Roxbury Russet Apple Delivery or Pickup

The Roxbury Russet apple first appeared during the mid-1600s in the Massachusetts Bay Colony town of Roxbury, a few miles southwest of Boston. Roxbury Russet apple trees are among the oldest cultivar bred in the United States. Other common names for the Roxbury Russet apple include Boston Russet, Putnam Russet, and Sylvan Russet.

Roxbury Russet apples have a green-gray skin with plenty of coarse russet color. The yellow-green flesh of the Roxbury Russet has a firm, rough texture and a sweet-tart flavor that tastes great eaten fresh or when used in cooking. The Roxbury Russet's initial appeal was its keeping ability, an essential characteristic in the age before refrigeration. Roxbury Russet apples make great cider and juice, another sought-after feature of the period.

Today, Russet apples are out of favor, mainly because they have a dull color and mottled face that doesn't look as good as the bright and shiny apple varieties now available. However, the flavor has consistently been above average. Roxbury Russet apples are grown predominantly by heirloom specialists yet still find their way into grocery stores and farmers markets across the U.S. Northeast.

The wood propagating Roxbury Russet trees first underwent grafting in Connecticut in 1649. Thomas Jefferson helped the propagation along in 1778 when he planted Roxbury Russet trees in Monticello's South Orchard. 

Maj. Gen. Israel Putnam grew Roxbury Russet apples on his farm in Pomfret, Connecticut, hence the name Putnam Russet. Putnam's grandson, also named Israel Putnam, brought the Roxbury Russet to the Ohio Valley in 1796, along with approximately two dozen other apple varieties. 

As the oldest apple cultivar in the United States, the Roxbury Russet was likely a seedling brought over by European settlers. Perhaps one fascinating aspect of North American apple development was how few of the original European varieties could adapt and thrive in the environment. Instead, seedlings of European varieties were better suited to the climate and further propagated. The fact that apples do not grow true from seed made this propagation possible.

All apples get picked when ripe and ready to eat, so they arrive at your local grocer as such. While apples don't continue to ripen after picking, per se, they release a gas called ethylene while they grow. Ethylene induces ripening. After harvesting, ethylene continues to escape through the apple's porous skin. Thus, the apple takes most of the blame for its eventual demise. Fortunately, the Roxbury Russet's thick, coarse skin allows less ethylene to escape than other apples, one big reason it keeps so well.

You want to choose Roxbury Russet apples that are firm, not soft, and free from blemishes, bruises, or other disfiguration. These imperfections will allow the ethylene to escape more quickly, and ethylene will affect the apple that emits it and the surrounding apples. As the old saying goes, one bad apple can indeed spoil the bushel, so avoid imperfect apples if at all possible.

Your apples will last a week or so at room temperature. In cold storage, they will last up to 3 months.

You can save time shopping for Roxbury Russet apples by using the Instacart app. All you need to do is add the apples to your cart and check out. After checkout, an Instacart shopper will prepare your order for in-store pickup in as little as 2 hours! Some orders may qualify for same-day delivery!