Apple Search
Apple Trees for Sale
You can help the heritage apple search and preservation effort by purchasing some of Tom Brown’s apple trees. In purchasing some of these great heritage trees, you will be establishing a “mini preservation orchard” at your home and the proceeds of any sales will help fund Tom’s effort to find additional lost apple varieties.
The trees listed here are grafted onto EMLA 111 rootstock, which gives a larger tree, about 70% the height of a seedling tree; which is drought resistant, well anchored requiring no long-term tree support.
All Trees Sold out until October 2010
Autumn Strawberry---a wonderful, elongated eating apple found in western Avery Co., NC; red and yellow, medium to large, ripe late August.
Baltimore Pound---highly praised by the locals who told me where to find this apple in the south edge of Wilkes Co., NC at a deserted home place; very large, greenish yellow, juicy, for cooking or fresh eating, ripe September.
Banana Pippin---a strikingly beautiful apple, large to very large, yellow with streaks of red, conical, a softer apple for baking or fresh eating, ripe September in Watauga Co., NC
Barker’s Liner---a lost apple from Maryland, identified by a Tennessee man and found when I luckily dialed a wrong number; medium to large, flattened, green and red, great tasting, ripe October.
Beauty of the World---fully lives up to its name as a “beauty” with red stripes on yellow and a generous large size, can be either eaten fresh or used for cooking, found in Yancey Co., NC; ripe late September.
Bee Bench---the original tree probably grew in Alexander Co., NC near a bee bench (a wooden rack where multiple bee hives are placed); a wonderful tart pie apple, whitish with some red, medium sized. ripe early September.
Black---found on a mountain-side in Yancey Co., NC, a great apple for fresh eating, dark black/red, medium sized, slightly tart, red streaks in the flesh, ripe late September.
Black Beauty---this apple was mentioned to me by twenty people, over three states, before I finally found it at an estate in western Yadkin Co., NC. It is very large to very large, black/red, somewhat conical, and tart, for general purpose use, ripe late September.
Black Limbertwig---my favorite “Limbertwig” for fresh eating, black color, and round to slightly elongated, medium to large, ripe early October in Jackson Co., NC.
Black Water Red---a favorite apple in the Blackwater Community southwest of Mount Airy, NC; red and green, medium sized, tart, for general purpose use, ripe late August.
Brimstone---an apple with a fascinating name, found when I stopped to inquire about some large trees near the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia; greenish yellow, firm, medium sized, great for pies and applesauce, ripe early October.
Bryson Seedling---an immense red flattened apple, slightly dry, ripe October, for your dried apple needs; this apple was found in Jackson Co., NC by driving around and looking for trees with extremely large red apples, luckily a tree was near the road.
Burningtown Spice---a great tasting “spice” apple with a unique taste, medium, dull yellow with some red, ripe October, for fresh eating. The apple comes from an area of Macon Co., NC where as the Cherokees were being forced from their homes in a march to Oklahoma; they looked back and saw their village being burned.
Buttermilk---one of two different Buttermilk apples I have found, this one comes from Avery Co., NC and it was awarded a blue ribbon in the Avery County Fair for applesauce; medium to large, greenish yellow, slightly tart spicy taste, ripe September.
Catawba---a very large apple, dull golden yellow, moderately tart, great general purpose apple; years ago the new property owner decided to eliminate the tree and completely girdled it, the neighbors became very angry because they loved the apples, some how this great tree survived, and the healed-over girdle area can still be seen in Grayson Co., VA.
Coffee Seedling---a large cooking/drying apple, light green with blotches of red, slightly dry, ripe in October. I had looked extensively for this apple in Wilkes Co., NC but then I unexpectedly found a tree in far northeastern Rabun Co., GA.
Cotton---I have found Cotton apples in Wilkes and Rockingham Cos. NC. The name probably comes from the somewhat whitish flesh; medium to large, roundish and slightly flattened, prized by one of its owners for pies and canning, ripe in early September.
Crow Egg---a dull red apple with a unique pointed shape, medium sized, favored for fresh eating; old trees can still be found in western Yancey and eastern Madison Cos., NC; also occasionally found further north into Virginia.
Curtis---wonderfully tasting; flattened with red stripes, large; this variety was rescued from a nearly dead tree at an abandoned home site in western Madison Co., NC.
Custard---wow, you need this apple if you want to make open-faced apple pies, medium, light green with some red, slightly spicy taste, found at an old home site in Alexander Co., NC along with a Lackey apple.
Deep Eye---in my hunt for heritage apple trees I occasionally meet people who have amazing seedling apple trees at their homes (all the old heritage trees were once great seedlings); this is one of them; the apple is deep red, firm, tart, and great for any use. It has very deep blossom and stem cavities’, I enjoy getting to name these seedling apples.
Democrat---medium sized, green with red, tart, ripe October and for cider. I found this apple when I mentioned the name at a country store in Yancey Co., NC. I noticed that the owner had Republican bumper stickers on his car.
Dula Beauty---an immense beautiful red apple originally from Caldwell Co., NC, but also found in Wilkes Co.; recommended for frying and baking, ripe October.
Early Ripe---one of a couple of apples carrying the name Early Ripe; this apple came from Madison Co., NC.; it is light yellow, tender, juicy, of medium size, ripe July.
Early Transparent---prized for applesauce and needed for every home orchard; probably originally from Russia, greenish yellow, tart, ripe late July.
Fall Pippin---an all-round favorite from the Cruso area of Haywood Co., NC; large to very large, dull golden yellow, round and slightly pointed, ripe late September; the tree owner said, “If you have only one tree, this should be it.”
Fall Premium---an apple unique to western Avery Co., NC; highly praised by the locals, my cuttings were from a very old tree, now dead; large, somewhat flattened, green and red, tart, firm, ripe October.
Fallawater---an immense greenish yellow general purpose cooking apple, tart, firm, widely distributed, but especially found from Grayson Co., VA to Avery Co., NC.
Forward Sour---one of my favorite apples, good for both fresh eating and cooking; light greenish yellow, medium to large, tart, ripe early September, found in Rabun Co., GA. The word “forward” means “early”, not very early, but earlier than most of the fall apples
Golden Pippin---I have found Golden Pippin apple trees at two Virginia locations, one in Tennessee and two in North Carolina; they are golden yellow, round, good tasting, medium to large and ripe early September.
Green Bellflower---a very large translucent green apple, shaped like a round ball, juicy, impressive tasting, ripe October; a single large tree was found in Yancey Co., grafted into it was a dark red old-time Virginia Beauty.
Green Horse---one of the many “Horse” apples, every single county had some type of horse apple, this one is from Scott Co., VA; it is large to very large, greenish yellow, tart, a good all-round cooking apple, ripe late September.
Green Russet---a highly praised apple from south of Stony Point, NC; large, green with streaks of russet, tart, ripe early September, for pies and applesauce; the old abandoned drug store still stands in Stony Point, with a small side door having a faded painted sign above it, saying “Colored Only”.
Gruff---a truly wonderful tasting apple with a name not fully doing it credit; the apples were named by farmers and not advertising account managers; large, round, yellow with some rust, slight spicy-tart taste, for fresh eating, ripe early September. Iredell Co., NC.
Hall---southern nurseries widely sold this great tasting apple which is smaller and a late good keeper, green with red; this apple had been most frequently mentioned in Tennessee at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains; but I finally found a tree in Alexander Co., NC.
Harbison’s July---this is a southwestern Kentucky, but I found several trees near Sale Creek, TN; it was a case of a total stranger contacting me who had heard of my apple search. The apple is large, roundish and flattened, green with some red, tart, a all-round cooking apple, ripe early August.
Haywood June---one lady told me that when she moved to the Clyde area of NC, she noticed that the local ladies brought pink applesauce to local “covered dish” events. They were using Haywood June apples which impart the pink color when the dark red peelings are left in when applesauce or jelly is cooked. The apple is ripe in early August.
Ice---so named because of its clear almost translucent whitish color; a beautiful large apple with a very “clean” tart taste; found in Iredell Co., NC, ripe in August.
Jellyflower---a truly wonderful apple with a wonderful name, also called Jellyflower Sweet; very large, conical, light golden yellow, almost sweet, ripe October, for general purpose usage; found in Haywood Co., NC, also mentioned in Jackson Co, NC.
Jenny Beauty---an apple from the “most beautiful apple tree in the world”, 20 feet tall and having 40 feet branch spread; the apple is light red, medium, slightly conical, rust around the stem, moderately tart, for cider or fresh eating. Found in Wilkes Co., NC.
Johnson Keeper---a large, almost round red apple, which ripens late and keeps for a long time, tart; I found a tree in northern Wilkes Co., NC but it was also in Yancey Co.
Juicy Fruit---I found a single tree of this variety laying down at the edge of a field near Roan Mountain State Park, TN. The locals liked this medium sized apple because it is very juicy, red striped and good tasting, ripe August.
Junaluska---my most important apple find, named for the famous Cherokee, Junaluska and grown by the famous southern orchardist, Silas McDowell (1795-1879); large, dull golden yellow, streaked with russet, slight spicy tart taste, ripe September; I found a tree about 8 miles from the original nursery in Macon Co., NC. I grafted three Junaluska trees and donated them to the Junaluska Memorial, Robbinsville, NC.
June Sweetning---a slightly sweet apple in eastern Wilkes Co., NC; round, greenish yellow, ripe July; a local favorite for early season apple use; the term “sweetning” dates back to before 1875, later apples were just called “sweet”.
Kane---a gorgeous bright red apple, medium to large, moderately tart, firm and juicy, for pies and general use, ripe September; found in central Yadkin Co., NC.
Karn---a large pale yellow apple, slightly soft, oblong and slightly conical, almost sweet, ripe early September, for cider; trees were in Alexander and Wilkes Co., NC
King Luscious---an attractive apple, large, blushed and striped with red, slightly tart, juicy, ripe October; trees were found in Avery Co., NC and Craig Co., VA.
Lady Finger---an impressive tasting summer apple, elongated and conical, yellow with red stripes, slightly sweet; from the Pensacola section of Yancey Co., NC; years ago a man was headed to Florida, was passing through Yancey Co., liked it and decided to stay and named his community Pensacola.
Lansingburg---the all-time champion keeper apple, one apple kept over a year; large, golden yellow with a little red, firm, moderately tart, ripe October to November, apple originally from Tennessee, but I found a tree in western Yancey Co.
Madison Mammoth---another amazing seedling apple I found at a home in Madison Co., NC.; extremely large, greenish yellow with some red, moderately tart, ripe October; most all the very large apples have the same problem, they are big but not all that good, this one is an exception to the very large apple rule, being a really good apple.
Manson Beauty---an impressive looking and tasting apple, striped with dark red, medium to large, red streaks in the flesh, ripe September; I found a tree in Macon Co., NC and then its identity was confirmed by a man near Roanoke, VA, 290 miles away.
McKasky---a good yellow summer apple, found in Iredell Co., NC; slightly tart, ripe late July, medium size, for general use.
Morgan---one of five different “Morgan” apples I have found; large, yellow, tart, a perfect “pie apple”, tree was found in Macon Co., NC in the Cowee section where rubies are mined.
Mountain Boomer---large to very large, yellow tart, juicy, moderately tart, ripe in September; I know five widely separated locations where these trees can be found, always praised locally.
Patrick Red---a deep red large apple, tart and slightly bitter, a good cider component, ripe October, a tree was found near the Wilkes/Ashe Co. line.
Polk Seedling---a very large apple, grown many years ago in the commercial apple orchards of Alexander Co., NC, sold by the Pores Knob Nursery; green mostly covered with red, moderately tart, for baking and apple butter.
Polly Sweet---the apple originated as a seedling near a woodpile at the abandoned home of Polly Cook of Haywood Co., NC, medium sized, green, slightly sweet, and ripe in August; this is one of the rare apples which always stays green even when it is ripe.
Potts (Yellow Potts)---medium, yellow, tart, ripe late September, for pies and tarts, ripe September; I found this apple in northwestern Iredell Co., NC and then near Andrews, NC, over 200 miles away.
Pound Royal---large to very large, light green blushed with some red, moderately tart, ripe late July, one of the largest early apples; I found this apple in eastern Kentucky, but trees were previously near Bristol, VA.
Pound Russet---a very large flattened light yellow apple, with a very large russeted area on top, tart, ripe late September, great for apple butter; I found the tree in Macon Co., NC and then it was identified by an elderly woman in Wilkes Co., a half state away.
Powder Spring June---a good tasting smaller apple, yellow with red blush, slightly tart, ripe in July; the “Powder Spring” is a sulfur spring in northwestern Iredell Co., NC.
Puff---a medium to large apple, light white, moderately tart, for apple sauce and pies, ripe September in Wilkes Co., the name “Puff” comes from the fact that the apple is lighter in weight than one would anticipate a very attractive apple.
Quince---this is a real apple from Wilkes Co., NC, not the fruit of the old bitter Quince bush; in historical texts there were two true apples named Quince; it is large, somewhat flattened, yellow, tart (but not extremely tart), ripe in September, good for apple butter and cider.
Red Horse---one of the largest “horse” apples, very large, flattened and covered with red stripes, tart, a good general purpose cooking apple; this tree is laying flat on the ground but every year it has a generous number of disease-free vigorous new sprouts.
Red June---a medium sized apple, blushed red, tart, ripe in July, a wonderful summer apple for general use; every county had some type of “Red June” apple, this one is from Alleghany Co., NC.
Red Spice---a wonderfully tasting slightly spicy apple, medium to large, flattened, burgundy red stripes, ripe September; I found this apple at an abandoned home site in Madison Co., NC, it was also in Mitchell Co.
Red Winesap---an interesting version of the Winesap; medium to large, attractive bright red stripes, tart, ripe late September, for general use; widely distributed and especially found in southern Haywood Co., NC.
Sal---an ideal pie or jelly apple if you like an extremely sour apple with no bitter off-taste, medium to large, dull yellow, ripe October; it took me five years to identify this apple tree on the road to Boone, NC.
Scott---an interesting medium sized apple, light greenish yellow with some rust, tart with some good unique flavor notes, for pies, ripe September; I only found one old tree of this variety in Wilkes Co., NC and now that tree has died.
Seedin Simpson---supposedly apple trees grow “true” from seeds of this variety; it is a gorgeous large orange/red apple, tart, and ripe in September. [The typical apple tree is cross pollinated and trees grown from seeds have traits from two apple parents.]
Seedling Limbertwig---one of the six Limbertwigs I have found in Wilkes Co., NC, this one is typically found in the southwest part of the county; it is medium, green with some red, firm, moderately tart, and ripe in October.
Sheepnose---an excellent apple with a fascinating shape; a large apple, rusty black/red, it is elongated, tapering to a blunt nose, great for fresh eating and ripe in October. Frequently any tapered apple is called a “sheepnose”, this one was found in western Macon Co., NC.
Sheepnose Delicious---this is actually the original Stark’s Delicious apple, the one sold in the 1800’s; it is large, somewhat tapered, greenish yellow with red stripes, juicy and moderately tart, ripe late September; good for fresh eating and many other uses; found in eastern Wilkes Co., NC.
Shuler---a delicious late good keeping apple, medium sized, dull golden yellow and ripe in October; Shuler apple trees were found at two locations in southwestern Haywood Co., NC.
Stump---“the perfect pie apple”; medium to large, light yellow, tart, slightly flattened, ripe in September; this is one of the dozens of “lost” apple varieties I have found in Wilkes Co., NC.
Sugar Core---deep red, medium to large, juicy and approaching sweet, touch of red under the skin, ripe September, for general purpose use, found west of Independence, VA.
Summer Buff---one of my best apples, large to very large, round and slightly tapered, a delicious unique taste, ripe early September, from Haywood Co., NC; when I first started apple hunting I had heard of a Buff apple, now I have found at least six different Buff apples.
Sweet Pound---large to very large, round, golden yellow, sweet, ripe September, for fresh eating and cider; found in far western Wilkes Co., NC.
Tackett---medium to large, tapered, yellow, ripe September; a favorite eating/ cooking apple from eastern Kentucky, but a tree actually found in far western North Carolina.
Vandever June---large, round, greenish yellow with splotches of red, tart, ripe July, a beloved early summer apple found in central Iredell Co., NC.
Virginia Beauty---an all-time southern favorite, medium to large, dark black/red with rust around the stem, delicious taste when fully ripe, ripening in early October; widely distributed, but my Virginia Beauty was found in Mitchell Co., NC.
Walker’s Favorite---a wonderful summer seedling apple found in Yancey Co., NC.; large, slightly tapered, whitish yellow, delicious slightly tart taste, highly praised by all who have been fortunate enough to get a few of these apples.
Water Sweet---a unique juicy and sweet apple found northeast of Laurel Bloomery, TN; large, slightly flattened, greenish yellow, ripe September; highly praised by the local residents.
White Buckingham---an immense greenish yellow apple, great for baking and most any cooking need, tart, ripe in September; trees in Wilkes and Yancey Cos., NC.
White Sweet---a favorite summer sweet apple scattered in the foothills of North Carolina and into Virginia, medium size, whitish yellow, tart, ripe August.
White Vandever---large, round and conical, smooth whitish skin, appealing tart taste, ripe October; a single limb grafted into a tree in Watauga Co., NC was only found; one customer purchased a tree because he was so impressed by the apple’s aroma.
Winding Stairs Thinskin---a beautiful medium sized white apple with a smooth skin, somewhat flattened, a clean tart taste, ripe early September; there are several “thinskin” apples, this one was found in the Winding Stairs area of Nantahala in Macon Co., NC.
Winter Spice---a great keeper on a very vigorously growing tree, medium size, green with some red, slightly dry, for drying and a cider component, also would be a great tree for wildlife planting, ripe October; this is one of the dozens of trees I found in Wilkes Co., NC.
Wolf River---large to very large, somewhat flattened, light green with some red blush, tart, ripe September, a favorite apple butter apple; my Wolf River tree was found in Macon Co., NC.
World’s Best---a favorite apple in Graham Co., NC for all-round use, large, somewhat flattened, green with red stripes, tart, ripe late September; also mentioned northeast of Fancy Gap, VA
Yellow Hardin---medium, conical, whitish yellow, good tart taste, ripe early September; the original tree of this variety has died in Wilkes Co., NC; one man told me that “the Yellow Hardin made more quarts of moonshine per bushel than any other apple”.
Yellow Horse---medium to large, somewhat flattened, yellow (no red), tart, a great all-round August cooking apple; this is one of six different “horse” apples I found in Wilkes Co., NC.
Yellow Pippin---medium to large, light yellow, a favorite late August cooking apple found in Alexander Co., NC; there are different Yellow Pippin apples in other counties.
Yellow Winesap---large, round and slightly conical, light yellow, crisp and juicy, moderately tart, for fresh eating, ripe early October; found on top of a mountain in Smyth Co., VA.
Additional larger growing apple trees, on EMLA 111 rootstock
[Equally great apple trees; typically I have only one tree for sale; descriptions can be provided.]
Accordion, American Beauty, Arkansas Black, Baldwin, Banana, Banner, Bell Court, Benson, Betsy Deaton, Big Flavor, Black, Black Annie, Blacktwig, Blood Red Crab, Brick, Buckeye Beauty, Buckingham, Butler, Cannon Pearmain, Carolina Wabash, Church, Cider Sweet, Coffelt Beauty, Cotton Sweet, Cove, Crouch, Darnell, Davidson Sweet, Dumplin, Durham, Early Harvest, Fall Limbertwig, Fall Sweet Russet, Fernina Pippin, Flat, Forward Sweet, Frog, Frost Proof, Gentry Stripe, Granny, Granny Morgan, Green Biscuit , Green Limbertwig, Half Acre, Hog Pen, Hog Sweet, Hollow Log, JFW Neverfail, Jim Goins, Jimbo, Johnny No Core, Juicy, Jumbo, June Pink, Kaighn, Kansas Sweet, Large White Sweet, Larry, Lewis Green, Lodi, Mammoth Horse, Martin Sweet, Maryland, Melungeon Gold, Mollie, Mother Bud, Muskmelon Sweet, Nantz, NC Keeper, Nickahjack, Nursery, Ode, Ohio Sweet, Old Man, Perkins, Pineapple, Pinkerton, Pippin, Pokey Seedling, Potts, Preacher, Pumpkin Sweet, Queen, Queen Beauty, Quincy, Red Bird (late), Red Harvest, Red Limbertwig, Red Pound, Red Sweet June, Rose Limbertwig, Royal Pearmain, Rusty Golden, Rusty Pippin, Shannon, Sheepnose Bellflower, Sheepnose Sweet, Snuff, Speckled Gem, Speckled Queen, Speckled Red, Starks Jumbo, Stine, Streaked June, Striped Delicious, Stump the World, Summer Bellflower, Sweet Horse, Swadley, Sweet Limbertwig, Sweet Potato, Tenderskin, Tommy, Tucker Ever Bearing, Twenty-Two Ounce, Upton, Vanilla Pippin, Water Core (red), Water Core (yellow), Watermelon Sweet, Wellington, West, White Pound, Whopper Jaw, Winesap, Winter Banana, Winter Fleming, Winter Green, Winter Horse, Winter Sweet, Woody, Yellow Beauty, Yellow Limbertwig, Yellow Queen, Yellow Sheepnose, York.
Semi-dwarf apple trees, on Bud-9 rootstock
Arkansas Black , Autumn Strawberry, American Beauty, Baldwin, Banana, Banner, Barkers Liner, Beauty of the World, Bee Bench, Betsy Deaton, Big Flavor, Brandy, Bryson Seedling, Buckeye Beauty, Buttermilk, Custard, Davidson Sweet, Dula Beauty, Fall Pippin, Fall Premium, Flat, Forward Sour, Forward Sweet, Green Bellflower, Half Acre, Johnny No Core, Johnson Keeper, Juicy Fruit, Kaighn, Lewis Green, Lodi, Mammoth Horse, Manson Beauty, Mayflower, Mealy Sweet, Nursery, Ohio Sweet, Old Man, Powder Spring June, Preacher, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Sweet, Red Jordan, Red Sweet June, Royal Limbertwig, Rusty Golden, Snuff, Speckled Gem, Stump, Stump the World, Suler, Summer Buckingham, Twenty-Two Ounce, Watermelon Sweet, White Fall Pippin, Winter Banana, Winter Horse, Wolf River, Yellow Hardin, and Yellow Winesap.