
Excellent dessert and multi-use apple, picked a few weeks early for cooking. Beautiful fruit ripens to bright red across the surface. Crisp, juicy flesh. Refreshing, sprightly, vinous flavor.
Wealthy apple identification images
All images copyright Orange Pippin unless otherwise stated.
USDA identification images for Wealthy
The identification paintings in the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection span the years 1886 to 1942.
Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705.
Visitor reviews
- 07 Jun 2019 MI, United StatesI started planting my home orchard (50 trees) in 2005..Afterb I found out how much I liked the wealthy apple I needed another one..So in 2014 I planted another..Wealthy is one of my favorite apples..Only complaint, is they produce every other year..Last year the tree was so full of apples the branches were on the ground..I had to pick some off so the branches wouldn't break..Great for fresh eating..Next year I'll try apple sauce with them..I highly recommend Wealthy if you are thinking about planting apple trees.
- 01 Nov 2018 NY, United StatesWith all the delishous apples that have come from the U of Minn I had to get this Wealthy apple tree planted in my heirloom orchard. Ordered 4 of them on G210 an they will be planted this coming spring of 2019. I now have Zestar!, Sweet 16 and Snow Sweet planted this past spring of 2018. My collection of Minn. apples are really growing.
- 20 Oct 2018 OH, United StatesAs my daughter and I picked apples today, I noticed Wealthy on the map...Wealthy !!! I was sure that was a name from my childhood...A forgotten treasure. I guess it's a little late in the season for then, but my daughter came up with a bag full...One taste and it was Heavenly...She is sold, I am happy picker..we were told they were an August apple...putting that on the calendar...I don't know where to start..pie.. ?
- 01 Oct 2018 CEREDIGION, United KingdomI have just DNA fingerprinted a Wealthy tree in a derelict orchard on an Aberystwyth University farm on the west coast of Wales in the United Kingdom. The orchard hasn’t been tended for 40 years or more :( The fruit gives easily on biting, is really crunchy, sweet and refreshing. Some would say tart. I’ll probably take graftwood this winter and propagate onto MM106. I really like this Apple. I know Wealthy trees were popular in the 1920s and 30s in the UK but it’s quite a surprise to find one growing in a relatively remote part of the UK.
- 23 Sep 2018 MN, United StatesWe have an apple tree that we are nearly certain is a Wealthy. The apples are somewhat tart unless fully ripe (red all around) and then they are remarkably sweet and tasty. You have to wait almost until they fall off the tree by themselves to get that peak flavor.
- 13 Jul 2016 MISSOURI, United StatesRE: Chris of 30 Aug 2015 My grandmother and mother made pies from Wealthy apples, but they were used fresh and were single crust pies open like a tart. Otherwise the fruit turns to sauce.
- 24 Oct 2015 MASSACHUSETTS, United StatesWealthy makes the richest, smoothest apple butter of any variety I've tried. Very cold hardy and reliable bearer in the Upper Valley of Vermont. - Carter Wilkie, Boston
- 30 Aug 2015 United StatesI bought 1/2 bushel of Wealthy as suggested they were good for pie. I made canned pie filling but they had pretty much turned into mush. I can still use it but I would not label this a pie apple - at least not for canning - would be great applesauce.
- 19 Sep 2013 UT, United StatesI became officially acquainted with the Wealthy apple yesterday when a friend offered me some apples from her tree. I asked what kind they were and she said she had heard they were called Wealthy apples. I googled it and found the history. We live in a pioneer community in the mountains of Utah and I am sure this is the only apple that would do well here. There are many old trees around the town and many of the apples go to waste because people don't realize how good they are. I baked an apple crisp last night and it was wonderful. I plan to get one of these trees for planting next spring.
- 18 Jul 2013 ONTARIO, CanadaI have just recently planted a wealthy apple tree in my front yard. I got it at the local Home Depot. I was looking to replace the braeburn sapling I planted last year, that the rabbits got at. I have started to do a little research and am very hopeful this little tree will survive. It is a sapling, but has one little apple on it already. I plan to protect it from the rabbits this winter. I can't wait to eat my first apple and bake my first apple pie from my very own apple tree!
- 01 Oct 2012 PA, United StatesI grew up with a whole orchard of Wealthies that my grandfather planted on his farm, and have made sauce (that gorgeous cherry-pink sauce!) and pies (those delectable tart-sweet pies that need only a smidgin of cinnamon as spice) all my life. More and more I hear that growers have never heard of them, a heartbreaking state of affairs, and I dare not even visit the old farm any more, suspecting that its new owner has cut the old trees down as she's eliminated all other traces of how it used to be. Can't we revive this wonderful apple in these decadent days? It's hard lines to have to drive to New England from PA to find them......
- 06 Feb 2012 WASHINGTON/LINCOLN, United StatesOn our family's ranch, near where the old homestead cabin stood, is an old apple tree, believed to have come by train with my great-grandfather in 1890. The variety was, to us, a mystery until 2004. We called them "canyon apples" because it was in the canyon below our farm. We liked the apples, but LOVED the applesauce and apple pies made from them. We had the tree identified through a program at Washington State University in 2004, as a Wealthy. The tree is now over half dead and still produces few to many apples, depending on the year. We are now pursuing the opportunity to have a graft taken from it, so that we can pass on the variety to family members for years to come
- 20 Dec 2011 WA/ KING, United StatesA small tree was planted in our back yard by my dad, probably around 1958 or 1959. He bought it, though in ignorance of it's greatness, from a local nursery. The tree never grew large, but was very productive of the best apples I ever tasted. Sweet-tart, green burnished with a blush of red, popping with juice after an audible CRACK when bit. We could never get enough of them. Mostly, we ate them raw, right off the ground or tree. Once, a swarm of honey bees weighed down a branch, presumably with a queen at the center. The bees stayed put while we called a wood-shop teacher at our local high school, who was also a bee-keeper. He came over in his special "suit"and collected the mass of bees by holding a big box under the branch, then giving the branch one good shake. The whole swarm plopped into the box! Unfortunately, after my parents sold that house and moved, the new owner cut the tree down. We found that out when we stopped to look at our old (remodeled) house. I told the owner that the tree was a Wealthy apple, one of the finest, and asked him why he cut it down. He replied "the raccoons got all the apples anyway." :( It was clear to me he had no idea what he had done. I've never found a wealthy apple for sale in any store I've visited in the Northwest, Washington or otherwise. Still hoping, though.
- 20 Oct 2011 QUEBEC, CanadaA wonderfully tasty apple, we fight over the descriptions of its overtones: is there a lingering taste of banana or is it strawberry? Or both? It depends on the people. The taste is addictive. This apple gives its very distinctive character to the famous cider from the Pedneault orchard in L'Île -aux-Coudres in Quebec. Quite disease resistant and very cold tolerant too.
- 17 Oct 2011 WISCONSIN, United Statesour best apple, very good for eating or baking, crisp and slightly tart. everyone loves them
Tree register
United States
- Alison Gardner in Albion, CALIFORNIA
- Alison Loy in Burtchville, MICHIGAN / ST. CLAIR
- Andrew Plumer in Ashfield, MA
- Andrew Plumer in Ashfield, MA
- Andrew Plumer in Ashfield, MA
- Becky Liegl in Waupaca, WI/WAUPACA
- Chris in MILFORD, IA
- Dale Kopman in Hayti, SD
- Dave Beamer in Santa Barbara, CALIFORNIA
- David Black in Bentonville, ARKANSAS
- DC Nachtrieb in Poncha Springs, COLORADO / CHAFFEE
- Florian Deisenhofer in Brush Prairie, CLARK COUNTY WA
- Herdie Baisden in STOCKHOLM, WI
- J R Makar in Parker, CO
- Julie Sawtelle in Monmouth, ME
- Kathy Bine in BEAMAN, IA
- Kellogg Hill Farms in SOUTH DAYTON, NY
- Kim Lapacek in Poynette, WI
- Paul Grochowski in Floyd, VIRGINIA
- Rick Simoniello in Storrs / Mansfield, CT
- Rory Mcgregor in Mapleton,, MN
- Ryan in STERLING, NY
- Steven Holman in Skandia, MI
- Steven Holman in Skandia, MI
- Steven Sypkens in TURNEY, MO
- Teresa in BUFFALO, MT
- Thomas Griffith in Cottage Grove, WI
- Tony in Springfield, MA
- Tracy Hampton in Rhinelander, WI. ONEIDA
- Velvie Mckenzie in Jackson, OH
Canada
- Bill O'Keefe in Dobbinton, ONTARIO
- Cast Iron Farm in Sooke, BRITISH COLUMBIA
- Clive Rose in SALT SPRING ISLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA
- Michael Hovey in Miramichi, NEW BRUNSWICK
- Rylan in COURTICE, ONTARIO
- Stella Hiemstra in INVERARY, ONTARIO
- The Steves Farm in Richmond, BC
- Torebuch in Keene, ONTARIO
- Will in Severn, ONTARIO
Spring blossom records for this variety
2017 season
- 5th June 2017 - tree owned by Steven in Skandia, United States
2015 season
- May 2015 - tree owned by Andrew in Ashfield, United States
- May 2015 - tree owned by Andrew in Ashfield, United States
2014 season
- 10th May 2014 - tree owned by DC in Poncha Springs, United States
2012 season
- 15th May 2012 - tree owned by DC in Poncha Springs, United States
Record your blossom dates in our Fruit Tree Register - more >>.
Harvest records for this variety
2023 season
- 2nd week September 2023 - tree owned by Will in Severn, Canada
2022 season
- 2nd week September 2022 - tree owned by Will in Severn, Canada
2016 season
- 2nd week August 2016 - tree owned by The in Richmond, Canada
2015 season
- 4th week September 2015 - tree owned by Andrew in Ashfield, United States
- 4th week September 2015 - tree owned by Andrew in Ashfield, United States
- 4th week September 2015 - tree owned by Andrew in Ashfield, United States
- 4th week August 2015 - tree owned by Cast in Sooke, Canada
2013 season
- 3rd week October 2013 - tree owned by Alison in Albion, United States
- August 2013 - tree owned by Dave in Santa Barbara, United States
2012 season
- 1st week September 2012 - tree owned by DC in Poncha Springs, United States
Origins
- Species: Malus domestica - Apple
- Parentage: Seedling of Siberian Crabapple
- Originates from: Minnesota, United States
- Introduced: 1860
- Developed by: Peter Gideon, Minnesota
- UK National Fruit Collection accession: 2000-098
Identification
- Country of origin: United States
- Period of origin: 1850 - 1899
- Fruit colour: Orange / Red
- Fruit colour: Red
- Annual cycle: Deciduous
- Flowering duration: Long
- Fruit size: Average
Using
- Picking season: Very late
- Keeping (of fruit): 2-3 weeks
- Cropping: Good
- Fruit persistence: Normal ripening
- Food uses: Eating fresh
- Picking month: October
- Picking period: mid-October
- Wildlife: RHS Plants for Pollinators
Growing
- Gardening skill: Average
- Flowering group: 3
- Pollinating others: Average
- Ploidy: Diploid
- Precocity: Precocious
- Bearing regularity: Regular
- Fruit bearing: Spur-bearer
- Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
Climate
- Cold hardiness (USDA): Zone 4 (-34C)
- Climate suitability: Temperate climates
- Climate suitability: Warm climates
- Cold-hardiness: Cold-hardy
Other qualities
- Disease resistance: Poor
- Scab (Apple and Pear): Some susceptibility
- Powdery mildew: Some susceptibility
- Fire blight: Some susceptibility
- Cedar apple rust: Very susceptible
Where to buy trees
The following tree nurseries offer Wealthy apple trees for sale:
- Orange Pippin Fruit Trees (USA) United States
Wealthy apple trees
Where to buy fresh fruit
The following orchards grow Wealthy:
United States
Colorado
- Masonville Orchard, Fort Collins
Idaho
- BYU-Idaho Apple Orchard Museum, Rexburg
- Snake River Orchard, Rigby
Indiana
- McClure's Orchard, Peru
- Harker Family Farms & Orchard, Waldron
Iowa
- Allen's Orchard, Marion
- Appleberry Farm, Marshalltown
- Appleberry Orchard, Donnellson
- Apples on the Avenue, Nashua
- Belaire Winery, St Ansgar
- Community Orchards, Fort Dodge
- Deal's Orchard, Jefferson
- East View Orchard, Fredericksburg
- Gravert's Apple Basket Orchard, Sabula
- Iowa Orchard, Urbandale
- Mincer Orchard & Farms, Hamburg
- Smalls Fruit Farm, Mondamin
- The Big Apple Orchard, Mount Vernon
- Wilson's Orchard, Iowa City
Kentucky
- Delicious Fruit Orchard, South Shore
Maine
- Conant Orchards, Etna
- Sweetser's Apple Barrel and Orchards, Cumberland Center
Massachusetts
- Brook Farm Orchard, Ashfield
- Red Apple Farm, Phillipston
Michigan
- Alber's Orchard & Cider Mill, Manchester
- Knaebe's "Mmmunchy Krunchy" Apple Farm Cider Mill, Rogers City
- Moelker Orchards & Farm Market, Grand Rapids
- Orchard Beach Farm, Quincy
- Porter's Orchard Farm Market & Cider Mill, Goodrich
Minnesota
- Apple Jack Orchards, Delano
- Dayton Avenue Orchard, Adrian
- Nelson's Apple Farm, Webster
- Novak's Orchards, LLC, Woodbury
- Nystrom Orchard, Worthington
- Pleasant Valley Orchard, Taylors Falls
- Sekapp Orchard, Rochester
Montana
- Anderson Orchards, Rudyard
- O'Farrell Orchards, Bigfork
- Ross Orchards, Fromberg
Nebraska
- Degroot Orchards, Madison
New Hampshire
- Old Ciderpress Farm, Westmoreland
New York
- Northern Orchard Co Inc., Peru
- Soons Orchards Inc., New Hampton
Ohio
- Granville Orchard, Granville
- Hoen's Orchard and Market, Delta
- Legend Hills Orchard, Utica
- Ochs Fruit Farm, Lancaster
Pennsylvania
- Rocky Ridge Orchards, Kane
Washington
- Piper's Orchard, Seattle
- Skipley Farm, Snohomish *** Feature Orchard ***
Wisconsin
- Cattleana Ranch, Poygan Township/Omro
- Door Creek Orchard, Cottage Grove
- Hillside Apples, Casco
- Roo's Apple Orchard, Omro
- Silver Creek Orchards, Merrill
Canada
British Columbia
- Apple Lane Orchards, Denman Island
- Apple Luscious Organic Orchards, Salt Spring Island
- Blue Haze Farm, Victoria
- Ravenskill Orchards, Gabriola Island
- Salt Spring Apple Company, Salt Spring Island
Nova Scotia
- Vista Bella Farm Orchard and Apiary, Malagash
Ontario
- Loughborough Heritage Orchard, Inverary
References
- Cedar-Apple Rust
Author: Stephen Vann, University of Arkansas, Division of Agriculture (FSA7538)
Rated as highly susceptible - control always needed where CAR is prevalent. - Apples of England (1948)
Author: Taylor