The short lists
Best Of
Every plant on these lists scored 8 or higher out of 10 for the job it is listed under, which is Very good or better on the adapted Beach (1905) grade.
A variety earns its place by evidence: extension and experiment station trials, the historical pomologies, national fruit research institutes, processing and trade literature, the Alaska Pioneer Fruit Growers Association tastings, Steve Masterman's Alaska ratings, and documented grower reports. Where the only evidence is about the crop rather than the variety, we say so and score it lower.
46 lists across 13 jobs. Pick a job to open its lists, or scroll.
Canning & Freezing
Cooking & Roasting
Drying
Fresh Eating
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Best Apples for Fresh Eating43 varieties
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Best Pears for Fresh Eating24 varieties
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Best Plums for Fresh Eating14 varieties
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Best Berries for Fresh Eating12 varieties
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Best Cherries for Fresh Eating8 varieties
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Best Peaches & Nectarines for Fresh Eating6 varieties
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Best Apricots for Fresh Eating4 varieties
Hard Cider
Jams & Jellies
Juice & Sweet Cider
Pies & Baking
Salads & Slicing
Sauce & Butter
Wine
Winter Storage
Yard & Land
The short lists
Only the varieties that scored 8 or higher
- Canning & Freezing 3
- Cooking & Roasting 3
- Drying 3
- Fresh Eating 7
- Hard Cider 1
- Jams & Jellies 5
- Juice & Sweet Cider 4
- Pies & Baking 4
- Salads & Slicing 1
- Sauce & Butter 4
- Wine 1
- Winter Storage 2
- Yard & Land 8
Start here
Pick a Job to See the Short Lists
Every plant on these lists scored 8 or higher out of 10 for the job it is listed under, which is Very good or better on the adapted Beach (1905) grade. 46 lists across 13 jobs.
Want everything that is good at a job? Shop by UseCanning & Freezing
3 lists on the Best Of pageCooking & Roasting
3 lists on the Best Of pageDrying
3 lists on the Best Of pageFresh Eating
7 lists on the Best Of page-
- Ashmead's Kernel Apple
- Autumn Strawberry Apple
- Carroll Apple
- Centennial Applecrab
- Cherry Cox Apple
- Chestnut Applecrab
- Claygate Pearmain Apple
- Cox Orange Pippin Apple
- Empire Apple
- Evercrisp Apple
- Fred's Mac Apple
- Golden Harvey Apple
- Golden Russet Apple
- Gravenstein Apple
- Honeycrisp Apple
- Hunt Russet Apple
- Kandil Sinap Apple
- Karmijn de Sonnaville Apple
- Kerr Applecrab
- Kindercrisp Apple
- Macoun Apple
- Margil Apple
- MN 1628 Apple
- Mother Apple
- Newtown Pippin Apple
- Norkent Apple
- Northern Spy Apple
- Oriole Apple
- Prairie Sensation Apple
- Red Gravenstein Apple
- All 43 →
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- Bartlett Pear
- Beurré Giffard Pear
- Bolshaya Pear
- Clapp's Favorite Pear
- Clara Frijs Pear
- Concorde Pear
- D'Anjou Pear
- Dana Hovey Pear
- Flemish Beauty Pear
- Golden Russet Bosc Pear
- Harrow Sweet Pear
- Honeysweet Pear
- Krazulya Pear
- Larinskaya Pear
- Luscious Pear
- Nova Pear
- Red d'Anjou Pear
- Red Sensation Bartlett Pear
- Seckel Pear
- Stuttgarter Gaishirtle Pear
- Ubileen Pear
- Ure Pear
- Vermont Beauty Pear
- Waterville Pear
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- Anne Yellow Raspberry (Bundle of 5)
- Black Velvet Gooseberry (Bundle of 2)
- Captivator Gooseberry (Bundle of 2)
- Cavendish Strawberry (Bundle of 25)
- Cold Climate Blueberry Bundle (Bundle of 3)
- Hinnomaki Red Gooseberry (Bundle of 2)
- Honeyberry (Bundle of 4)
- Huckleberry (Bundle of 3)
- Jahn's Prairie Gooseberry (Bundle of 2)
- Jeanne Gooseberry (Bundle of 2)
- Pink Champagne Currant (Bundle of 3)
- Sophia Groundcover Raspberry (Bundle of 2)
Hard Cider
1 list on the Best Of pageJams & Jellies
5 lists on the Best Of page-
- Adam's Elderberry (Bundle of 2)
- Ben Lomand Black Currant (Bundle of 2)
- Boyne Raspberry (Bundle of 5)
- Brandywine Purple Raspberry (Bundle of 3)
- Buffaloberry (Bundle of 5)
- Consort Black Currant (Bundle of 2)
- Golden Currant (Bundle of 3)
- Hinnomaki Red Gooseberry (Bundle of 2)
- Huckleberry (Bundle of 3)
- Invicta Gooseberry (Bundle of 2)
- John's Elderberry (Bundle of 2)
- Jostaberry (Bundle of 3)
- Pixwell Gooseberry (Bundle of 2)
- Red Lake Currant (Bundle of 2)
- Royalty Purple Raspberry (Bundle of 3)
- Sparkle Strawberry (Bundle of 25)
- Success Serviceberry (Bundle of 2)
- Titania Black Currant (Bundle of 2)
Juice & Sweet Cider
4 lists on the Best Of pagePies & Baking
4 lists on the Best Of pageSalads & Slicing
1 list on the Best Of pageSauce & Butter
4 lists on the Best Of pageWinter Storage
2 lists on the Best Of page-
- Arkansas Black Apple
- Baldwin Apple
- Belle de Boskoop Apple
- Black Oxford Apple
- Colorado Orange Apple
- Enterprise Apple
- Glockenapfel Apple
- Golden Harvey Apple
- Golden Russet Apple
- Hidden Rose Apple
- Honeycrisp Apple
- Hunt Russet Apple
- Kerr Applecrab
- MN 1628 Apple
- Newtown Pippin Apple
- Northern Spy Apple
- Prairie Spy Apple
- Reinette Simirenko Apple
- Roxbury Russet Apple
- Stayman Winesap Apple
- Thunderbolt Apple
- Triumph Apple
- Yates Apple
Yard & Land
8 lists on the Best Of page-
- Adam's Elderberry (Bundle of 2)
- American Hazelnut (Bundle of 3)
- Aspen (Bundle of 3)
- Buffaloberry (Bundle of 5)
- Bur Oak (Bundle of 3)
- Chokecherry (Bundle of 3)
- Dolores River Sorbet Apple
- Elderberry, American (Bundle of 3)
- Golden Currant (Bundle of 3)
- Hawthorne (Bundle of 3)
- Huckleberry (Bundle of 3)
- John's Elderberry (Bundle of 2)
- Mountain Ash (Bundle of 3)
- Native American Plum (Bundle of 3)
- Oak, Northern Red (Bundle of 3)
- Peach Leaf Willow (Bundle of 3)
- Persimmon (Montana Trial): Bundle of 2
- Ponderosa Pine (Bundle of 3)
- Ranch Elderberry (Bundle of 2)
- Rocky Mountain Juniper (Bundle of 3)
- Serviceberry (Bundle of 5)
- Siberian Crabapple (Bundle of 2)
- Success Serviceberry (Bundle of 2)
- Trader Mulberry (Bundle of 2)
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- Aronia Berry (Bundle of 3)
- Aspen (Bundle of 3)
- Autumn Blaze Maple
- Dolgo Crabapple (Bundle of 2)
- Dolores River Sorbet Apple
- Golden Currant (Bundle of 3)
- Hardy Kiwi Vines (Bundle of 4)
- Jules Nanking Cherry (Bundle of 2)
- Manchurian Apricot (Bundle of 2)
- Mountain Ash (Bundle of 3)
- Nanking Cherry (Bundle of 3)
- Purple Lilac (Bundle of 3)
- Rugose Rose (Bundle of 3)
- Staghorn Sumac (Bundle of 3)
- Viking Aronia (Bundle of 2)





























