Esopus Spitzenburg: Connoiseur Fruit

Although Jefferson never planted the Spitzenburg in large quantities, there are more documentary entries concerning its planting than for any other fruit variety. The Esopus Spitzenburg was discovered early in the eighteenth century at Esopus (pronounced today as "Eee-soap'-us") along the Hudson River sixty miles north of New York City, presumably by one of the horticulturally astute Dutch settlers named Spitzenburg. Lady Jean Skipwith, an avid and proficient eighteenth-century Virginia gardener, proclaimed it "the finest American table apple next to the Newtown Pippin." In the nineteenth century, the Spitzenburg was the most universally acclaimed of all apple varieties. America's first published pomologist, William Coxe, said it "possesses great beauty, and exquisite flavor;" A. J. Downing, a singular figure in the history of United States horticulture, described it as "a handsome, truly delicious apple . . . unsurpassed as a dessert fruit;" and S. A. Beach, author of The Apples of New York and usually frugal in his praise, said the Spitzenburg was "unexcelled in flavor and quality."

The Spitzenburg is easily identified by its vivid, orangish-red skin. Biting into a Spitz produces an explosion of flavors. The yellow flesh is crisp, firm, spicy, and juicy with an extremely rich, aromatic flavor: the ultimate gourmet apple.

Peter J. Hatch, Director
Monticello Gardens and Grounds
January 1995

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