To keep up with Central Virginia’s growing demand for the historic Albemarle Pippin apple, Tim Henley has planted an additional 100 Pippin trees in his 35-acre orchard in Crozet.
"The Pippin has been getting really, really popular," said Henley, whose family runs Henley’s Orchard. "It’s definitely my favorite apple. It’s got that twangy flavor - sweet, but kind of sour. It’s got a bite to it."
Henley grows a dozen varieties of heirloom apples, such as the Summer Rambo, the Ginger Gold, the June Transparent and the Black Twig. None, however, has the buzz of the Albemarle Pippin.
"The demand for the Pippin is really taking off," he said. "People who know apples, they want a Pippin."
Apple growers throughout the greater Charlottesville area report an increasing interest in the Albemarle Pippin.
"The Albemarle Pippin is coming back," said Doris Drumheller, whose family owns Drumheller’s Orchard in Nelson County. "It’s an ugly apple, so for a lot of years nobody really wanted it. But I kind of think that’s changing."
Last fall apple lovers from as far away as Newport News traveled to Drumheller’s Orchard in search of Albemarle Pippins, she said. Her family’s orchard has seven acres of Pippin trees.
On the outside, the Pippin boasts a splotchy, mottled mix of yellows, reds and greens. Its shape is often lopsided and a bit pathetic looking. Many Pippins are pockmarked with imperfections.
On the inside, however, the Albemarle Pippin is considered one of the most delicious apples in the country.
Those who can see beyond the Pippin’s ugly exterior prize the plucky fruit, like a fine smelly French cheese.
"Its beauty is on the inside, not on the outside," Drumheller said.
An apple with a past
The Albemarle Pippin is the oldest commercially available apple in the United States, having been discovered in the early 18th century along Newtown Creek in Queens, N.Y.
Once apple growers in Central Virginia began producing their own Pippins a few years later, it helped fuel the establishment of Virginia’s apple industry.
Thomas Jefferson grew Pippins at Monticello and once proclaimed that Europe has "no apples here to compare with our Newtown pippin." Ben Franklin was reportedly a big fan. And Queen Victoria loved Pippins so much that she exempted the apple from import tariffs.
"There’s a lot of American history rolled up in the Albemarle Pippin," said Penny Cornett, director of the Center for Historic Plants at Monticello.
Monticello sells Albemarle Pippin trees at its historic garden shop for $35. In recent years, the trees have sold out quickly each season, Cornett said.
It was first referred to as the Albemarle Pippin in a Richmond newspaper editorial in 1843. The writer complained about the prevalence of imported "Yankee apples" while "The very best Pippin we know of is grown in the county of Albemarle," said Peter Hatch, author of "The Fruits and Fruit Trees of Monticello: Thomas Jefferson and the Roots of American Horticulture."
By 1900, barrels of Albemarle Pippins fetched a price that was twice that of its leading competitors, Hatch said.
Central Virginia was ground zero for Pippin orchards. The foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains were known as Pippin Land.
"It was probably the biggest industry in Albemarle County in the late 1800s and early 1900s," Hatch said.
The Pippin’s popularity was fueled by its taste and ability to withstand long journeys without spoiling, Hatch said.
Making a comeback
Over the past few decades, however, consumers soured on the Albemarle Pippin because advances in cold storage technology allowed growers to ship their apples anywhere in the world. As the ugly Pippin declined, the attractive Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith ascended.
Now, it appears that the Pippin is bouncing back after its years of exile. Local apple fans are deciding that taste is more important than looks. Plus, the Pippin’s local history is also likely helping to attract apple aficionados.
"I love the Albemarle Pippin," Hatch said. "It’s got a great taste. It’s spicy. It’s firm. It’s crisp. It just sort of lingers on the tongue like a good memory."
At Integral Yoga Natural Foods in Charlottesville, Albemarle Pippins are the store’s best-selling item, said department manager Waheguru Singh.
"We sell tons," Singh said. "We probably sell 1,000 pounds a week."
Located in Preston Plaza, Integral Yoga is one of the few Charlottesville retailers still offering Albemarle Pippins during the off-season. Singh said the store has 20 cases left, at a price of 99 cents per pound.
Virginia’s $235 million apple industry has struggled in recent years to compete with emerging fruit exporters such as China and South Africa. With more than 100 commercial apple orchards, Virginia is the nation’s sixth largest apple-producing state.
Some small pick-your-own Central Virginia apple growers are increasingly relying on niche heirloom apples like the Albemarle Pippin to draw in local and regional visitors to their orchards.
"For people who are doing direct marketing of their fruits and vegetables, there’s a lot of evidence of diversification," said Dave Robishaw, an apple expert and marketing specialist with the Virginia Department of Agriculture. "I’ve heard of people wanting to broaden the mix of what they offer."
Cynthia Chiles, whose family owns the Crown and Carter Mountain orchards in Albemarle County, said she has not seen a major spike in Pippin interest, but that it enjoys a loyal following.
"It’s a good little apple," she said. "It has its niche."
For Henley’s part, he is hoping his new plantings of Pippin trees - expected to bear fruit in October - will help his orchard business grow.
Last fall, Henley handed out samples of his first batch of Pippins to the orchard’s visitors. This fall, he thinks he’ll have a sufficient quantity to sell the apples locally.
"There’s just something about a Pippin," he said.
