There are a number of excellent modern apple varieties. The following are recommended for home orchards.


Spigold

The vigorous trees have an upright growth habit and bear heavy crops. They do require proper training. This variety was a cross between Golden Delicious and Northern Spy or Red Spy, which explains the name. Spigold is a triploid, meaning it can’t pollinate other varieties.

This is suitable for zones four through eight. It was introduced in 1962 by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva.

The very large, aromatic, juicy fruits are especially delicious. These are somewhat conical. These ripen in mid September to mid October. This is one of the best eating apples with a balanced flavor. The skin is a light green or yellow with medium red stripes.

These have melt in your mouth goodness. The flesh is cream colored to yellow. This is firm, crisp, and fine grained. The flavor is sweet, tart, and spicy with a good aftertaste. This is recommended for salads, applesauce, baked goods, freezing, and pie. It is excellent as a dessert fruit. This is also great for blended ciders.


Sweet 16

Easy to grow, this disease resistant variety is resistant to fire blight and scab. The medium-sized, vigorous upright trees are very hardy. These are recommended for zones three through seven.

It blooms mid-season, which is later than some apples. It begins bearing at a young age, bearing large crops of fruits every year. This is by far the best flavored eating apple for northern climates. For a pollinator, use Enterprise or Stark September Wonder Fuji. Northern Spy was one of the parents.

This has medium to large, aromatic fruits in multiple shades of red with yellowish-green. These are somewhat round to conical. This mid season variety ripens in early fall—usually in mid September. The crisp, firm, juicy fruits have a fine texture. They’re known for their very distinctive, rich flavor that blends sweetness with nuttiness and spicy overtones with a hint of vanilla or anise. Due to their outstanding flavor, they’re great as a dessert fruit.

This is excellent for blended ciders. These are great for eating fresh. The high quality fruits are all purpose. They store fairly well—usually until mid-winter.