Building Local Diversity

Empire apples are a McIntosh type with superior color and flavor. The Empire apple trees are a cultivar of an apple derived from a seed grown in 1944 by Lester C. Anderson, a fruit nutritionist at Cornell. The original seed was a cross between the McIntosh and Red Delicious. The Empire apple has a dark red with heavy, waxy bloom and crisp, juicy flesh with some aromatic quality. 

Estimated bloom in Southwest Iowa:   Mid April

Estimated ripening in Southwest Iowa:   TBD