Kerr Applecrab (Spring 2027)

About Kerr Applecrab

Kerr is the best all round applecrab we grow: Dolgo x Haralson from the Morden station, 15 to 18 Brix with 6 to 10 g/L acid, great fresh and great in a rosé cider, and hardy to zone 2.

• Where it came from: Bred by W. L. Kerr at the Morden Research Station in Manitoba; the cross was made in 1938 and it was introduced in 1952.
• Parents: Dolgo x Haralson.
• Also called: Kerr Crabapple, Kerr apple-crab, Morden 352.
• Cider class: Bittersharp in the University of Saskatchewan juice report (its tannin units weren't printed).
• Juice: 15 to 18 Brix, 0.6 to 1.0% acid as malic (6 to 10 g/L), pH 3.1 to 3.3 (USask); 16.5 Brix, 9.5 g/L acid and pH 3.21 in Saskatoon trials, 2011 to 2013.
• Winter: Took -47F in Gallatin Gateway, Montana with a little limb damage.
• Bloom and ripening: blooms in apple group 4 of 7 (mid); ripens about Sep 11 to Sep 25 in Missoula.

Part of: bittersharp cider apples, zone 2 cider apples.

More reading: best crabapples for cider.

Questions about Kerr Applecrab

Is Kerr crabapple good for cider? Very. Saskatchewan's juice trials measured 16.5 Brix and 9.5 g/L acid and rated it bittersharp, and the juice comes out pink. It's a fifth of our Zone 3 heirloom blend and the base of our rosé crab cider blend, which opens in the hard cider calculator.

Is Kerr crabapple edible? Yes, and it's one of the best tasting crabs you can eat fresh: bold and complex, with red skin and yellow-tinged flesh. People taste everything from cherry and grape to pineapple in it.

How big does Kerr Applecrab get? On Dolgo roots it's full size, about 20 to 30 ft unpruned; on Bud 118 it's semi-dwarf, about 12 to 18 ft.

Sources: University of Saskatchewan, Kerr, USask juice evaluation report 2011 to 2013 (via Prairie Gardens).

Overview

One of our all-time favorites, Kerr is an applecrab (Dolgo x Haralson) bred by W. L. Kerr at the Morden Research Station in Manitoba, crossed in 1938 and released in 1952. First introduced to us by Roger Joy in the summer of 2016, this variety immediately stood out. It’s Roger’s favorite, and we totally get why. It. has since become one of our go-to applecrabs.

Flavor & Uses

• Bold, complex flavor with a beautiful red skin and yellow-tinged flesh

• Flavor notes people have reported: "Floral, cinnamon, cherry, grape, almond, pineapple, and even hoppy"

• Best for fresh eating, but also makes:

  • Gorgeous rosé-colored cider

  • Vibrant pink applesauce

  • An amazing addition to oatmeal

• Stores actually fairly well for several months. Loses flavor but as of 2/22/26 (when this was written), we've got lots in the fridge. Again, flavor is not as strong as right off the tree, and they have become a bit mealy, but they aren't bad. However, they did not store nearly as well for us in 2025 because they were picked in the latter part of their two week window to harvest the fruit. If harvested in the earlier part of that window, they will keep significantly longer. A quick rough estimate would be that for every day one waits to harvest the tree in that window, their shelf life drops a week. It would be interesting to compare this phenomenon with other apples across the board because perhaps this holds true generally?

We love it alongside Chestnut and Martha crabapples—together they make an unbeatable trio for flavor and versatility.

Cold Hardiness

• Survived -47°F at Ed Schultz’s orchard in Gallatin Gateway, although it did have a little bit of limb damage at those temps (not to the trunk, though).

• Hardy to -50°F (zone 2), with some winter damage but not to the trunk. Its limit may be a tad colder. Look towards Centennial, Rescue, and Trailman for even hardier applecrabs.