Fireside Orchard & Gardens – Northfield, MN

Fireside Orchard & Gardens in Northfield, Minnesota is the perfect place for a relaxing afternoon. Enjoy watching the fish in the pond, sitting in the rose garden pergola and eating a fresh made apple donut, or grab something salty and sweet like a bag of popcorn and homemade fudge.

With COVID, u-pick apples are cancelled but don’t forget to grab a bag of apples from the store to bring home with you.

Apple varieties grown at Fireside Orchards:

• Early Blush – Tart flavor but great for eating and cooking with. Was developed by the University of Minnesota, but never officially released. Fireside Orchards has been growing this variety since 1971.

• Zestar! – Sweet-tart flavor making it excellent for both fresh eating and cooking.

• First Kiss – Is the child of Honeycrisp and an Arkansas variety, resulting in an apple that tastes much like Honeycrisp but is more heat-tolerant and ripens earlier.

• SweeTango – Juicy and sweet with hints of fall spices.

• HoneyCrisp – Crisp and juicy. Best for fresh eating and salads as the flesh is slow to brown.

• SugarBee – Sweet and Crisp a perfect apple to eat raw.

• Haralson – Firm texture with a complex tart flavor. Good for fresh eating and cooking, especially apple pie.

• Fireside – Sweet flavor and fine-grained flesh good for fresh eating, salad, and baked apples.

• Pazazz – Crunchy, exceptionally sweet, and subtly tart, making a perfect raw eating apple. 

• KinderKrisp – a brand new apple variety developed by an independent fruit breeder in Minnesota. Exceptional flavor and crisp texture, like its parent Honeycrisp, this early ripening apple features sweeter, smaller fruit. Perfect size for snacking or kid’s lunches.

• Keepsake – Dense, hard, crisp, juicy, spicy, rosy, some starch, not a typical apple flavor. Great for eating or cider.

• U of M #1622 – Crunchy white flesh, sharp apple flavor. Perfect for eating and cooking.

• SnowSweet – Savory, sweet tasting apple, with a slight tart balance and rich overtones. Excellent for fresh eating, snack trays, and salads.

• Regent – Crisp, sweet with a hint of starch, juicy and flavorful. Great multi-use apple.

• Sweet Sixteen – Crisp and juicy; spectacularly sweet, and great for eating.

• Sweet RiverBelle – With a texture similar to Honeycrisp, the Sweet Riverbelle has an explosive flavor. They  are crisp and juicy, ideal for fresh eating.

• MacIntosh – Juicy and cidery. Perfect for eating, apple sauce, pies, and cider.

• Cortland – Coarse, very white; rich, full, winery, aromatic flavor and an all purpose apple.

• Chestnut Crab – Large, russeted crabapple with a rich, nutty flavor. Best for fresh eating or sauce.

• Stella – Semi-sweet flavor and firm, white flesh. They are well suited for both eating and cooking/baking.

All descriptions above come from Fireside Orchard.