Blue Ridge King

Why you should be excited

Blue Ridge King is a modern apple of the U.S. south, discovered in the 1990s, and offering great eating qualities.

The story of Blue Ridge King

Lee Calhoun’s book Old Southern Apples includes a few varieties to which his title really doesn’t apply. One of them is Blue Ridge King, an apple that might be an old variety, but more likely is a relatively recent addition.

Calhoun was happy to include in his book several apples he’s got in his orchard that really aren’t particularly old or don’t come from the U.S. south, but are particularly interesting or of excellent quality.

Discovered in Virginia during the mid-1990s, this variety scores highly in both looks and taste. Calhoun calls Blue Ridge King "strikingly beautiful and a delicious eating apple."

That’s good enough for us; we’re looking forward to our grafted trees producing fruit.

Blue Ridge King Facts

Its origins

Discovered in Virginia, USA, mid-1990s.

Flavour, aroma, texture

A delicious fresh eating apple.

Appearance

Strikingly beautiful medium-sized apple that's roundish and mostly covered with dark red, with even darker red stripes.

When they’re available

Mid-season (usually in late September).

Quality for fresh eating

Very good.

Quality for cooking

Mainly used for fresh eating.

Quality for cider

Not particularly known for use in cider, but like many heritage varieties, it can contribute a very nice sugar/acid balance to blends.

Keeping ability

We'll let you know when we find out.