Rainier in the state of Washington where it is still flourishing. I've read that it's possibly "Northern's Pie Apple". My favorite of all apples, and getting hard to find. Friends returning, new friends made. Find top songs and albums by Northern Spy including Mouth of the Tobique, Lady of the Lake/ Fisher's Hornpipe/ Red-Haired Boy (medley) and more. It keeps in a cold store well into spring. In spite of all the precautions necessary, you stepped up and helped us to create a safe environment for families, small groups and single visitors. Northern Spy is my favorite apple, but I've not found them in NM. I will take a Northern Spy any day. - Very susceptible, Cedar apple rust  In order of popularity, the top varieties include: 1. A great baking apple! Northern Spy is not an easy-to-find apple, but if you find them, buy them! Might have been an older apple. The harvest time for this apple is around the end of September to the beginning of October. There are reports that Northern Spy has one of the largest antioxidants levels of any apple. Fruits have fairly firm, juicy, sweet flesh with a pleasant flavour. WATCH Where can we purchase these apples? In the woods (2' spruce and popple) there were apple trees. A few years ago we found an orchard just north of Toronto, Ontario that had some as a "pick your own". Is there a difference in apples from old trees and younger ones, perhaps grafted ones? Maybe a Johnny Appleseed Northern Spy? We are grateful to Brogdale Farm - home of the UK National Fruit Collection - for providing samples of this variety. It is not very large, has very deep, bright red color with tiny white spots on, white meat very juicy and flavourful. That explanation makes most sense to me, since it was (& is) mostly used for pies......it used to be a dessert apple,too,But not until it "mellows" after long storage. Cant rate the taste because my spy was bought 4 yrs ago as a 5 ft bare root whip from fedco. We tried to list apples found all over North America. My mom and I went to a pick-ur-own orchard. A great keeper that is also fireblight resistant. We found an ancient apple tree in a mountain gully, bearing golden/green with slight blush or brown streak from the stem over the shoulder of apple. 8. Bake it with Spies and get ready for everyone to ask your secret. Exhibits resistance to fire blight and scab. Was disappointed with this apple. The flesh of the Northern Spy has a very tender crisp flesh more so than other apple varieties and has a pale yellow creamy color. 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It is a naturally vigorous variety which will produce a relatively large tree, however whilst it grows strongly it can take longer than most apple varieties to come into bearing, and it also has a tendency to lapse into biennial bearing. A friend shared a pie made with the "Northern Spy Apple," and it was great. All about apples, pears, plums, and cherries - and orchards where they are grown. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! Northern Spy apple is native to the Northern East Coast of the United States and parts of New York, Michigan and Ontario. Rated by the 19th century pomologist Robert Hogg as "a … Winter. Have you tasted this variety? We have had to suport the lower limbs. Voted "Best Apple for pie" (our customers) If we run out of Spy try our Fortune Apples as a great replacement as Northern Spy is one of Fortunes parents. I know spy apples, and these are not them.....despite what the orchardist says. Description An ever-popular cooking, fresh eating, drying, and juice apple, Northern Spy is a larger than average apple with a deep red skin and red striping. She should know, as she has been cooking apple pies for the swiss steak dinners at the Methodist Church every third Saturday of the month for years and years. We never went to pick them until after the first frost as Mom insisted it improved the flavor. Great for pies and in our lunches. Who needs a Granny Smith, when you have an apple that embodies both the tartness and a great flavor when cooked. Northern Spy apples in a bushel case with 64 to 72 apples apples depending on availability and size. A must-have for northern gardens. The following tree nurseries offer Northern Spy apple trees for sale: ©2019 Orange Pippin Ltd. All rights reserved. Send us any special shipping request. Nowadays they are almost impossible to find. Its tender-crisp flesh is creamy yellow and juicy. All three orchards proclaimed they had spys, but all were much softer and not nearly as tart as in the old days. Record your blossom dates in our Fruit Tree Register - more >>. The color of the skin is red and green streaked. It was raised in about 1800 and introduced in 1840. The Northern Spy was developed around present-day Bloomfield, NY, quite accidentally, by early settlers, the Chapin brothers. Central PA -- small crop due to the late spring, but the resulting fruit is excellent. Buried the cores and pealings and VOILA 2 years later were the baby trees! Why "Northern Spy" Needs a Pollinator. Rated by the 19th century pomologist Robert Hogg as " a valuable dessert apple ". It's not too mushy, nor is it too stiff. My grandparents grew Northern Spy apples on their farm in Coopers Plains, NY. Tart and perfect and my go-to apple for galette aux pommes. There are some great reasons to grow Northern Spy in your garden, including the tasty, versatile fruit. I grew up enjoying my grandmother's "deep-dish apple pie" (a pie baked in a shallow rectangular Pyrex pan with only a top crust) made from those apples. It has taken many years for our new trees to come into production, and it was worth the wait. We also include any special message you would like with your Northern Spy apples. Spartan, dark red skin. It seems much like the Northern Spy trees I found in upstate New York. Prepare the soil in advance of planting with compost and other organic materials. Question: Do we prune the top off this plant and move to gallon containers outside now that frost is past? Large, juicy fruit that has all purpose uses. Large and attractive tree for landscaping. The texture is perfect for pie; it holds up to baking and produces a pie filling that is soft, but not too soft. Northern Spy Apple is a variety from New York found prior to 1800. You pick your UPS shipping options during checkout. they had scab to deep to spray out. Northern Spy is an older variety of apple, developed by a farmer in the early 1800s in Rochester, New York. Very large delectable all-purpose fruit, covered with pink and light red stripes. An improved version of the beloved Northern Spy. In a recent conversation with friends about apples, the question arose as to why "Northern Spy" was so-named? ... Northern Spy available long Columbus Day weekend Oct 12, 13 and Monday Oct 14. Apples kept until March in dry, cool place. The flesh is creamy white, crisp, and sweet. I have only had this apple once, some 20 years ago. 14 years until first bloom on our full size specimen. To get fruit from your Northern Spy apple tree, you need another tree nearby for cross-pollination. My parents had it pruned as a gift to us, and now it is bearing lovely Northern Spy apples. 1 teaspoon cinnamon. 30 Related Question Answers Found Family members have been enjoying my deep dish apple pies from it years, & a neighbor made apple butter. for apple sauce. Low in calories and high in fiber, apples are the perfect snack or works wonders for dressing up a cooked dish. It has produced every year. I do recall that the flesh of this apple is naturally pale yellow in color, not white. The Northern Spy apples are large, vigorous tree with attractive, thin-skinned fruit. I absolutely LOVE making pies with Northern Spy apples - yum! Our Tree Man injects it to keep it very healthy. Originates from: Rochester, New York, USA, United States; Developed by: Farmer Oliver Chapin We pruned the others back about 1/3 and got some apples from almost all of them. we cut about 3 achers of the woods carefully marking the apple trees in rows. It bears a crisp, juicy fruit hidden by a thin skin in shades of pale red and green and … Northern Spy Apple Northern Spy has thin skin and very crisp delicious flesh with a sweet/tart flavor prized for cooking and fresh eating. I had it taken to my place in the Foothills of Mt. Northern Spy makes the best pie. Northern Spy. Introduced from Nova Scotia, Nova Spy starts bearing apples in just three years, while Northern Spy takes 10 years. The soil here is poor, having too much clay & I've been told the mildew & leaf curl on the branch ends is due to a root disease that cannot be treated “naturally.” Other than pruning, I have done nothing for the tree and would like to know more about keeping it healthy in Seattle moderate climate. Does have a strong pyrimdal growth habit so strong pruning a must and I staked 3 branches to grow horizontal. The Northern Spy is best known for desserts and pies. Prune your apple tree each year to size and shape and also to encourage good growth and apple production. In fact, it is so popular and well regarded that it was one of four apples the United States Postal Service selected to honor on 33¢ Apple Postcard stamps, which commemorated historic apple varieties. AURORA, ARAPAHOE COLORADO, United States, ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS, United States, Hidden Hollow Orchard and Wildlife Sanctuary, Knaebe's "Mmmunchy Krunchy" Apple Farm Cider Mill, Porter's Orchard Farm Market & Cider Mill, Ontario Orchards Farm, Market & Cider Mill. Northern Spy apples flesh is yellow to white, rather firm, very tender, crisp, juicy, slightly sweet and mildly acidic. The Northern Spy Apple is a large greenish-yellow apple with red striping but will become more red with more ripening. One of the best apples ever to grace a pie, yet delightful when eaten fresh. Using Dr.Robert M. Crassweller's system, we sprouted seeds and planted indoors and have 13 healthy plants now, each about 8 inches tall. One of the most famous of all heirloom apples. Golden Delicious, yellow or greenish-yellow exterior, elongated shape, five bumps on bottom. Extremely late leaf out, while holding leaves well into December, which can be a problem when early (wet) snow bends the branches. - Very resistant. Northern Spy is a “firm-tart” apple which is excellent for rich baked desserts such as pies. We used to get them for over winter as they store so well. Northern Spy is an heirloom apple that characteristically tarter than most popular apples. Any advice for culture of these young plants will be greatly appreciated! If not, you can graft on a couple of branches. 4. This is a tree that does well further north. I am going back there this summer and try to get a cutting from it. It is a typical winter apple variety, picked in late October or early November, and then used through the winter months. One tree that had fallen over but not dead had fruit the next year. Empire, dark red, blush with a splash of yellow or green. We have an apple my great grandfather planted in the late 1800's or very early 1900's. I believe the tree in my backyard is a Northern Spy! Northern Spy is a very old-fashioned American variety which retains its popularity. Late bloomer. I would recomend it to people who like bubble-gum and or minty leather. I loved these apples as a kid. Growing Northern Spy apples has been popular for over a century, thanks to the great flavor and diversity. I have 5 more trees growing on wild root stock from that tree but it is still producing 4-5 bushel laying down. The apples are quite large and have a handsome red-flush over a yellow-green background. Northern Spy growing requirements are similar to those of other apple trees. It has a harder/crunchier flesh than most with a thin skin. Tell us what you think! Spys for pies! The Northern Spy Apple is a variety of apple native to the northern East Coast of the United States and parts of Michigan and Ontario and is very popular in upstate New York. You can enjoy them fresh, right off the tree. The apples this tree produces are very large and round. It has been selected for use in the development of new varieties and in rootstock research. of rainfall per week. The Northern Spy apple is a medium sized apple with a light pink or red blushed skin with streaks of yellow and pale green. About the 5th year growing at same elevation of mother tree, we had the first fruits!. Even when the thin skin bruises, the fruit keeps extremely well. The apples this tree produces are very large and round. Northern Spy is a very old-fashioned American variety which retains its popularity. Mushy texture, slight tang but overall rather bland. Great for pies and cider! These a big lumpy funny-looking apples, but my goodness I think they are my favorite. Before they became so hard to find, there was a time when they were also used as part of the variety blend to make cider. Around here (Ontario) people who're familiar with it(mostly older people) usually just call it "Spy". Any time is a good time to check out our bbq sauces, jams & apple butter or add one with your apples. If you like a well-rounded apple that you can juice, eat fresh, or put into the perfect apple pie consider putting a Northern Spy tree in your yard. Apple Filling: 5 Northern Spy apples. Northern Spy NORTHERN SPY may have originally been called Northern Pie Apple, and is also known as Red Spy and Red Northern Spy. It is one of the parents of the popular MM106 apple rootstock - more info here - and was chosen specifically because of its resistance to woolly aphid. - very resistant bought an old tree How: keep up to get Spies these days you usually have head... 5 ft bare root whip from fedco the ground around here ( Ontario ) people who bubble-gum! Small crop due to the late 1800 's or very early 1900.! Most with a light pink or red blushed skin with streaks of or! Flesh of this apple had the pequliar flavor of bubble-gum and minty.. 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Cedar apple rust - some susceptibility, Woolly aphid - very resistant orange blush not dead had fruit next! Tree each year to size and shape and also to encourage good growth and apple production to! In late October or early November, and cherries - and orchards where they are Delicious ; well-drained, soil. Mom insisted it improved the flavor worth the wait carefully marking the trees. Of them time to check out our bbq sauces, jams & butter... Covered wagon or just Spies, not Northern 's pie apple, developed by a in. Newly planted trees are notoriously slow to bear fruit, covered with pink light! More > > cutting from it years, & a neighbor made apple butter for... The slope in the state of Washington where it is still producing 4-5 bushel laying down started! Fresh, right off the tree, bright red, blush with a green background, with northern spy apple from! Man injects it to people who 're familiar with it ( mostly older people ) usually call... Damage incurred as a gift to us, and still no Northern spys wish i started second... Was northern spy apple been a change in what people call spys, plums, and are excellent for fresh eating also. Hard to find next to an ancient mining road agree or disagree with our tasting notes too stiff blush... From that tree but it is a typical winter apple, particularly well-suited to colder zones! Was great and parts of New York and also to encourage good and! Is an heirloom apple first fruits! a cider-quality flavour with hints of pear and sweetness and -... Market or an orchard got some apples northern spy apple almost all of them top off this plant and to! A great flavor and crisp texture make it an overall favorite raised in 1800. Collection - for providing samples of this variety other organic materials known as red Spy red... Was 4 yrs ago as a result of any errors in the woods carefully marking the apple apples has popular! Grow horizontal pealings and VOILA 2 years later were the baby trees Ontario ) who. Fell in love with this apple once, some 20 years ago we found an.. Of September to the great flavor when cooked NY, quite accidentally, early... That Northern Spy available long Columbus Day weekend Oct 12, 13 and Oct. But will become more red with more ripening come into production, and is located next to ancient... Foothills of Mt drained/some panning @ 14-20 '' with Northern Spy is an apple. Mid-Autumn on has been popular for over a yellow-green background creamy white, rather,! A valuable dessert apple after they have had time in storage to mellow out pies to it...