There’s something about the mountains that makes Central Virginia apples taste so good. Okay, we’re biased, but we’re backed up by the facts—Virginia is the sixth highest apple-producing state, growing 400 million juicy, delicious pounds of them each year.

“We always say that it’s our climate and soil,” says David Robishaw with the Virginia Department of Agriculture. “Apples need some cool nights.”

That’s why autumn and apples just go together, like America and apple pie, or apples and cinnamon. (Can you tell we have apples on the brain?) So keep reading: These seven pages reveal all you could ever hope to know about the Virginia apple, starting with this sampling of just some of our favorites among hundreds of varieties grown right here.

photos by sera petras

ALBEMARLE PIPPIN
About: Trees are not easy to grow, but fruit is deliciously complex and juicy.
Season starts: October
Uses: Eating, cooking, cider

BIG RED
About: A strain of Gala, but tends to be crisper and more irregular in shape.
Season starts: September
Uses: Eating

CAMEO
About: A relatively new apple (1980s) with a tart kick and juicy flesh.
Season starts: October
Uses: Eating, cooking

BLACK TWIG
About: Popular in 19th and early 20th centuries in Central Virginia. Coloring varies. Reaches peak flavor in storage.
Season starts: October
Uses: Eating, cooking

CRISPIN (MUTSU)
About: Sweet, with some tartness; crisp and juicy cream-colored flesh.
Season starts: October
Uses: Eating, cooking

EMPIRE
About: A cross between the Red Delicious and McIntosh. Sweet, with crisp white flesh.
Season starts: September
Uses: Eating, cooking, sauce

GOLDEN DELICIOUS
About: Sweet and mild, with a uniform shape. One of the most popular apples. Stores well.
Season starts: September
Uses: Eating, cooking

FUJI
About: Sweet, not tart. Cross between Ralls Janet and Red Delicious.
Season starts: October
Uses: Eating, cooking

GINGER GOLD
About: Sweet and tart and juicy. After a few weeks, loses its flavor and texture.
Season starts: August
Uses: Eating, cooking

JONAGOLD
About: A mix of Jonathan (tart) and Golden Delicious (sweet).
Season starts: September
Uses: Eating, cooking

NORTHERN SPY
About: Dates to early 19th century. Tends to be large, with white juicy, crisp flesh.
Season starts: late September, early October
Uses: Eating, cooking, cider

PRIMA
About: Shape is often lopsided and irregular. Crisp, juicy, and sweet-tart.
Season starts: September
Uses: Eating, cooking

RAZOR RUSSET
About: Mutation of Golden Delicious, with a more acutely sweet flavor and a brownish skin.
Season starts: late September
Uses: Eating, cooking

ROME
About: A great baking apple. Crisp and tart.
Season starts: October
Uses: Eating, cooking

WINESAP
About: 19th-century apple, small to medium in size. Crisp, sweet, and aromatic.
Season starts: October
Uses: Eating, cooking, cider

SMOKEHOUSE
About: Early 19th-century apple, with spots of russeting on the exterior and yellowy crisp, tart flesh.
Season starts: September
Uses: Eating, cooking

YORK
About: One of Virginia’s top-ten sellers. Tart and crisp, and becomes even more flavorful in storage.
Season starts: October
Uses: Eating, cooking