08/24/2026
Early season apples are ready at New Dawn Orchard! Right now, we're picking Dandee Red, State Fair, Beacon, Zestar, and Prairie Magic — grown naturally, with zero synthetic inputs.
Open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 8am–12pm.
28727 295th St, Holcombe, WI.
Dandee Red — Firm, white flesh with a tart-sweet flavor similar to a McIntosh but noticeably firmer, plus good disease resistance. Great all-around apple: fresh eating, sauce, pies, and baking.
State Fair — Fine-grained, crisp, tender, juicy flesh with a balanced subacid flavor (sweet with pleasant tartness). Known for excellent all-around culinary quality — good for both fresh eating and cooking — and it holds up in storage better than most other summer apples.
Beacon — Bred at the University of Minnesota (a Wealthy x Malinda cross). Medium-sized fruit with deep red stripes and juicy, fairly soft flesh, mildly sweet in flavor. Good fresh-eating apple that also cooks and bakes well, and makes a naturally pink-tinted applesauce.
Zestar! — Crisp and juicy with a sprightly sweet-tart flavor and a hint of brown sugar. Best known as a fresh-eating apple — it holds its crunch and flavor in the fridge for up to two months, so it's a great one for snacking and lunchboxes.
Prairie Magic — Sweet, crisp texture that eats like a dessert apple. Very versatile — excellent fresh, but also holds up well in baking and cooking, presses nicely for juice, and keeps in cold storage for 2–3 months.
More varieties coming soon: Kindercrisp, Wolf River, Honeycrisp, Macoun, Cortland, Haralson, Red Regent, Duchess, Triumph, Honey Gold, Sweet 16, Hardy Cumberland, Northern Lights, Wealthy, and Pixie Crunch.
