At Cottonwood Farm, we believe that each apple cultivar produces its own unique apple that differs in size, color, texture, and taste. No two apple trees or apples are alike, and each apple has its own special flavor. Our goal to create amazing hard cider requires a variety of apples for juicing, resulting in a more complex fermented cider flavor. We’ve got apples that are tart, sweet, tangy, and mild. Flavors necessary for a great glass of cider.
There are over 40 apple cultivars growing in our orchard. Here is a list of each of our apples and their attributes.
Amere de Berthcourt
A customary cider apple found in French orchards, Amere de Berthcourt enhances the bittersweet tang in cider. Amere de Berthcourt can make a wonderful single varietal cider. When eating an Amere de Berthcourt apple, notes of vanilla and honey can be detected. This apple is yellowish-green, with red blush.
Antonovka
This cultivar is a “true to seed” variety, meaning a seed planted from this tree will produce another Antonovka. Tart in flavor, this yellow apple is also sweet.
Belle de Boeskoop
A large apple with greenish-yellow, lumpy skin with russeting. Belle de Boskoop has a sharp, aromatic flavor. This is an exceptional, all-purpose apple with a high acid content.
Black Oxford
Rarely found outside of Maine, Black Oxford is a striking apple with its deep crimson hue. Often mistaken for a plum, when viewed from a distance. Black Oxford is a medium-sized round fruit that has many uses. This apple is a good keeper and has a sharp, sweet flavor.
Bramley Seedling
The first Bramley Seedling tree grew from a seed planted by a young girl, Mary Ann Brailsford, in her garden in Nottinghamshire, England. This apple is still widely grown throughout England, and is considered to be the definitive English cooking apple. Large in size, these apples have a sharp- acidic flavor. Bramley Seedling is known for its distinctive apple flavor.
Campfield
Campfield apples are medium-size, with a round, but somewhat flattened shape. Smooth, greenish-yellow skin that reddens on the side exposed to the sun. This apple has a sweet and rich taste. Campfield is considered to be a proper cider apple.
Chestnut Crab
Used for cooking, cider, and fresh eating. Chestnut is a large crab apple with a sweet and nut-like flavor. Chestnut Crab is crisp and juicy. Perfect for adding an extra tart “pucker” to cider.
Cox Orange Pippin
A classic English apple, Cox Orange Pippin is considered to be the finest of all apples. This apple has complex flavors. Hints of freshly squeezed orange juice, honey, pear, melon and mango can be tasted. Some even say this apple has a spicy flavor. An excellent apple for cider blends.
Dolgo Crab
Beautiful little trees with white blossoms that later turn into deep pink fruit. Has a sharp flavor and is a good cider fruit because of its acidity and dark color.
Duchess of Oldenburg
Know for being an extremely hardy apple, Duchess of Oldenburg is a medium to large, light-yellow apple, with reddish stripes. Duchess of Oldenburg is a fragrant apple with a tart taste.
Connell Red
A large dark-red, good standard eating apple. Connell Red is a relative of Fireside apple. This apple stores well and is a good all-purpose apple..
Fireside
Large fruit with scarlet striped skin. Crisp, sweet, and juicy. The Fireside apple is excellent for eating, cider, or cooking.
Freedom
This apple is good for eating and juicing. Flesh is crisp, juicy and slightly tart. Freedom apple is perfect for mixing with other apples to achieve the perfect apple cider.
Frostbite
This is a unique small apple with a very sweet intense flavor. Frostbite apple is crisp with a firm texture and is very juicy. It is great for cider or cooking.
Golden Delicious
A very popular apple. It’s used for cooking, eating and cider. A fresh golden delicious apple can’t be beat in taste. This apple is medium in size and has a crisp and tangy flavor.
Golden Russet
A favorite with cider-makers, this apple is thought to be one of the very best varieties for hard cider. An apple with an exceptional sharp flavor, but not a “good-looking” apple because of its russeted greyish-green skin. Golden Russet is a juicy honeyed flavored apple.
Gravenstein
Popular in both Europe and North America because of its exceptional flavor. A medium apple with reddish-green skin and an oddly shaped body. Has a sweet/tart flavor. A hard cider favorite.
Haralred
Developed after Haralson. Ripens earlier than Haralson and is redder and sweeter. Haralred has a juicy, tart, and firm flesh. Perfect for cooking and cider
Haralson
This apple is great for cooking, eating and making apple cider. The Haralson apple has a firm texture that is crisp and juicy, with a mild tart flavor. This is an old time favorite.
Honeycrisp
This is a crisp, red apple with a sweet taste The Honeycrisp apple is medium in size. It’s mostly used for fresh eating but lends itself well to cooking and cider.
Honeygold
This apple’s flavor can be compared to Golden Delicious. Honeygold is a medium to large golden-greenish fruit that is somewhat sweeter than Golden Delicious.
Hunt Russet
An uncommon heirloom apple with an outstanding taste. This medium apple is yellow in color with patches of red. Hunt Russet is considered to be the attractive member of the Russet family. The Hunt Russet has an acidulous pear-like flavor. A good storage apple with many uses.
Jefferis
A sweet apple that is thinned skinned. Jefferis is a supreme early fall apple with a taste reminiscent of pear. Slightly aromatic, juicy apple with light red or darker red stripes.
Liberty
Medium sized fruit. Good for fresh eating and cooking. Flavor intensifies with storage.
Lodi
A yellow apple with a sharp flavor that ripens early. Good for baking, and juicing. Similar to Yellow Transparent apple but stores better. One of the first apples to ripen each season.
Maiden Blush
One of America’s oldest apples. This apple has pale yellow skin with a light rosy blush. Firm flesh that is sharp but mellows with age.
Michelin
This apple is an ancient bittersweet cider cultivar. Michelin is a small light-green apple that turns yellow with flushing when ripe. Juice from the Michelin apple is sweet and mildly astringent. This apple is a traditional hard cider apple, perfect for making blended ciders.
Red Astrachan
A flavorful sharp apple. Medium- sized, yellow crimson colored apple. Red Astrachan is known to burst open when it gets overripe. This tart flavored apple ripens early.
Red Baron
Medium sized pleasant tasting apple with a pear-like flavor. They are crisp, sweet, juicy and mild. Great for eating, pies and sauce.
Red Berlepsch
Medium in size, Red Berlepsch has a crisp and juicy texture. Its taste is similar to a pineapple. Red Berlepsch is considered to be an exciting taste adventure.
Red Prairie Spy
A nice all-purpose apple. Red and large in size. An excellent tart flavor that gets better in storage and with chilling. This apple is a great keeper.
Red Regent
Very pleasant flavor and texture. The apple has the right amount of acidity, crispness, and juicy texture. The Red Regent apple is lightly sweet, with a pleasant fruity taste. This apple is excellent for cooking, fresh eating, and cider.
Roxbury Russet
Know as America’s oldest apple that is still grown today. Large greenish, bronze tinged skin that often has yellowish-brown russet. Roxbury Russet is sweet and tangy with a nice apple aroma.
Smokehouse
This apple has a fresh cider flavor. Smokehouse apples are large and flattish. Yellow in color with red stripes. These apples are a good all-purpose apple.
Snow Fameuse (Snow Apple)
Snow Fameuse is one of the oldest dessert apples. This apple has a spicy, distinctive in flavor. Notes of raspberry and strawberry are often tasted when eating Snow Fameuse. Snow Fameuse is delicious fresh off the tree. Excellent in cider or when used in baking. One of the very few apples that often reproduce true to variety when established from seed.
Snowsweet
Sweet with a slight tartness. A firm texture that is slow to brown after it has been exposed to air. This is a delicious apple that has great flavor. Eat this apple fresh or it can be used for juicing or cooking.
State Fair
Round with a medium size. Firm in texture. State Fair is juicy and sweet, with a moderately tangy flavor. Excellent for fresh eating, cooking, and cider.
Sweet Sixteen
Large, red striped fruit, with a firm, crisp texture. Moderately acidic, Sweet Sixteen lends itself to making a nicely balanced cider. Can be used for cooking and fresh eating also.
Summer Rambo
Attractive, large, brightly striped, red apple. Honeyed in flavor. Exceptionally juicy, with a sub-acid, aromatic honeyed flavor. Summer Rambo ripens early.
Tolman Sweet
Excellent for cider. Large greenish-yellow apple, mild blushing and russeting, with a firm juicy flesh.
Transcendent Crab
A very pretty crabapple, Transcendent Crab is a golden- yellow, red kissed Siberian crab cultivar. This crab has a good astringent, sub-acid tang. Adds to a cider’s flavor complexity.
Wealthy
Excellent multi-use apple. Fruit ripens to bright red and is crispy and juicy. Wealthy is a favorite because of its complex flavor that is truly unique.
Whitney Crab
A large greenish-yellow crabapple with red blush and stripes. Sub-acidic flavor. Whitney Crab is great eaten picked right from the tree. Sweeter in flavor, this crab adds a nice nuance to hard cider..
Wine Crisp
Great flavor. Wine Crisp is a deep red, sweet, juicy and firm apple. It’s a good all-purpose fruit. Stores for many months.
Winesap
An old-time heirloom apple. Winesap is a medium to small red apple. Works great for eating, baking and cider. This apple has a tangy-tart flavor. Almost wine like. It is a good keeping apple.
Wolf River
Wolf River is a large greenish-yellow red-stripped apple. A sweeter apple that’s a loved heirloom type fruit.
Yellow Transparent
Our earliest apple to ripen, Yellow Transparent is great for cooking, juicing, and fresh eating. Crisp, light-textured, and juicy. This is well-balanced sweet apple. Yellowish-green in color.
Zestar
An early season apple with a good crisp sweet-tart flavor. Zestar is a medium apple that is mostly red in color. This apple is perfect for cooking and fresh eating. Its mild tartness blends well with other apples when making cider.