09/18/2026
We will be at Jonesborough Farmers Market tomorrow morning with our selection of heirloom fruit trees along will mums, berry plants and more, Tonight's spotlight is a sweetie The Ramsdell Sweet apple is an American heirloom known for its pure sweetness, fine grained flesh, and late season ripening, typically October in most climates. The fruit is medium sized, round to slightly conical, with yellow skin often brushed or streaked with light red on the sunward side. The flesh is pale yellow, tender, and very sweet, with almost no acidity—making it a classic “sweet apple” meant for fresh eating rather than cooking. When fully ripe, the flesh softens into a creamy, pleasant texture that was historically prized for eating straight from the tree. Ramsdell Sweet trees are moderately vigorous, upright in youth, and develop a spreading canopy with age. They bear steady annual crops, though thinning improves fruit size. Because of its soft flesh and low acidity, Ramsdell Sweet does not store long. It is meant to be enjoyed soon after picking. Ramsdell Sweet originated in Connecticut in the early 19th century, discovered as a chance seedling and later propagated by the Ramsdell family. It became locally popular as a high quality sweet apple—part of a category once valued for fresh eating, c***r blending, and children’s apples. As orchard culture expanded southward in the 1800s, sweet apples like Ramsdell Sweet traveled with settlers. Its late ripening made it especially useful: a sweet apple ready after the early fall rush, but before the deep winter keepers. Ramsdell Sweet in the American South Although Northern in origin, Ramsdell Sweet found a comfortable home in parts of the Upper South and Southern Appalachians, including Tennessee, western North Carolina, and northern Georgia.
