"; yellowish brown, russeted, odd shaped, and slightly larger than most crab apples; finest-eating crab apple; called "the lunch bucket apple" because of its size—a preference of children during the "lunch bucket" era and of children visiting the Gibbs Museum.

The Gibbs Museum Heritage Orchard was researched, planned, and planted by Ralph Thrane, Master Gardener and resident horticulturist for the Gibbs Museum. We are indebted to Ralph for the generous sharing of his time and talent.