Roxbury Russet Apple

'Roxbury Russet' is an extremely productive variety, and like many older varieties, it stores well through the winter months. Modern cold storage technology has meant that the superb keeping qualities of 'Roxbury Russet' are no longer important commercially, but to the home gardener, keeping quality is still an important asset for a fruit variety. Jefferson recorded the planting of a number of 'Roxbury Russet' trees in Monticello's South Orchard in 1778. He referred to them as "russetings" because of the distinctive flacking russets on the skin of the fruit. This was among the most popular varieties in America in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The fruit of the 'Roxbury Russet' has a greenish skin and a crisp, tart taste that ripens in early fall.

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