Cricklewood’s Apple Readiness Chart
Mother Nature is our boss, and all of our ripening dates are based on her behaviour in previous years.
Her habits can change without notice, therefore OUR time frames are best guesses only.
Each variety of apple has a roughly 7-14 day “ripeness window” when they are at their peak. Mother Nature decides that, too, so following our Twitter feed (see the right-hand side of this page on computers, or below on mobiles) to see if your favourite apple is ripe for the picking.
For up to the day information, our tweets, both on Twitter and on the sidebar, will keep you current. Or you can plan a visit for pick-your-own or apples in our market by checking out our hours here!
Please note that all apple varieties are now available as pick-your-own!
APPLE CHART
Listed in Order of Ripening
Each variety of apple has a roughly 7-14 day “ripeness window” when they are at their peak of freshness.
We have highlighted the most popular apples here. There are more varieties available that have just recently been planted, and others that have not yet been evaluated.
|
Scotia Mac Mid-August to early September. Juicy with a sweet, mildly tart flavour. Great for fresh eating and applesauce. Medium to large in size. We have very few trees so supply runs out quickly. |
|
Paula Red Mid-August to late September. All purpose apple. Juicy, mild tart/sweet flavour. Great for eating, sauce, pies and baking. Medium to large in size. We have very few trees so supply runs out quickly. |
|
New Variety #7 Late August to early September. Popular. Great tart, sweet flavour. Juicy with a thin skin. Small to medium in size. Excellent eating apple and can be used in pies, salads and baking. Resists browning when cut. |
|
New Variety #8 Late August to early September. Crisp, tart to sweet in flavour. Wonderful for sauce and good for eating, baking and makes a saucy pie. Large in size. |
|
Ginger Gold Late August to early September. All purpose apple. One of our favourites. Firm, crisp apple, flavour similar to Golden Delicious but with a spicy twist. Great eating apple, makes a good pie and is nice in a salad. It holds its shape when cooked. Medium sized apple. Resists browning when cut. |
|
Silken Early to mid September. One of our favourites. Flesh is vibrant white in colour, firm, crisp, and juicy. Has a delicate, aromatic, mild sweet flavour. Great eating apple, is nice in a salad and can be used for sauce. Small to medium in size. Resists browning when cut. |
|
McIntosh Early to mid September. Popular, with a tart, sweet, spicy flavour. Great for eating and sauces, and good for pie. Medium to large sized apple. Bruises easily. |
|
New Variety #18 Early to mid September. Juicy and quite tart when first picked, changing to a sweeter flavour as it is stored. Great for eating, pies and good for sauce. Large in size. |
|
New Variety #17 Early to mid September. Firm, and crispy although slightly dry. Popular with those who like a tart apple. The tart flavour does mellow as it is stored. Great eating apple, and nice for a pie. Small to medium in size. We have very few trees so supply runs out quickly. |
|
Royal Gala Mid to late September. A customer favourite. It has a thin skin covering a creamy coloured flesh which is sweet, crisp, and juicy. Excellent eating, sauce, baking and pie apple. Small to medium in size. |
No Image Available |
New Variety #24 Mid to late September. Has a smooth, thin skin with a white, crunchy flesh. Juicy with a sweet flavour similar to Royal Gala. Great eating apple and good for pies and baking. Takes time to brown once cut. Medium to large in size. |
|
New Variety #2 Mid to late September. Tender, mildly sweet. Pear-like flavour intensifies as it stores. Good eating apple and nice for apple sauce and salads. Medium sized apple. |
|
Honeycrisp Mid to late September. Everyone’s favourite. Outstanding honey-sweet in flavour. Hard, crisp, and very juicy. Excellent eating, pie and salad apple. Medium to large in size. Resists browning when cut. |
|
Cortland Mid to late September. All purpose apple. Heirloom variety. Fine grained, juicy, sharp, tart-tangy flavour. Flesh is vibrant white in colour. Sweetens as it stores. Excellent for sauce, and salads. Nice for eating, baking, and pies. Medium to large in size. Resists browning when cut. |
|
Spartan Mid to late September. All purpose apple. Crisp, white flesh. Juicy with an intense sweet-tart flavour. Good for eating, baking, sauce and pies. Small to medium in size |
|
New Variety #5 Mid to late September. Juicy with a fairly tart flavour changing to sweet as it stores. Good for eating and applesauce. Small to medium in size. |
|
New Variety #1 Mid to late September. The skin can be somewhat russeted. The creamy flesh is coarse, crisp and slightly dry. The unusual flavour is sweet with a tart aftertaste and some consider it similar to Golden Russet. A great eating apple that is also good for pies, baking, and salad. Small to medium in size. |
|
Empire Mid to late September. Customer favourite. All purpose apple. Crisp, creamy, juicy flesh. Great blend of sweet and tart flavour. Excellent for eating and salads. Good for baking, sauce and pies. Small to medium in size. |
|
Golden Russet Late September. Heirloom variety. Skin is rough with russeting covering most of the apple. Hard and crisp with a cream coloured flesh that is finely grained and dense. Flavour is sweet and spicy with a hint of tartness. Good for eating, baking, drying and cider. Small to medium in size. We have very few trees so supply runs out quickly. |
|
Sinta Late September. Crisp, juicy, deep cream-coloured flesh, sweet, aromatic flavour. Good for eating, pies and sauce. Small to medium in size. |
|
New Variety #28 Late September. Coarse grained, juicy with a great tangy flavour. Excellent eating and pie apple. Small to medium in size. |
|
New Variety #6 Early October. Tart lemon flavour reminiscent of Granny Smith which sweetens as it stores. The creamy coloured flesh is crunchy and slightly dry. Good eating apple, makes great applesauce and is good for pies and baking. Large in size. |
|
Aurora Golden Gala Early October. Very crisp, and juicy with a delicate honey taste. One of the sweeter apples in our orchard making it very popular. Wonderful for eating, good for salads, pies and baking. Small to medium in size. |
|
Jonagold Early October. All purpose apple. Crunchy, juicy, cream coloured flesh. Tastes great with a tangy-sweet flavour and honey-sweet aftertaste. Makes a great baked apple, is an excellent eating apple and is good for sauces, baking and pies. Medium to large in size. |
|
Shizuka Early October. Excellent Mutsu-like flavour but sweeter and juicier. Distinctive light, crisp, cream coloured flesh. Great for eating, salads, pies, and sauce. Large in size. Slower to brown when cut. |
|
Crimson Crisp Early October. A vividly red apple with a firm, almost hard flesh and a rich, spicy, outstanding flavour sure to appease tart apple lovers. The flesh is creamy white, fine-grained and wonderfully juicy. The apple stores very well and are great for baking, sauce and salads. Medium in size. |
|
New Variety #23 Early October. Firm, hard, crisp apple. Creamy-white coloured flesh is juicy with a mild, sweet flavour. As the apple stores it gains in sweetness. Medium to large sized apple. |
|
Ambrosia Early October. Outstanding honey-sweet flavour. The tender, juicy flesh is honey coloured and has a fine crisp texture. A very popular apple in our orchard. Wonderful for eating, pies, salads, and good for baking. Medium to large in size. All purpose apple. When cut the flesh is slow to brown. |
|
Mutsu/Crispin Early October. One of our more popular apples. Dense, fine grained pale yellow flesh. Juicy with a sharp, sweet-tart flavour. Sweetens as it stores. Excellent for eating, pies, sauce salads and baking. Holds it shape well when cooked making a good baked apple. Large apple. Flesh browns slowly when cut. All purpose apple. |
|
New Variety #14 Early October. Nice apple with a strong tart-sweet flavour and a bit of a bite. Creamy coloured flesh is juicy and crunchy. Great eating apple for those people who like a tart apple and good for pies. Medium to large in size. Very few trees not always available. |
|
Evangeline Early to mid October. Attractive medium sized apple, gold in colour with a pink blush. Crisp, juicy flesh has a unique zesty-sweet flavour. This newcomer is quickly gaining popularity. |
|
Creston
Early to mid October. Excellent eating apple with a distinctive sweet flavour. Good for baking, salads and pies. The crunchy and juicy yellow flesh is covered by a thin skin. Large apple. Resists browning when cut. |
|
Red Delicious Mid October. Crisp with a sweet, mild flavour. Coarse grained, creamy coloured flesh is juicy. Great eating apple and good for salads. Skin can be somewhat tough. Medium in size. |
|
New Variety #26 Mid October. Crisp, tart and juicy. A thin skin covers a cream coloured, coarse flesh. Good eating apple. Medium to large in size. |
|
Golden Delicious Mid to late October. Rich, sweet mellow flavour with a distinct cinnamon overtone. Flesh is crisp, juicy and white to cream in colour. Versatile apple, which is excellent for eating, sauce, pies, baking and salads. Small to medium in size. |
|
Northern Spy Mid to late October. Heirloom variety. Has a tender-crisp flesh which is creamy yellow in colour and nice and juicy. Has a bit of a bite with a hint of sweetness. Versatile apple good for eating, baking, and applesauce. Perfect for pies, tarts and cobblers. Medium to large in size. |
|
Cameo Mid to late October. Nice apple with a mild, sweet-tart flavour. The skin is thin and tender with a dense, tender-crisp flesh, creamy white in colour and juicy. All purpose apple which is excellent for eating, pies, baking, and salads. Medium to large in size. |
|
New Variety #19 Mid to late October. Nice apple with a sweet to tart spicy flavour similar to McIntosh. Hard, crispy and juicy. Great for eating and pies. Medium to large in size. |
|
Nicola Mid to late October. Promising apple with a sweet citrus flavour somewhat similar to Royal Gala. Juicy, firm, coarse flesh is creamy white in colour. Sweetens as it stores. Great apple for eating, salads, pies and applesauce. Medium to large in size. |
|
New Variety #27 Late October. Tart with an undertone of honey sweetness. Tender skin covers a juicy creamy white flesh. It is a larger apple which is firm and crisp. |
|
Chinook Late October. An appealing apple which is tart to sweet in flavour. Juicy, firm and crunchy -cracks when you bite into it. Great for eating, nice in salads, and good in pies. Small to medium in size. |
|
Enterprise Late October. Juicy, firm, crisp apple. Richly spicy with a tart bite when first picked. Will sweeten as it stores. Flavour has sometimes been compared to Fuji apples. The yellow flesh is fine grained, firm and covered with a thick skin. Excellent for pies, baking and applesauce. Good for eating. A large apple. |
|
Goldrush Late October to early November. Tart, spicy with a rich, full flavour. The crisp, hard flesh is coarse-grained, pale yellow in colour and is slow to brown when cut. Sweetens as it stores. Excellent for eating, salads, pies and baking. A medium sized apple. |