early harvest

Early Harvest, with its nearly thirty synonyms, is one of the oldest North American summer cultivars, probably originating in New York well before 1800, and introduced into Winthrop, ME around 1830 under the name Yellow Harvest.

The fruit is medium-sized, roundish-oblate, light yellow-green colored with a distinct splash of russet surrounding the stem cavity. The basin is shallow with an open calyx. The fruit turns a rich buttery yellow as it drops during the first week of August in central Maine. Early Harvest has been recommended for generations for both dessert and cooking. It’s quite tart unless it’s fully ripe. We think of it more as a cooking apple than a dessert apple. It makes a complex, interesting sauce that’s tart but not too much so.

Our scionwood was sourced originally from the USDA collection in Geneva NY (PI 589015) although I think I’ve also found trees in Maine. We lost ours to fire blight in 2020. We will replace it in the near future. Currently not growing at Super Chilly Farm.