McIntosh x Longfield. University of Minnesota, 1943. Large, red-striped fruit with a sweet, pleasant flavor. Excellent flavor, good for eating. Good storage life. One of the most popular apples in Minnesota. Resistant to cedar-apple rust. Unsuitable pollinator for Connell Red.
The Frostbite apple packs a punch. It’s almost tangy, very sweet and juicy. Biting into it is almost like biting into a piece of sugarcane. Savoring its juice tastes almost like molasses melting in your mouth. By its late harvest season the fruit is only about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. At maturity, it has a striped, maroon-red skin over a gold-yellow background. Its firm and juicy, cream colored flesh, delivers small, intensely sweet bites. This apple is great for making cider.
Frostbite apple is extremely cold hardy. It has performed for decades in USDA Zone 3b (-30 to -35°F). This durability allows Frostbite to thrive in northern climates where very few good quality apples can grow. Frostbite has been a key apple in the U of M’s breeding program since the 1920’s. Its extreme cold hardiness and unique flavor make it an excellent apple to cross with other varieties. Frostbite is a parent to Keepsake and Sweet 16, and a grandparent to Honeycrisp.
A Bailey Nurseries introduction, this red selection of Haralson apple was discovered by Louis Lautz, an orchardist from La Crescent, MN. The fruit is redder and earlier than the standard Haralson, yet retains all the good qualities of Haralson: juicy, tart, firm, good keeper, extremely hardy, and fireblight resistant. This is an excellent variety for northern United States and Canada. Unsuitable pollinator for Haralson.
Malinda x Wealthy. University of Minnesota, 1923. Named after Charles Haralson, superintendent of the U of MN Fruit Breeding Farm. A natural, semi-dwarf tree that produces medium-sized red fruit. Hard, crisp, and tart. Good dual purpose apple. One of the most popular apples in Minnesota. Often bears fruit the first year. Prone to biennial bearing. Keeps well, will store until March. Fine hardy, winter variety. Unsuitable pollinator for Haralred®.
Keepsake x unnamed seedling. University of Minnesota, 1991. An exciting apple that is exceptionally crisp and juicy. Flavor is sweet but well-balanced. Excellent storage life, up to 7 months. Has been rated equal to or higher in overall quality than Haralson, Honeygold, or Keepsake in winter storage trials. Ripens in late September in Minnesota and stores like a late season variety. Has become an outstanding commercial and home orchard variety because of its explosive crispness, flavor, and storage life.
Exceptional flavor and crisp texture, much like its parent Honeycrisp, this early ripening variety features much smaller fruit. Perfect size for snacking or kids’ lunches, with a good balance of sweet flavors and a crisp, juicy bite. Outstanding variety for homeowners, flowering early in the season and ripening in late August, the fruit is best fresh from the tree, hanging on for an extended period.
Fameuse x Detroit Red. Ontario, Canada, 1870. A well-known, older apple that has a sprightly flavor and a medium storage life. Nearly solid, bright red skin. Heavy bearer. Good for eating and baking. Fruit tends to drop when ripe.
Rescue x Melba. Saskatchewan, Canada, 1979. One of the earliest summer apples to ripen. Well suited to very cold regions. A natural, semi-dwarf tree that is precocious and productive. Attractive color, small to medium fruit. Good cooking or eating apple. Very hardy. Keeps about 16 weeks in cold storage. Fruit must be picked before full maturity for storage or use.
Goodland x Mantet. From Manitoba, this apple stands out because of its superior cold hardiness. The flesh is white, crisp, and sweeter than Goodland. Delicious eaten out of hand and may also be used for cooking. Introduced by Jeffries Nurseries Ltd.
Sharon x Connell Red. Another example of the University of Minnesota’s expertise in the development of cold-hardy apple varieties. A cross between Sharon and Connell Red, SnowSweet® has a deliciously sweet, slightly tart taste. Slow to oxidize when exposed to air. Honeycrisp is a good pollinator. Above-average resistance to scab and fireblight.
Mantet x Oriole. University of Minnesota, 1978. Medium-sized, red-striped fruit. Flavor is sprightly tart and good for eating and baking. Good texture, semi-acid to sweet. All-purpose apple. One of the better early apples for northern locations. Short storage life.
MN447 x Northern Spy. University of Minnesota, 1978. Medium-sized, red-striped apple with crisp, juicy texture. Excellent sweet, unusual flavor, like cherry candy. Outstanding dessert apple. Fireblight resistant. Can be slow to come into bearing. Good success in Zone 3B.