For pie
Haralson first — it’s firm, tart, and holds its shape instead of collapsing into sauce. Red Cortland and Ruby Mac are the classic alternatives. Mixing two varieties makes a better pie than any single one.
TWELVE VARIETIES
Our apples, and
when they ripen.
The season runs from the first State Fair apples in late August to Connell Red and SnowSweet in the middle of October. Here’s the whole calendar, so you can time a visit around the one you actually want.
| Variety | Approximate harvest | What it’s like |
|---|---|---|
| State Fair | Mid–late August | The first apple of the year. Sweet-tart, soft, best eaten within a week. |
| Zestar! | Late August–early September | Crisp and juicy with a brown-sugar note. Good fresh, good in sauce. |
| Ruby Mac | September | A deeper-red McIntosh. Tender, aromatic, a classic pie apple. |
| Honeycrisp | Mid–late September | The one people drive for. Explosively crisp, keeps for months. |
| Sweet 16 | Mid–late September | Unusual — cherry and vanilla behind the sweetness. Worth trying once. |
| Red Cortland | Mid–late September | Slow to brown once cut, which makes it the salad and pie-filling apple. |
| Honeygold | Late Sept–early October | A Golden Delicious bred for the north. Mellow and sweet. |
| Haralson | Late Sept–early October | Firm and tart, holds its shape when baked. The Upper Midwest pie standard. |
| Keepsake | Early–mid October | Dense and very crisp. Stores longer than almost anything else here. |
| Regent | Early–mid October | Sweet-tart and juicy, and it keeps well into winter. |
| Connell Red | Around mid-October | Big, mild and sweet. A good eating apple for people who dislike tart. |
| SnowSweet | Around mid-October | Snow-white flesh that resists browning, with a slight savory edge. |
These windows are approximate. They’re regional estimates drawn from SDSU Extension and University of Minnesota cultivar guidance, and a warm September or a cold one moves them by a week in either direction. A harvest window is not a promise that a variety is available to buy or pick that day — the update on the homepage is the one that’s current, and (605) 520-2932 is faster still.
HOW TO USE THEM
Picking the
right apple.
For eating out of hand
Honeycrisp and Keepsake for crunch, Connell Red and Honeygold if you don’t like tart, Sweet 16 if you want to taste something you haven’t tasted before.
For keeping
Keepsake, Regent and SnowSweet store longest — months in a cold garage or a second fridge. State Fair and Zestar! are the opposite; eat those the same week.