Vintage Virginia Apples

Summer calls to mind succulent peaches that have superior flavor when picked ripe from the tree. At Rural Ridge, we grow some 35 varieties of peaches, many of them heritage varieties. . There are not as many heritage peaches as apples, because the trees are more short-lived and tend to come more true from seed. Hence there was not the premium on maintaining varieties, than inured to apple cultivars. Nonetheless, we find similar trends in peach breeding today to apples. Commercial growers are seeking firmer fleshed, tougher skinned fruit with a longer shelf life. This is a challenge with peaches, because, unlike apples whose sugars continue to develop off the tree, peaches are at their peak when picked. Their sugars begin to decline once picked.

Despite these issues, there are some wonderful older varieties that we are growing here, such as the Peregrine, George IV, Crawford, Old Mixon Free, White Champion, Georgia Belle, Indian Blood Cling, Elberta, Honey Dew Hale, O'Henry, Suncrest, Golden Jubilee, Winblo and Sun High. These have extraordinary flavor but often lack the shipping qualities of many of the newer varieties. We are very pleased to be able to offer trees budded from our collection to the connissoiur who prizes extraordinary flavor.

To Top