Apple harvest guide
Use this guide to plan which apples you would like to look for during the season. Dates are estimates and can shift with weather, crop load, and orchard conditions.
Vista Bella Farm apple list
These varieties are listed from early season through late fall. The notes come from the farm variety sheet and are meant to help you choose apples for fresh eating, sauce, pies, baking, or keeping. Linked varieties open a detailed reference from Orange Pippin in a new tab.
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Based on the farm’s estimated September 15 harvest dates. Seasonal timing can shift, so please check before making a special trip.
| Expected date | Variety | Flavour and use | Farm notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 22 | Vista Bella | Juicy, tangy, aromatic. | The best early apple to date; only keeps a few weeks. |
| Aug 30 | Lodi | Soft flesh, sub-acid. | A great sauce apple, good for pies when green. |
| Aug 30 | Jersey Mac | Slightly aromatic. | A sweet, crisp apple with a distinctive flavour. |
| Sep 6 | Melba | Crisp, juicy, sub-acid. | Soft and tastes like a Mac; bruises very easily. |
| Sep 6 | Duchess | Acidic, good early cooker. | Crisp and acidic, with a fairly uniform taste. |
| Sep 6 | King | Acidic, good early cooker. | Useful early-season cooking apple. |
| Sep 15 | Paula Red | Crisp, sub-acid. | Very crisp, juicy, and sweeter than many. |
| Sep 15 | Geneva Crab | Dark red crab apple. | Red flesh, moderately bitter. |
| Sep 15 | Dolgo Crab | Bright red crab apple. | Tangy, juicy, slightly bitter. |
| Sep 15 | William's Pride | Rich, aromatic. | Hard, juicy, sweet early apple. |
| Sep 20 | Gravenstein | Juicy, tangy. | Excellent, hard, juicy, tangy apple. |
| Sep 20 | Gingergold | Mild and sweet, crisp and juicy. | Very crisp and juicy with a less acidic taste. |
| Sep 20 | Greensleeves | Crisp with a tougher skin. | Almost like Golden Delicious, though less acidic. |
| Sep 20 | Wealthy | Crisp, sub-acid, sprightly. | Crisp and juicy. |
| Sep 20 | Prima | Crisp, sub-acid. | Variable flavour. |
| Sep 20 | Kestrel | Crisp, sub-acid. | Nice tasting apple, small size. |
| Sep 20 | Lobo | Macintosh type, slightly more acid. | Large Macintosh-type apple, tangy. |
| Sep 30 | Honeycrisp | Firm, juicy, very crisp, mild, sweet. | Limited quantities; one of the best. |
| Oct 5 | MacIntosh | Juicy, sub-acid. | One of the best all-around apples. |
| Oct 5 | Snow | Aromatic, sub-acid. | Tasty and soft like a Macintosh. |
| Oct 5 | Liberty | Crisp, juicy. | Great eating apple. |
| Oct 5 | Wolf River | Hard, large keeper, good cooker. | Not a lot of flavour, but edible and a great cooker. |
| Oct 5 | Spartan | Crisp, aromatic, sub-acid. | A sweet, juicy apple with its own flavour. |
| Oct 10 | Cortland | Slow to brown, sub-acid. | Especially good for pies and salads; a strong all-around apple. |
| Oct 10 | Cox's Orange | Juicy, sub-acid, aromatic. | A very special flavour, crisp and aromatic. |
| Oct 10 | Greening | Rich, sub-acid. | Basically a cooker, but decent eating. |
| Oct 15 | Imperial Gala | Crisp, juicy, mildly aromatic. | Crisp with a flavour of its own; appealing. |
| Oct 15 | Jonagold | Crisp, sweet. | One of the best, with pear flavour but crisp and juicy. |
| Oct 15 | Empire | Aromatic, sub-acid. | A good apple though small, with great taste. |
| Oct 15 | Nova Spy | Crisp, hard, acidic. | A good cooking and keeping apple. |
| Oct 20 | Pumpkin Sweet | Large, green, sweet. | Like a Granny Smith, but not as crisp. |
| Oct 20 | Red Delicious | Juicy, sweet, hard. | Good eye appeal and quite consistent in taste. |
| Oct 20 | Honeygold | Juicy, sweet. | Skin is a little tough, but it has great flavour. |
| Oct 20 | Golden Delicious | Aromatic, sweet, juicy, hard. | One of the best-flavoured apples, used in many crosses. |
| Oct 30 | Ida Red | Firm, acid to sub-acid. | Develops flavour in storage when picked early. |
| Oct 30 | Bramley | Cooker, used extensively in England. | Very tart apple, excellent cooker. |
| Oct 30 | Northern Spy | Crisp, juicy, aromatic. | Old but durable, with special flavour for pies. |
| Oct 30 | Sandow | Crisp, aromatic. | Like a Spy. |
| Nov 5 | Egremont Russet | Fine, rich, aromatic. | An old variety with its best flavour after New Year's. |