This is Bruce Benson’s favorite apple—and for good reason. Developed by Cornell University in the 1940s as an open-pollinated cross between McIntosh and Red Delicious, this variety might surprise you. Don’t let its Red Delicious parentage fool you; we personally think it has inherited more of its McIntosh genetics.

Regional Performance

These apples have been growing in Montana since at least the 1970s and have performed exceedingly well in the western parts of the state, including the Missoula, Bitterroot, Flathead, and Mission valleys. We’ve also seen them thriving in Idaho, particularly near Kamiah and Orofino.

Of course, this apple is also grown extensively in New York and throughout the Northeast and East Coast. However, if you live in the eastern part of Montana or in areas where winter lows drop below -40°F, you may want to consider a different variety. While this apple might survive sub -40°F temperatures, based on its parentage—McIntosh's limit is around -40°F (or slightly lower), and Red Delicious is even less hardy—we recommend choosing a more cold-tolerant variety in those regions.

Versatile Culinary Uses

Empire apples are great for fresh eating, drying, sauces, and other processing or culinary pursuits. They’re truly an all-purpose apple.

Rootstock Information for 2025

For 2025, we’ve grafted Empire onto three different rootstocks:

• M26: Grows to about 12–16 ft tall. Hardy to approximately -40°F.

• M111: A semi-standard rootstock, reaching well over 20 ft tall. Also hardy to around -40°F.

• Dolgo: Grows to 20–30 ft at maturity and is hardy down into the -60°F range.

If you're on the edge of the -40°F range, we recommend choosing Dolgo as your rootstock. We wouldn’t suggest growing Empire if your area consistently sees temperatures below -45°F.