What to Do With Northern Spy Apples

Learn everything you wanted to know about the great Northern Spy apple. This heirloom variety is renowned as being the best apple to make an apple pie with. It's why they say "spies for pies!".

Having been in the produce and blogging world for the past 14+ years, I have discovered apples that have a cult following. Those that people ask for every year until they show up.

When I worked at a farmers market one fall for a local apple orchard, people would ask "when are your Northern Spies going to be ready?"

So there has to be a reason why people are so passionate about this apple. I am going to go into that today but first a short history lesson.

Jump to:

• 📜 History
• 🚜 When Are They Harvested?
• 👅 What Does It Taste Like
• 🍎 What are Northern Spy Best For?
• 🛒 Where to Buy
• 🍏 Other Apples to Try

📜 History

This apple popular in Michigan, Ontario, New York, and other Midwest states has been around since 1800, when it was first discovered in the state of New York. It has become one of the most sought after pie apples on the market.

There are reports that Northern Spy has one of the largest antioxidants levels of any apple.

The apple hasn't taken off with large comprisal operations as there are difficulties with growing it and depending on where it's grown it's not the most attractive apple or it tends to produce irregular shaped apples, neither which grocery stores want to see.

I asked Liz from Door Creek Orchard the issues she has had with growing it. Here is what she said:

Trees take a very, very long time to come into production. They are very vegetatively vigorous (both of these things are true regardless of rootstock). They are also prone to bitterpit and summer fruit rots.

Liz Griffith, Door Creek Orchards

'Vegetatively vigorous" means the tree is putting effort into growing steams, roots, and leaves at the expense of growing apples. Liz also told me they take more time to prune when pruning comes but they don't prune them more often.

Also there can be years in which the trees don't even produce any fruit. I know of one such farm that didn't have any Northern Spy apples available the year I originally published this post.

For these reasons, you are not going to see huge apple producers growing a variety like this. But that cult following is going to keep small orchards growing this variety for years to come.

In 2013, the Northern Spy apple actually made an appearance on a U.S. postage stamp.

🚜 When Are They Harvested?

The harvest time for this apple is in October. Depending on where you are it can be into mid or late October. I am vary of orchards offering them in September, unless it's in a more southern or warm climate where apples tend to ripen sooner..

It is also stores very well, so you can stock up and makes pies to keep you warm all winter long. The drawback to this apple for the grower is that it can take a long time for the trees to start bearing fruit.

👅 What Does It Taste Like

Here is my review of this apple. Categories are on a scale of 1-10.

Crispiness	5
Tartness	8
Flavor	8
Sweetness	3
Juiciness	5

🍎 What are Northern Spy Best For?

These are awesome baking apples. Not so awesome for straight up eating in my opinion. They are not sweet or crisp enough. My family isn't a huge fan of the texture raw. But the flavor is outstanding. There are so many other great out of hand eating apples, just I would use these apples for what they are famous for, apple pie (or any other baked apple dessert).

Their flavor is so good when you bake them and they hold their shape really well. Definately in my top 5 for baking apples (I also love Rhode Island Greening and Lucy Glo apples).

🛒 Where to Buy

I did say these apples aren't normally found in grocery stores but that doesn't mean impossible. If you have a store near you that does well with local produce you might be able to find them.

Also I have found them at Central Market in Texas. This upscale chain owned by HEB is one of the best grocery stores to find a wide variety of apples in. Heirloom Orchards out of Hood River, Oregon does grow them to sell to grocery stores and that is what I found at Central Market.

Now let me give you a list of orchards that grow Northern Spy apples. Check with the individual orchard for availability. This is by no means a complete list just some that I have discovered:

• Door Creek Orchard | Cottage Grove, WI
• Wasem Fruit Farm | Milan, MI
• Plymouth Orchard & Cider Mill | Plymouth, MI
• Scott Farm | Dummerston, WI
• Owen Orchards | Weedsport, NY
• Brookwood Fruit Farm | Almont, MI
• Apple A Day | Bangor, MI
• Nugent Orchards | Benzonia, MI
• King Orchards | Kewadin, MI
• Rittman Orchards | Doylestown, OH
• Champlain Orchards | Shoreham, VT
• Hoen's Orchard | Delta, OH
• G and S Orchards | Walworth, NY

Add any orchard you know that has them by leaving a comment below.

🍏 Other Apples to Try

Northern Spy apple have been used to produce other varieties, hoping to take advantage of it's good qualities and downplay their issues. There is Spigold, which is a cross between a Northern Spy and Golden Delicious. I think it's a great eating apple. There is also Nova Spy, which I have only had once, but it was tasty as well as an almost vanilla like flavor. It's from Nova Scotia, hence the name.

Have you tried this apple? What did you think? Leave a comment below telling us. Be a helper and share where you found it. You may make someone's day with your insider info on where to get them! If you are a true apple lover, you'll want to check out all of our apple reviews.