The Easy Dozen
Apples
Akane – Ripens Early
An attractive, early season, medium-sized, bright red, apple with an unusually good balance of sweet and sharp flavors. The flesh is firm rather than crisp, but with plenty of juice. Disease resistant.
Liberty – Ripens Mid-season
Resistant to apple scab and mildew. A handsome red apple, usually lunch box size, of the McIntosh type with a wonderful sweet/tart balance. Crisper, keeps better and more heat tolerant than other McIntosh.
Cox Orange Pippin – Ripens Mid-season
A famous, fabled apple of England that many feel is simply the best. It’s a superb looking and extremely tasty apple. Cox Orange Pippin is often regarded as the finest of all dessert apples.
Pears
Warren – Ripens Very Late – Good Storage
Medium to large, long-necked, drop-shaped fruit is faded green with an occasional red blush in full sun. Sweet, very juicy, buttery, smooth flesh with no grit. Pyramidal tree shape.
Plums
Santa Rosa – Ripens Very Early
Superior quality flesh makes Santa Rosa the most widely grown plum. Purple-red skin surrounds rich, tart, fragrant, yellow flesh. Prolific, vigorous, self-fertile. One of the best of Luther Burbank’s creations.
Bavay’s Green Gage – Ripens Very Late
One of the best Gages. This is still considered the ideal dessert plum in Europe. Meaty flesh with a rich Gage flavor and incredible candy-like sweetness. Juicy, smooth-textured amber flesh.
Peaches
Babcock – Ripens Early
Old favorite in white-fleshed freestone peaches, sweet and juicy, aromatic, low acid. Does well in taste tests. Widely adapted because of low chill requirements (500 hours) but unlike other low chill fruits doesn’t bloom early.
Suncrest – Ripens Mid-season
One of the last remaining truly juicy peaches. Large, round freestone peach with bright red blush over yellow skin. Yellow flesh, exceptionally firm texture, but very juicy, with good flavor. Heavy producer.
Rio Oso Gem – Ripens Late
Old favorite late, yellow freestone with large fruit and rich sweet flavor. A favorite of the Healdsburg folks for fresh eating, pies and freezing. A good garden tree as it has very showy pink blossoms and is a small tree.
