This is our first year growing Snowsweet, an introduction from the University of Minnesota around 2005. According to Bob Purvis, who provided the scion wood for our grafts, Snowsweet has the following characteristics:

• Fruit Size & Texture: The apples are large, crisp, and very sweet with low acidity. The flesh is fine-grained, juicy, and does not brown when cut.

• Ripening & Storage: Snowsweet ripens mid to late September in Idaho, so we expect it to ripen in Missoula in late September and in Eastern Montana in early to mid October. These apples store well, lasting at least 4 months.

Hardiness

• Cold Hardiness: Based on the University of Minnesota’s description, Snowsweet is expected to be comparable in hardiness to Honeycrisp and Haralson. While we have found Haralson to withstand temperatures down to -50F, we have observed Honeycrisp experiencing winter damage at around -46F, particularly when frost damage reaches the trunk. Given these observations, we conservatively estimate that Snowsweet is hardy to at least -40F.

Rootstock & Growth

• Rootstock: Our Spring 2025 Snowsweet trees are grafted onto Bud 118 rootstock, known for its cold hardiness, reportedly surviving temperatures down to -50F or more. Ed Schultz, who grows on Bud 118 rootstock, has reported no cold injury after his orchard endured -47F.

Updates Coming Soon

Since this is our first year growing Snowsweet, we look forward to gaining more firsthand experience with its flavor and performance. We will update this description once we have more personal insights to share!