One of the most iconic fruits in North America (maybe even in the world) is the apple. Whether you choose to take advantage of one of its many uses, from juice, to jelly, to applesauce, pies, vinegar, ciders, or simply for fresh eating, I definitely look forward to apples every season.

There are 6 apple species in Michigan, Malus pumila (the domestic garden apple) being the best for cooking and eating. But this is not the only edible apple species! Malus coronaria (the “sweet crabapple” or the “garland crabapple”) is also quite good. In the entire United States though, there are plenty more to be found. Let’s take a look:

Plant Profile:

Scientific Name: Malus sp. (species)

Preferred Habitat: I have seen apples mostly on abandoned farmland, in open fields, along edges of woods, and in sunny clearings.

Edible Parts: Fruit, flowers

Distribution: Every state in the U.S. and province in Canada has a species of Malus, however not every species is palatable.

Harvest Season: Some varieties of apple ripen as early as July, and some as late as December or January. This depends heavily on variety and climate, but in the wild I normally find them ripe from late August to mid-November.

Key Identifiers: In the spring the trees blossom and are hard to miss. In the fall, fruit can be seen hanging from branches, and the leaves tend to have an almost leathery appearance.

Toxic Look-Alikes: I have never seen or heard of a fruit that looks enough like an apple in North America to be considered a “look alike”. If you ever plan on using the smaller cherry-sized crabapples though, they can sometimes be confused with Hawthorne berries (which are also edible and related to apples). That said, on other continents I know there exist a few deadly look-alikes!

Nutrition per fruit (1 apple is approximately 180g):

• Calories: 94.6

• Water: 156g

• Protein: 0.43g

• Carbs: 25.1g

• Sugar: 18.9g

• Fiber: 4.37g

• Fat: 0.3g

• Vitamin C

• Potassium

• Antioxidants: Quercetin, Catechin, Chlorogenic acid

Notes:

Apples have a very long history (one that I will have to save for a special edition). One of the most common places to find feral apples (ones that have gone from being cultivated to wild) is on old farmland.

You may wonder why some apples are tannic and have thicker skin. This is somewhat common around me, but it doesn’t mean the apple is unusable! It may not be good for fresh eating, but there are a LOT of uses for apples. In the US most apples used to be used for making cider not for baking or fresh eating. So if you find apples with those qualities, look into fermenting them rather than eating them fresh!

Crabapples

If you’re like me, you may have grown up thinking crabapples would make you sick or give you a stomachache. Well, I’m here to debunk that myth: it’s not true! Crabapples are just as safe to consume as any other apple, although you aren’t guaranteed to find one that tastes good.

I have had apples from around 25+ different wild trees, and all of them have a wide range of flavors, so you just have to taste test every tree you come across.

I have found that most apples I process are perfectly acceptable for sauces and vinegars. That said, if you want that extra level of flavor complexity, I highly recommend combining apples from multiple trees.

Apples can also be used for jelly, apple butter, or dried as chips. Crabapples also make excellent pollinators for apples in the garden or orchard! While there are varieties that do well in warmer climates, most apple trees need a good number of chill hours (hours below freezing) to properly set fruit. That said, most of my recommendations will be for the slightly cooler regions.

One guy I will probably mention again in the future is Skillcult (Steven Edholm). If you’re interested at all in rare or interesting apple varieties, he’s the guy to watch!

His goal is to selectively breed new and exciting commercial grade apples by crossing old heirloom apples and so far, he’s been quite successful.

Here’s a link to his YouTube channel:

Skillcult

A quick note, unless otherwise specified, no links provided earn me commission. I just really love the companies I link and the products they sell! I will always disclose affiliate or sponsor information.

If you’re interested in growing apples of any kind, here is my list of recommended varieties:

Crabapples:

• The Chestnut Crabapple (known for its amazingly complex and strange flavor, hints of caramel and cola flavors are often reported)

• The Dolgo crab (known for its good pollination and good flavor)

• The Snowdrift Crabapple (Good pollinator, bright yellow gold fruit, good for jelly)

• Wickson (known for good flavor)

Apples:

• Liberty (the most disease and pest resistant apple on the market)

• Honeycrisp (A classic popular sweet-tart apple)

• Gravenstein (A top tier dessert apple with amazing flavor and good eating quality)

• Orleans Antique (A sweet and good cider apple)

• Black Oxford (A dark-colored, well balanced Maine heirloom apple for desserts and ciders)

• Cox Orange Pippin (One of the most sought-after apples for breeding, and one of the best for fresh eating)

Trees of Antiquity

Blue Hill Wildlife Nursery - They also have hybrid Apple-crab trees!

Stark Brothers

Skillcult - He doesn’t have a regular stock of apples, but at the end of the season he releases grafting stock, seeds, and pollen from his breeding project. Check in every so often and see what he has, he’s gotten some fascinating results from crossing heirloom apples!

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