Cider Apples

The Esopus Spitzenberg (1700's)

 

Rumored to be Thomas Jefferson's favorite eating apple from Monticello.  Jefferson operated Monticello as a working farm, growing apples for commerce.  The Esopus Spitzenberg, introduced sometime in the 1700s by an early Dutch settler for whom it was named, was grown in a settlement on the Hudson River in New York, called Esopus.  This was the apple Jefferson supposedly kept for himself.

An excellent cider apple that has a very sharp flavor with enough acid to balance the sweetness, the Esopus Spitzenberg is susceptible to many diseases afflicting heirloom apples. 

I was fortunate that mine turned out only partially afflicted despite their relative neglect over the past few years.  Our tree was very bountiful this year.

The E. Spitzenberg is a lovely green with a red blush and a buttery yellow flesh.

This variety is exceptionally high in malic acid, although  mild, it is good for digestion.  A nice eating apple, but an even nicer cider apple.