A cross between Haralson and Rescue, the former being a true apple while the latter a cross between an apple and a crabapple (or applecrab), Norkent is therefore technically an Apple Applecrabapple. But let’s settle down now. Although 2024 is our first year growing Norkent, we have been very impressed by its ability to withstand Montana’s super cold winters, as it can undoubtedly survive in even the coldest places of eastern Montana. Norkent survived Ed Schultz’ -47F without any winter injury. Ed argues that it is the best tasting of all the Nor Series of apples, which is in line with some reports describing Norkent as the best tasting of all the really hardy apples. It is also often described as tasting pear-like. And given that it is a summer apple, Norkent is good for even the shortest of growing seasons in Alaska and Canada, who also face -50F or colder winters. On top of it being good for fresh eating, Norkent is also apparently also used in sauces, ciders, etc.

Hardy to zone 2 and possibly even zone 1. Hardy to more than -50F.

For Spring 2025, we are offering Norkent on two of the cold hardiest rootstocks, Bud118 and Dolgo. Although many books consider Bud118 a semi-standard rootstock, in our experience in Montana’s calcareous (high pH soils), Bud 118 is more semi-dwarf. Growers in the Yakima Valley of Washington have also corroborated this. Bud 118 is hardy to -50F or more, and Dolgo is hardy to -60F or more. Dolgo is full size.