The state of Washington is known for it's apples. But not every great apple comes from there. Us on the east side of the country are proud of our Northern Spy apple. This apple popular in Michigan, Ontario, and New York 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 harvest time for this apple is around the end of September to the beginning of October. 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. 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 this year.
My Experience with this Apple (Rating Scale 1-10)
Crispiness: 3
Tartness : 7
Apple Flavor: 7
Sweetness: 3
Juiciness: 5
Overall Feeling: These are awesome baking apples. Not so awesome for straight up eating. They are not sweet or crisp enough. My wife really did not like their texture. But the flavor she enjoyed. 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).
Gail
Where in my area can I find spies? I live in Oswego County and was unsuccessful finding this great variety last year. My mother would only use this apple for baking, and I miss that unique flavor. Granny Smith and 20 oz. just aren't the same. Thank you for any help you can give me.N.Y.state.
Eric Samuelson
I completely understand what you mean. Spies are way better than Granny Smith for pies. Have you tried Behling Orchards in Mexico, New York. Their website says they will have Northern Spy available on October 9th, you can even pick them yourself if you like.