Hewe's Crab Apple

This cider apple, also known as Hughes' Crab and Virginia Crab, was the most common fruit variety grown in eighteenth-century Virginia. It is thought to be a cross between the native American crabapple, Malus angustifolia, and the domesticated European apple of horticulture. It produces a delicious cinnamon-flavored cider that is both sugary and pungent. Jefferson designated his entire north orchard exclusively for this variety and once wrote that crushing the juicy Hewe's Crab for cider was like "squeezing a wet sponge."

Its small, round fruit, which ripens in September in Central Virginia, is dull red and streaked with green.

Visit Monticello’s Online Shop to check for seeds or plants of Hewe's Crab Apple.

In Bloom at Monticello is made possible by support from The Richard D. and Carolyn W. Jacques Foundation.