Branching Out: Apple Varieties and why they’re important

You may have noticed that we’ve gone a little apple crazy on our menu with lots of unique apple varieties for sale - we just can’t help ourselves! When NC apples start coming off the trees this time of year, we love providing Produce Box members with varieties that you can’t find at the grocery store. Picked fresh from our partners in the Blue Ridge Mountains, these apples provide an opportunity to branch out and try unique varieties like Stayman Winesap or Arkansas Black. At the grocery store, you’re likely to see the same ol’ varieties year-round: Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Pink Lady, Gala, Honeycrisp. While these apples are delicious, they don’t tell the full story of this mighty fruit.

There are estimated to be over 7,500 known apple varieties cultivated worldwide, with around 2,500 varieties grown in the United States alone. However, the average grocery store typically sells about seven varieties of apples, focusing on the most popular and commercially viable types. This share represents a mere 0.1% of known apple varieties!

Every single apple, as you can see when you bite into this crunchy, classic fruit, has several seeds within. However, each and every one of these seeds has a completely unique genetic blueprint. This means that if you plant a seed from, say, a Honeycrisp apple, it won’t grow into another Honeycrisp tree but rather a completely new variety with unpredictable traits. This is because apples are heterozygous, meaning each seed contains a mix of genetic information from both parent trees, leading to vast genetic diversity.

Grafting to Grow

In order to replicate a specific apple variety with its favorable characteristics- like long storage life, crisp texture, or sweet flavor - growers use a technique called grafting to attach a cutting from an existing tree to a rootstock. This ensures that the new tree will produce the exact same variety as the original.

Some apple varieties are discovered by accident, while some are intentionally cultivated in labs. The famous Granny Smith apple, for example, originated in Australia in 1868. It was discovered by Maria Ann "Granny" Smith, who found a seedling growing by her creek. It’s believed that the seedling sprouted from French crab apples she had discarded, and over time, she cultivated the variety. Known for its tart flavor and bright green skin, Granny Smith apples have since become a global favorite.

If every apple seed was allowed to grow into a full-fledged tree, we would likely end up with a lot of mealy, tasteless, or fragile apples. That’s why growers hone in on their favorite varieties and characteristics to graft and replicate these traits in future generations.

Delicious Diversity

However, when we focus global production to just 5-10 varieties of apples that sell well in grocery stores because they store well (did you know the average grocery store apple was picked nearly a YEAR ago?!), we lose out on a whole world of genetic diversity, flavor, and cultural history. This makes our apple crops less resilient against disease and climate change, and it makes our diets and gut microbiome a whole lot less diverse. Diversifying our crops AND our diets does us a whole world of good: for ecosystem health, human health, and the health of robust local agrarian economies. So go out on a limb and try a new variety next week - you might be surprised at what you find! The best way to differentiate between your Produce Box apple varieties is to reference the pictures and descriptions online against what comes in your box. It’s a fun tasting journey, right from the comfort of your home.

Where Our Apples Come From: Deal Orchards

The apples in your Produce Box come from our longtime partners at Deal Orchards, a family farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains with a history that spans three generations. The story began in 1939, when Brack and Thelma Isabelle “Belle” Deal planted their first 15 acres of apple trees, clearing the mountain land with a mule. That very orchard—replanted over time—is still producing delicious fruit today.

Brack and Thelma on their wedding day

What started as a small family venture has grown into over 100 acres of thriving orchards, now stewarded by their son Lindsay and his family. Deal Orchards remains rooted in tradition while carrying forward a deep commitment to quality and community. One of the original apple trees Brack planted back in 1939 still stands, producing Limbertwig apples more than 80 years later—a living testament to the orchard’s legacy.

For generations, the Deal family has tended every aspect of growing, harvesting, and packing fruit, supported by loyal employees who help bring these apples from mountain orchard to your kitchen. Their story is woven into each crisp bite—reminding us that behind every apple is a legacy of care, resilience, and dedication to the land.