There are hundreds of wonderfully varied, sometimes curiously shaped, heirloom apple varieties waiting to be explored, including the sweet 'Api Etoile,' the tropical-flavored 'Pitmaston Pineapple,' and several cider apples, such as the crisp 'Golden Russet' and the bittersweet 'Muscat de Bernay.' Below are dozens of sources for antique apple varieties, whether you prefer to pick your own at an orchard, at your doorstep, or grow them yourself.

Pick-Your-Own Orchards
Purchasing these oldies but goodies from a farm stand or farmers' market has its own rewards, but nothing quite compares with the experience of being at an orchard and plucking antique apples from the trees.

Midwest
Apples on Oak
16146 West Oak Avenue
Joliet, IL 60432
815-726-0386

Fieldstone Orchard
7049 East 149th Street
Overbrook, KS 66524
785-665-7643

Friske Orchard
10743 U.S. 31 North
Ellsworth, MI 49729
888-968-3554

King Orchards
4620 Route 88 North
Central Lake, MI 49622
877-937-5464

Kiser Orchard
6105 Church Road
Plattsmouth, NE 68048
402-298-8132

New England
Alyson's Orchard
57 Alyson's Lane
Walpole, NH 03608
800-856-0549

Champlain Orchards
2955 Route 74 West
Shoreham, VT 05770
802-897-2777

Lyman Orchards
Junction of Routes 147 and 157
Middlefield, CT 06455
860-349-1793

Windy Hill Farm
686 Stockbridge Road
Great Barrington, MA 01230
413-298-3217

Mid-Atlantic
Milk Pail Farm and Orchard
1346 Montauk Highway
Water Mill, NY 11976
631-726-4565

Riamede Farm
122 Oakdale Road
Chester, NJ 07930
908-879-5353

Reid's Orchard
2135 Buchanan Valley Road
Ortanna, PA 17353
717-677-7466

South
Hidden Hollow Orchard
3200 Apple Hill Road
Louisville, KY 40245
502-243-4196

West
Apple Place
54950 Route 245
Miramonte, CA 93641
559-336-2608

Denver Dan's
4354 Bumble Bee Lane
Camino, CA 95709
530-644-6881

Kiyokawa Family Orchards
8129 Clear Creek Road
Parkdale, OR 97041
541-352-7115

Old World Apples
5917 Northwest 199th Street
Ridgefield, WA 98642
360-887-4273

Pope Farm & Apple Orchard
2531 U.S. 26
Lingle, WY 82223
307-837-3015

Prevedelli Farms
375 Pioneer View Road
Watsonville, CA 95076
831-724-9282

Sierra Glen Ranch
15665 Big Hill Road
Sonora, CA 95370
209-532-2534

Ya Ya Farm & Orchard
6914 Ute Highway
Longmont, CO 80502
303-485-5585

Mail Order
Perhaps the next best thing to picking your own apples is receiving a package of enticingly unfamiliar varieties in the mail. Most orchards start shipping their autumn heirlooms in September.

Applesource
1716 Apples Road
Chapin, IL 62628
800-588-3854

Brookdale Farm
Route 130
Hollis, NH 03049
603-465-2240.

Fruit Company
2900 Van Horn Drive
Hood River, OR 97031
800-387-3100

Hurd Orchards
17260 Ridge Road
Holley, NY 14470
585-638-8838

Jim's Apples
Route 612/Kane Gap Road
Stickleyville, VA 24244
276-546-2405

Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm
9351 East Eureka Road
Eau Claire, MI 49111
877-863-3276

Vintage Virginia Apples
2550 Rural Ridge Lane
North Garden, VA 22959
434-297-2326

Grow Your Own
Why not harvest your own heirloom apples? When selecting a tree variety to plant, you may want to ask someone at the nursery the following questions:

• Which varieties will grow in my region?
• What types best suit my intended use for the apple, whether cooking, pressing, or eating out of hand?
• Which varieties will thrive in the environment, whether container or ground?
• Are there any trees that are particularly disease- and pest-resistant and will suit the above criteria?

Be sure to request trees that are only one or two years old.

Five Star Nursery
P.O. Box 1030
North Brooklin, ME 04616
207-359-2282

Greenmantle Nursery
3010 Ettersburg Road
Garberville, CA 95542
707-986-7504

Trees of Antiquity
20 Wellsona Road
Paso Robles, CA 93446
805-467-9909

Van Well Nursery
2821 Grant Road
East Wenatchee, WA 98802
800-572-1553

Text by Dionne Victor