Tired of Galas and Granny Smiths from the grocery store? A wide variety of less-common heirlooms can be found growing in Connecticut orchards. apples Here are a few worth seeking out. to apples Macoun Gravenstein Firm and juicy with a sweet, Dates back at least to the 1700s. aromatic fl avor. Ripens in Perhaps one of the tastiest of October and is an excellent all apples, juicy with a sweet/ all-around dessert apple. sharp fl avor. Particularly good for desserts and applesauce. best use Among the earliest to ripen, all-purpose coming to harvest in late July Newtown Pippin One of Thomas Jefferson’s favorite apples, and early August. Its cousin, the which he grew in his orchard at Monticello. Red Gravenstein, is less tart. Liberty Good for most everything, its cider is highly Tart cross between a Macoun and sought after. Originating in Purdue. A fairly new variety (introduced Newtown, New York, it in 1978) that ripens in early October. ripens late October/ early November. Cortland Turn-of-the-century cross between a McIntosh and Ben Davis, somewhat juicy with a moderately sweet fl avor. Doesn’t brown, making it a popular choice for salads. Ripens in late September. Crispin Also known as the Mutsu. Very juicy, with a sweet, Spartan tangy fl avor, it’s Sweet, tart and juicy, also very good as and especially good a dessert apple. when eaten fresh. Ripens Ripens in October. in late September. best use best use snacks cider & salads Jonagold A cross between a Jonathan and a Golden Stayman Delicious, with a sharp and sweet A variant of Winesap, with a fl avor that also makes it good for tart, tangy fl avor and fi rm, baking. Available in October. crisp fl esh, and good for snacking. Stores well. Ripens September to October.

Winesap best use From the eastern U.S. in the 1800s, cooking a crisp, medium-sized fruit with a Melrose powerful, tart, wine-like fl avor that The state apple of Ohio has a sweet makes it good for baking and excellent and a slightly acidic fl avor. Ripens for cider. Ripens in October. in mid-to-late October, and if stored well develops complex fl avors, making it ideal for holiday cooking. ALL PHOTOS VIA SHUTTERSTOCK: BALDWIN: GREG KUSHMEREK • Rome CORTLAND: CHIYACAT • Baldwin CRISPIN: GG PRO PHOTO • GRAVENSTEIN: One of the best JAMIE ROACH • JONAGOLD: JOAO Popular variety known for its classic cooking apples, with a VIRISSIMO • LIBERTY & MACOUN: ERIKA “apple” fl avor. Very fi rm and stores sweet, slightly tart taste. J MITCHELL • MELROSE: MANFRED extremely well. Originated in Boston RUCKSZIO • NEWTOWN PIPPIN: MARIUSZ Firm and stores well. S. JURGIELEWICZ • ROME & STAYMAN: circa the 1750s. Available mid-October. Ripens in mid-October. NIKOLAY KURZENKO • SPARTAN: PHOTOGAL • WINESAP: RAY_BEMISH • ICONS: NADIINKO