Northern Spy is a great all-round apple for eating, storage, cooking, and ciders. The apple is crisp and sweet with a slight lemony undertone.

Tolman Sweet is a lovely apple and first described in 1822. While part of its parentage is a russet, the Tolman Sweet has a very mild flavor. If you are looking for an apple that is not very acidic, this is a great choice. It is also considered an excellent apple for cider.

Ida Red, also Idared, is a good apple for eating and cooking. The crisp flesh is white with a slight red blush, which will color your pies and sauces. The apple is tart, but pleasant. It stores well.

The Spencer is a great eating apple—crisp and tangy. The fruit is a cross between McIntosh and Golden Delicious, but I prefer the Spencer over either of its parents.

Blue Pearmain is a fine dessert apple. While it shares the same name as the Gray Pearmain, its character and appearance could not be more different. A subtle apple with a soft texture and mild flavor. This heirloom variety has been grown throughout Maine and New England for more than 200 years.

Gray Pearmain is a russet apple, which is marked by a rich, earthy taste. The character is not quite as distinctive as the Golden Russet—the Pearmain has a cleaner flavor. Like many fall varieties, it stores well. A great apple.

Mutsu is a beautiful yellow apple that can develop a red blush. The variety is thought to have originated in Japan. If you have had Asian or Japanese pears, then this apple is going remind you of those. It is large with a finely textured skin and a satisfying crispness when you bite into one. The flavor is complex—it takes some time to realize its character. Sweet, yes, but also tangy.

Winter Banana is one of our favorite apples. It is a large fruit with a smooth waxy skin. Its distinctive yellow with a bright red blush makes it quite startling at first sight. Winter Banana is a crisp apple that has a slight tart character with a banana undertone. We have used these in pies. The flavor is fine, but it does fall apart and becomes more like apple sauce than apple slices.

The wonderful thing of living in a place with so many orchards is the variety of apples. We especially love the heirloom varieties. To me, the Golden Russet is one of the great apples. Russets are recognizable by the texture of the skin. Biting into one gives an instant reward—it is a crisp apple that has a strong earthy flavor. If you have never tasted a russet, it is hard to describe its complex character. This apple stores well and is excellent for sweet and hard ciders.