The location is approximately 1500 feet (456 m) elevation in USDA Hardiness zone 10.
Soil type:  I don't know the geological term, but it's a very stiff clay that hardens to a compact concrete-like hardpan that has to be dug with a pickaxe.  There are south and west-facing slopes.  For the last 20 years about a third of it was paved over with asphalt... basically a parking lot.
Soil preparation at planting:  broken with a pickaxe (after asphalt removed, when necessary using a concrete spike and sledgehammer; mycorrhizae applied to roots.  Often pet fur and bone meal is added to subsoil as well as well-rotted compost, whenever available.
Management:  The area is universally-deficient in sulfur and zinc and many spots are deficient in iron, boron and other nutrients as well.  Most spots on this property are also moderately to extremely saline also, due to years of poor watering practices using mildly salty tap water.  One spot actually has large salt crystals growing from the soil just under the surface due to a slow leak in an in-ground irrigation pipe that went unnoticed for 20 years.  That spot is only watered with rainwater and only planted in okra and potatoes until it is remediated.  Fertilizer applications of elemental sulfur broadcast in 2020.  Tree guards to prevent damage from gnawing animals.  Gopher traps are a necessity.  California ground squirrels are deterred with cages, dogs and killed when necessary.  Staking at planting for trees on dwarfing rootstock. Pruning minimal until first year of fruit set, then trained to a central leader.  An attempt to protect the fruit from the brutal summer sun is made by spraying the trees with a kaolin clay-based product called Surround®WP (***thus you see a white chalky film on all the fruit in the photos below***).  Deer protection provided at both orchards by fencing.  Pests and diseases controlled by organic (not certified) practices, but disease and insect pressure are low in the desert. Irrigation supplied in periods of prolonged drought.  Stored rainwater used until it runs out and is preferentially administered to areas with higher salt concentration.
Major Diseases and Insects:  Insect and disease pressure is very low compared to the Southeastern U.S.  The major sources of damage are mammals and extreme heat and drying winds.

Cultivar List
'Anna'
'Arkansas Sweet'
'Benham'
'Beverly Hills'
'Brushy Mountain Limbertwig'
'Captain Davis'
'Crunch-A-Bunch'®
'Dayton'
'Dorsett Golden
'Edwards' Winter'
'Foust's Winter'
'Freedom'
'Grindstone'
'Gordon'
'Ghost'
'Goldrush'
'Hawaii'
'Hewes Virginia Crab'
'Hollow Log'
'Hoover'
'Hunge'
'Husk Sweet'
'Joy of Florida'
'July Delicious'
'Keener Seedling'
'King David'
'Kinnaird's Choice'
'Liberty'
'Mary Reid'
'Little Benny'
'Ludacrisp'®  (actually MAIA-L unless certain quality criteria are met; U.S. Plant Pat. No. PP30472)
'Pettingill'
'Pixie Crunch'
'Priscilla'
'Pristine'
'Redfree'
'Rebel'
'Red Rebel'
'Rosalee'®  (actually MAIA11 unless certain quality criteria are met; U.S. Plant Pat. No. PP29146)
'Royal Limbertwig'
'Ruby Limbertwig'
'Sam Hunt'
'Sansa'
'Shell'
'Summer Champion'
'Summerset'  (actually MAIA-12 unless certain quality criteria are met; U.S. Plant Pat. No. PP29,213)
'Sundowner'
'Sweet Zinger®'  (actually MAIA-Z unless certain quality criteria are met; U.S. Plant Pat. No. 30,059)
'Swiss Limbertwig'
'Thompson of Mississippi'
'Victoria Limbertwig'
'White Winter Pearmain'
'Winecrisp'
'Winter Sweet'
'Winter Terry' (more correctly, 'Terry Winter')
'Yellow Bellflower'
Rootstocks

Cultivar Summaries:

Arkansas Sweet
Breeder(s):  Associated with a Henry Grabin of Scott County, Arkansas, but details of this association only mention that he sent scions to the USDA in 1905.
History:  Probably originated in Scott County, Arkansas.  Rediscovered by the Seed Savers Exchange being grown by John Kenyon of Lacon, Illinois.
Rootstocks used:  Geneva 935.
Orchards grown in:  Southern California desert.
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  Described by Mr. Kenyon as "very sweet and crunchy", but "...moderately crisp, not very sweet." by Lee Calhoun.
Fruit size:  medium
Fruit appearance:  mostly covered with dark red, with indistinct darker stripes.
Uses:  
Culinary characteristics:  No personal experience yet.
Storage characteristics:  Described as a "fair keeper".
Harvest season:  Late September- October in Pittsboro.
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  TBD chill portions.
Diseases:  Died of collar rot.
Precocity:  
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  Weak grower in my limited experience.  Died (like a dog).
References other than my own experience:
Big Horse Creek Farm
Calhoun, Lee Jr. Old Southern Apples. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60358-294-0.  p.39.

Benham
Breeder(s):  ???
History:  Origin uncertain, but probably originated in Tennessee and was still fairly common in Claiborne County, TN as of 2010.  It's been around at least since 1887.
Rootstocks used:  Bud9
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  Excellent according to reports..."juicy, fine-textured, subacid to almost sweet, nutty flavored" (Calhoun).
Fruit size:  medium or above
Fruit appearance:  often ribbed, skin smooth. Yellow apple, sometimes with a blush, but almost never with stripes.  Flesh is also yellowish.
Uses:  Excellent for drying, canning, applesauce, stack cakes and freezing.
Culinary characteristics:  Slow to turn brown, thus making dried and frozen fruit more attractive and nutritious.
Storage characteristics:  Poor.
Harvest season:  July/August in Pittsboro, NC.
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  89 chill portions or more.
Diseases:  Burford says Benham is moderately resistant to the major diseases.
Precocity:  
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Big Horse Creek Farm
Calhoun, Lee Jr. Old Southern Apples. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60358-294-0.  p.45.
Burford, Tom. 2013. Apples of North America. ISBN 978-1-60469-249-5.

Beverly Hills
Breeder(s):  None.  Chance seedling.
History:  
Rootstocks used:  
Notes:  Longtime favorite for coastal Southern California.  Self-fruitful.
Fruit quality:  Slightly tart.
Fruit size:  Medium.
Fruit appearance:  Pale yellow background with red blush or red stripes.
Uses:  
Culinary characteristics:  Good for pies.
Storage characteristics:  
Harvest season:  
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  33 chill portions.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Bay Laurel Nursery, Winter 2023 catalog

Brushy Mountain Limbertwig
Breeder(s):  ???
History:  Originated around Brushy Mountain area of Alexander County, North Carolina.
Rootstocks used:  Bud9
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  Juicy with a strong aroma (Burford).  "Crisp, juicy flesh and highly aromatic." (Big Horse Creek Farm).
Fruit size:  medium
Fruit appearance:  Mostly red over green background.
Uses:  All-purpose.
Culinary characteristics:  
Storage characteristics:  Good.
Harvest season:  Late fall in Virginia.
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  73 chill portions.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  
Productivity:  Exceptionally dependable producer.
Growth habit:  Weeping.
References other than my own experience:
Burford, Tom. 2013. Apples of North America. ISBN 978-1-60469-249-5.
Big Horse Creek Farm

Captain Davis
Breeder(s):  Captain Davis of the Confederate Army ate some apples in the Carolinas and planted the seeds he saved from them on his farm eight miles north of Kosciusko, MS.
History:  Mississippi apple hunter Jack Herring found a surviving tree at the old Davis homeplace in 2003 and distributed scions, preserving the cultivar.
Rootstocks used:  MM111.
Orchards grown in:  Southern California desert.
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  Described by Steve Kelly as "...the most fragrant apple I have ever seen."  Fine-grained, moderately crips and juicy, subacid.
Fruit size:  medium
Fruit appearance:  mostly greenish with a red-blush covering up to half the apple; ribbed; flesh white.
Uses:  
Culinary characteristics:  No personal experience yet.
Storage characteristics:  
Harvest season:  Late July-August (Calhoun).
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  TBD chill portions.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Calhoun, Lee Jr. Old Southern Apples. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60358-294-0.  p.56.

Crunch-A-Bunch
Breeder(s):  Midwest Apple Improvement Association (MAIA)
History:  Released in 2017, is an open-pollinated offspring of Honeycrisp
Rootstocks used:  G.41
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  "Sweet and tart with excellent crunch, notes of tropical fruit" (Rittman)
Fruit size:  
Fruit appearance:  Yellow
Uses:  Dessert, cider
Culinary characteristics:  
Storage characteristics:  
Harvest season:  
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  84 chill portions.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Rittman Orchards

Dorsett Golden
Breeder(s):  None.
History:  Chance seedling raised by Mrs. I. Dorsett in Nassau, Bahamas
Rootstocks used:  MM111
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  Sweet; rather like 'Golden Delicious'.  "Crunchy, juicy, sweet-tart with classic apple flavor...best when picked a little green" (Kuffel Creek).
Fruit size:  medium to large
Fruit appearance:  Golden yellow, often with a red blush on the sunny side.
Uses:  Fresh, pies and cider.
Culinary characteristics:  
Storage characteristics:  "Keeps well in the refrigerator... (Kuffel Creek)" (whatever that means)
Harvest season:  late June-mid-July.
Bloom season:  Early, with 'Anna' for which it is a good pollenizer.
Estimated chill requirement:  15 chill portions.  Will produce even in areas that receive zero chilling, but growth and blooming are more delayed and erratic under those conditions.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  Very precocious, often bearing their 2nd year after planting.
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Bay Laurel Nursery, Winter 2023 catalog
Kuffel Creek Apple Tree Nursery

Foust's Winter
Breeder(s):  ???
History:  Originated with the Foust family of Guilford County, North Carolina and introduced by Squire Kinney.
Rootstocks used:  Bud9
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  tender flesh, not very juicy, aromatic (some call it a "peculiar" aroma), subacid
Fruit size:  medium or above
Fruit appearance:  roundish-oblate; smooth, bright yellow skin with a thick white bloom, sometime with a red blush in the sun.
Uses:  
Culinary characteristics:  
Storage characteristics:  
Harvest season:  October in Pittsboro, NC.
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  65 chill portions.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Calhoun, Lee Jr. Old Southern Apples. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60358-294-0.  p.73.

Ghost
Breeder(s):  Zaiger Genetics
History:  
Rootstocks used:  
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  Sweet and subacid.
Fruit size:  
Fruit appearance:  Totally white skin.
Uses:  
Culinary characteristics:  
Storage characteristics:  
Harvest season:  Early July.
Bloom season:  midseason; needs a pollenizer.
Estimated chill requirement:  37 chill portions.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Bay Laurel Nursery, Winter 2023 catalog
Dave Wilson Nursery

Gordon
Breeder(s):  None.
History:  Chance seedling found at 8115 Ocean View Ave., Whittier, California by Robert B. Gordon.  Has become popular in southern California.  Patent No. 4144 granted in 1977.
Rootstocks used:  MM111
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  Crisp; very juicy. Texture -- Firm; crisp; fine textured. Flesh Color -- Near white. Flavor -- Sweet-tart. Aroma -- Distinct, fruity apple bouquet. Eating quality -- Excellent for eating.  Kuffel Creek says that it's mushy in Riverside.
Fruit size:  Variable from medium to large. Diameter axial -- 2 ½ inches to 4 inches. In transverse plane -- 4 inches to 5 inches.
Fruit appearance:  Slightly variable; nearly globose; truncate at base and apex making fruit wider than tall. In most fruit the axial height of the fruit is less at one end of the transverse diameter than at the opposite end.  Color -- Unripe fruit is uniform green color RHS Colour Chart between 145 B and 145 C. As ripening progresses very prominent vertical red stripes appear until red stripes are distributed substantially all around the apple, when fully mature the red color of the skin varies from RHS Colour Chart 42A to 42B with the red stripes becoming more solidly joined until they cover from 45% to 55% of the total skin surface.
Uses:  Dessert and cooking.
Culinary characteristics:  Exceptionally good for apple sauce, pies, apple butter, clear apple jelly, and for baking.
Storage characteristics:  "Good".
Harvest season:  Long fruiting season; from late August to early October.
Bloom season:  Self-fruitful.
Estimated chill requirement:  42 chill portions.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  
Productivity:  very productive; regular bearer
Growth habit:  "Tree: Medium large size; vigorous; upright; dense upright growth; hardy; rapid growing..."
References other than my own experience:
Gordon, Robert B. USPP 04144.
Bay Laurel Nursery 2023 Winter catalog.
Kuffel Creek

Hawaii
Breeder(s):  William Silva, of Sebastapol, California.
History:  Resulted from a 'Golden Delicious' X 'Gravenstein' cross made around 1945.  Introduced in 1963.
Rootstocks used:  G.935
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  As grown in the eastern U.S., they are mediocre, according to Burford, but he adds that they are very high dessert quality when grown in the West, in agreement with Kuffel Creek's assessment.  Crisp, very sweet (even when green according to Kuffel Creek) and often with a pineapple tang.
Fruit size:  Large
Fruit appearance:  Clear greenish-yellow, mellowing to a yellow with a pink blush on the sunny side as it matures.
Uses:  Dessert mostly, but can be baked.
Culinary characteristics:  
Storage characteristics:  Fair.
Harvest season:  Late fall in Virginia.  Late September in Riverside, CA.
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  51 chill portions.
Diseases:  Susceptible to scab and bitter pit; somewhat resistant to cedar apple rust, according to Burford.  (The combination of yellow skin and resistance to cedar apple rust is quite unusual...I never tried to grow it in the East, so I can't check the veracity of this statement.)
Precocity:  
Productivity:  Tends towards biennial bearing.
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Burford, Tom. 2013. Apples of North America. ISBN 978-1-60469-249-5.
Cummins Nursery
Kuffel Creek Apple Tree Nursery

Hollow Log
Breeder(s):  None.
History:  Chance seedling found next to a hollow log in Rutherford County, North Carolina sometime before 1920.  It was grown commercially in North Carolina in the 1920's and 1930's and may also have been grown commercially in Canada in the 1920's.
Rootstocks used:  MM111
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  described as, "...tender, crisp, very juicy and with a most delicious, aromatic, spicy flavor.  It has no superior as an eating and cooking apple."
Fruit size:  Large
Fruit appearance:  deep yellow
Uses:  
Culinary characteristics:  
Storage characteristics:  
Harvest season:  Late June-early August in North Carolina
Bloom season:  blooms late
Estimated chill requirement:  64-67 chill portions.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  
Productivity:  Kuffel Creek discarded this cultivar from its collection due to low productivity.  Reports from Valdesian Nursery in Bostic North Carolina said it seldom fails to produce abundant crops.  I'll say what I see once the tree is old enough to produce.  Unfortunately, a large pepper tree limb literally bounced on the ground and smashed my 'Hollow Log' tree last year.  It survived, but it was a setback to its maturity.
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Calhoun, Lee Jr. Old Southern Apples. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60358-294-0.  p.90.
Kuffel Creek Apple Tree Nursery

Hoover
Breeder(s):  None.  Chance seedling.
History:  Maybe from Edisto, South Carolina.
Notes:  
Tree:  Upright-spreading habit; vigorous; late blooming; leaves hang on long into winter.
Diseases:  Moderately resistant to the major diseases. A higher level of resistance to fireblight.
Fruit quality:  Firm, juicy, tender and briskly tart.
Fruit size:  Medium.
Fruit appearance:  Roundish-oblate; yellowish background almost completely covered in deep red. Colors better in cooler climates.
Harvest season:  Late fall.
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  88 chill portions.
Uses:  Dessert (fresh-eating), baking and especially good for apple butter.
Keeping ability in common storage (refrigerator crisper/ root cellar):  Good.
References:  Burford, Tom. 2013. Apples of North America. ISBN 978-1-60469-249-5.  p. 85.

Hunge
Breeder(s):  None.
History:  Originated in the 1700's as 'Hunge's' apple.  In 1858, the American Pomological Society described it as a North Carolina apple, so presumably that's where it came from originally.
Rootstocks used:  MM111, G.935.
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  Calhoun says it is excellent for fresh eating and describes its flavor as "winey" (vinuous), juicy, aromatic, crisp and almost sweet.
Fruit size:  large-very large according to Calhoun; he's probably right, but my trees are very young.  I got my one and only apple this year (2023) and it weighed 72 grams, which is fairly small.  Considering that the tree that bore it was planted as a fresh graft in a hole dug into what was an asphalt parking lot for the last 20 years (no topsoil), I'm amazed that it bore any fruit.
Fruit appearance:  roundish-oblate, a mostly-red over a green background and overspread to varying degrees with russet, the amount depending on each year's environmental conditions.  No stripes.
Uses:  dessert, cooking, drying and brandy
Culinary characteristics:  
Storage characteristics:  
Harvest season:  August/ September in Pittsboro, NC.  Late September-October in the SoCal desert.
Bloom season:  Fairly late.
Estimated chill requirement:  Probably low chill because it is well-adapted to the North Carolina coastal plain:  62 chill portions or fewer.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  Very precocious.  Both of my trees on G.935 rootstock bloomed the year after planting (so their 2nd year).  One of those trees set one fruit even though there was little pollen around where they were planted.
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  vigorous, upright-spreading.  So far, easy to manage, not requiring much pruning.
References other than my own experience:
Calhoun, Lee Jr. Old Southern Apples. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60358-294-0.  p.92.
Kuffel Creek Apple Tree Nursery

Husk Sweet
Breeder(s):  None.
History:  Discovered in Ashe County, North Carolina as a chance seedling.
Rootstocks used:  G.935
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  From Big Horse Creek Farm's website:  "Husk Sweet has a honey-rich sweetness that can be surprising when first tasted. There is no hint of tartness or “bite” to the apple when eaten, but instead a rich, smooth sweet flavor."  fine-textured, juicy, tender white flesh.
Fruit size:  large
Fruit appearance:  beautiful dark red smooth skin.
Uses:  drying, applesauce, dessert
Culinary characteristics:  "It is superb as a dried fruit and makes a wonderful applesauce."
Storage characteristics:  "good keeper"
Harvest season:  late October in the NC mountains
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  73 chill portions.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Big Horse Creek Farm

Joy of Florida
Breeder(s):  None.
History:  Discovered as a chance seedling a little north of Tallahassee, FL.  Also known as 'Joy's Apple'.
Rootstocks used:  MM111, Bud9
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  crispy, sweet
Fruit size:  
Fruit appearance:  green blushed with yellow
Uses:  
Culinary characteristics:  
Storage characteristics:  
Harvest season:  late June into July in Crawfordsville, Florida.
Bloom season:  February in North Carolina's Piedmont, making it unsuitable for that region, however, it should be fine further south.
Estimated chill requirement:  xx chill portions.
Diseases:  "The tree is healthy (without any maintenance!)"
Precocity:  
Productivity:  self-fertile
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Just Fruits and Exotics Nursery, 2023-02-15
David Vernon, personal communication.

July Delicious
Breeder(s):  Russell Baker.
History:  Originated in the 1930's in Bailyeton, Cullman County Alabama.  From Hackworth X 'Delicious'. Re-discovered by Joyce Neighbors.
Rootstocks used:  MM111.
Orchards grown in:  Southern California desert.
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  "Very tender, juicy, fine-grained, almost sweet"
Fruit size:  medium or below
Fruit appearance:  Shape and size of 'Delicious', but better color (than the original 'Delicious').  Pale yellow splashed with red with some darker red stripes.
Uses:  
Culinary characteristics:  No personal experience yet.
Storage characteristics:  
Harvest season:  60 days before 'Delicious'.
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  TBD chill portions.
Diseases:  Blight-resistant.
Precocity:  
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  Self-shaping; needs essentially no pruning.
References other than my own experience:
Calhoun, Lee Jr. Old Southern Apples. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60358-294-0.  p.96.

Little Benny
Breeder(s):  Unknown.
History:  Probably originated near Grantsboro, North Carolina, a town in the extreme eastern part of the state, suggesting it is well adapted to the Southeastern coastal plains.
Rootstocks used:  MM111.
Orchards grown in:  Southern California desert.
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  Tart at first, but then gets good to eat and excels as a cooking apple, cooking up smooth with no lumps.
Fruit size:  small
Fruit appearance:  oblate, conical, often oblique, skin smooth, mostly covered with plum red; whitish flesh.
Uses:  
Culinary characteristics:  No personal experience yet.
Storage characteristics:  
Harvest season:  August (Calhoun).
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  TBD chill portions.
Diseases:  "Insects and worms don't bother it much". (Bertie Hall via Calhoun)
Precocity:  
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  Compact.
References other than my own experience:
Calhoun, Lee Jr. Old Southern Apples. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60358-294-0.  pp. 104-105.

Ludacrisp® (MAIA-L)
Breeder(s):  Midwest Apple Improvement Association (MAIA)
History:  Resulted from a 'Sweet 16' X o.p. cross.  Tested as Juicy Fruit.  Granted USPP 30472.
Rootstocks used:  G.41
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  In the SoCal desert it's chewy, not very flavorful and definitely not crisp.  In upstate New York it is crisp and has tropical fruit tones.
Fruit size:  120 g/ fruit in 2022- an extremely difficult sizing year, so I suspect that it's a large apple under good conditions (a suspicion confirmed by Wafler Nursery).
Fruit appearance:  
Uses:  
Culinary characteristics:  
Storage characteristics:  Wafler Nursery says it a good keeper.  In SoCal, it kept in perfect condition for 2 months...I haven't tested longer storage.
Harvest season:  three weeks after Golden Delicious in upstate New York; October in the SoCal desert.
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  86 chill portions.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  Precocious; fruited the year after planting.
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  vigorous; growing to a large tree in most climates; here the climate forces dwarfness, but it's still a relatively good grower in our climate.
References other than my own experience:
Ortet. vol. 7. p. 2.
Wafler Nursery, 2023-02-15.

Mary Reid
Breeder(s):  None.
History:  Originated in southern Caswell County, N.C. where David Vernon grew up.  The original tree was found on George Rice's (David's great-great-grandfather) farm.  Mr. Rice lived from 1870-1919.  It was partially through the efforts of David's aunt that this tree still exists.
Rootstocks used:  MM111
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  flesh is white, fine grained, and somewhat tart (Vernon); crisp, juicy and briskly subacid (Calhoun).
Fruit size:  medium in size and can vary on the same tree.  My limited experience bears this out.  Though the median size in 2023 was 71 grams, the largest fruit was 143 grams.
Fruit appearance:  green with a definite red on the sunny side, and it sometimes has stripes
Uses:  dessert, cooking and drying.  Dried slices tend to stay white, but the small batch that I dried were good, but not exceptional in flavor.
Culinary characteristics:  "fantastic for cooking" (Vernon).  
Storage characteristics:  Become mealy shortly after harvest.  This doesn't affect their cooking qualities, but shortens their availablity for dessert.  Will remain acceptable for fresh-eating for 1-2 weeks in the crisper.  Fine for at least a month for cooking when stored this way.
Harvest season:  late July into early September.  Mid-late September in the Southern California desert.
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  88 chill portions.
Diseases:  Not immune to fireblight, but if it's been growing in North Carolina, it must have some resistance.
Precocity:  Moderately precocious.  My tree fruited the 4th year after planting.
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
David Vernon, Century Farm Orchards
Calhoun, Lee Jr. Old Southern Apples. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60358-294-0.  p.108.

Rebel
Breeder(s):  ???
History:  Often confused with 'Red Rebel' (see below), Rebel (a.k.a. American Rebel or 'America') originated around 1850 on the farm of Captain Charles B. Wood of Rappahannock County, Virginia.
Rootstocks used:  MM111
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  yellowish-white flesh is subacid.
Fruit size:  medium
Fruit appearance:  One of the most showy apples, they are red on a yellow background, often heavily striped and usually with a waxy bloom
Uses:  Dessert
Culinary characteristics:  unknown
Storage characteristics:  unknown
Harvest season:  September
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  xx chill portions.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Calhoun, Lee Jr. Old Southern Apples. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60358-294-0.  p.130.
David Vernon, personal communication, 2023-02-15.
Both Century Farm Orchards and Kuffel Creek Apple Tree Nursery confuse 'Rebel' and 'Red Rebel'.  From their description, it appears they have grown 'Rebel'.  David Vernon confirmed that Century Farm Orchards offers only 'Rebel'.  

Red Rebel
Breeder(s):  ???
History:  Often confused with a different apple, named simply 'Rebel', the origin of 'Red Rebel' is unknown.  The late nurserywoman Joyce Neighbors found a tree called 'Red Rebel' that had been planted on her sister-in-law's farm near Wedowee, Alabama in the 1930's.  Note that 'Red Rebel' has bitter skin and greenish-white flesh whereas 'Rebel' has edible skin and yellowish-white flesh... these are the most distinctive differences between these two apples.
Rootstocks used:  I'm not actually growing this cultivar, but I include a description below to help sort out confusion.
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  The skin can be rather bitter, so it's best to peel this apple, (but the bitter skin may reduce codling moth damage).  The peeled fruits have greenish-white flesh that is fine-grained, moderately juicy, crisp and subacid.
Fruit size:  medium or below
Fruit appearance:  round; the thick is mostly to entirely covered with purplish-red, sometimes with indistinct stripes
Uses:  Dessert
Culinary characteristics:  unknown
Storage characteristics:  unknown
Harvest season:  August-September
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  xx chill portions.
Diseases:  disease-resistant
Precocity:  
Productivity:  productive
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Calhoun, Lee Jr. Old Southern Apples. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60358-294-0.  p.133.
David Vernon, personal communication, 2023-02-15.
Both Century Farm Orchards's website and Kuffel Creek Apple Tree Nursery confuse 'Rebel' and 'Red Rebel'.  From their description, it appears they have grown 'Rebel'.  David confirmed that the 'Red Rebel' that Century Farms Orchards offers is actually 'Rebel'.  They're both red apples, so it's not hard to imagine how the mixup occurs.

Rosalee® (MAIA11)
Breeder(s):  Midwest Apple Improvement Association (MAIA)
History:  Resulted from a 'Honeycrisp' X 'Fuji' cross; tested as MDD5-41; granted USPP 29146.
Rootstocks used:  G.11.
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  "...clean, floral taste with spectacular texture" that ..."melts in your mouth"
Fruit size:  
Fruit appearance:  red
Uses:  Dessert
Culinary characteristics:  
Storage characteristics:  
Harvest season:  2 weeks after Golden Delicious
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  70-78 chill portions.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  In our climate and on G.11 rootstock, they are very weak growers.  If for some reason I were to plant more, I'd definitely get a more vigorous stock.  Slightly weeping branches.
References other than my own experience:
Ortet. vol. 7. p. 2.
MAIA, 2023-02-15
Wafler Nursery, 2023-02-15.

Ruby Limbertwig
Breeder(s):  ???
History:  Origins murky, but found in the collection of the late Robert Dudney of Gainesboro, Tennessee.
Rootstocks used:  G.935
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  "...distinctive earthy, musky flavor typical of Limbertwigs."
Fruit size:  medium
Fruit appearance:  especially attractive apple; roundish with rich, ruby-red skin.
Uses:  
Culinary characteristics:  
Storage characteristics:  good
Harvest season:  October in southern Appalachia
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  88 chill portions or more.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Big Horse Creek Farm

Sam Hunt
Breeder(s):  Unknown, but possibly Sam Hunt of Jackson, MS.
History:  Rediscovered by Sylvia Walker, who was a niece of Sam Hunt.  She sent scions to Lee Calhoun in 1995.
Rootstocks used:  MM111.
Orchards grown in:  Southern California desert.
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  no description
Fruit size:  medium
Fruit appearance:  partly or mostly red with some obscure stripes; numerous dots
Uses:  
Culinary characteristics:  No personal experience yet.
Storage characteristics:  
Harvest season:  September- October in Pittsboro.
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  TBD chill portions.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Calhoun, Lee Jr. Old Southern Apples. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60358-294-0.  p.138.

Sansa
Breeder(s):  Japanese apple breeding program in Morioka and Dr. Don McKenzie in Havelock North, New Zealand
History:  Sansa was the result of a collaboration of researchers in Japan and New Zealand. In 1969, a team of Japanese researchers in Morioka sent the pollen of an Akane tree to Dr. Don McKenzie. This pollen was used to fertilize a Gala, and the seeds of the offspring were sent back to Japan, where the new variety was evaluated for almost 20 years before its release in 1988.  Cummins Nursery calls the result, "One of the best early apples, sweet and disease resistant. Also known as Morioka #42."
Rootstocks used:  G.890 (SoCal)
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  "...creamy white flesh has the simple sweetness of a Gala (one of its parents) balanced by the acidity of Akane" (Cummins Nursery).  Firm, "almost woody" flesh.
Fruit size:  
Fruit appearance:  tropical coloring, bright–almost pink and almost orange–red, and they are lightly flecked with a gold russet
Uses:  dessert
Culinary characteristics:  
Storage characteristics:  less than one month
Harvest season:  early
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  65 chill portions.
Diseases:  Somewhat resistant to fireblight, powdery mildew, and scab, and very resistant to cedar-apple rust (in upstate New York)... My trees in North Carolina were too young for a good evaluation and those diseases aren't much of an issue in the desert... we have other problems.  Cummins Nursery also points out that because they ripen early in the season, there is less sooty blotch and fly speck and that the leaves show a genetic chlorosis (yellowing) that is not a result of any disease.  A similar type of chlorosis is also present in 'Honeycrisp'.
Precocity:  
Productivity:  productive
Growth habit:  low vigor
References other than my own experience:
Cummins Nursery, 2023-02-15.

Shell
Breeder(s):  Green Shell
History:  Not to be confused with a West Virginia apple of the same name, Shell probably originated in southern Alabama in the late 1800's near Brewton, Alabama and indirectly gave rise to a town named Appleton in Escambia County.  Re-discovered by Daniel Mullins, an Agricultural Extension agent for Santa Rosa County, Florida in 1995.
Rootstocks used:  MM111.
Orchards grown in:  Southern California desert.
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  Described by Lee Calhoun as "truly delicious", almost sweet with a faint pear flavor..
Fruit size:  medium
Fruit appearance:  yellowish, mostly covered with a brigh red blush; flesh pale yellow, moderately crisp, juicy.
Uses:  
Culinary characteristics:  No personal experience yet.
Storage characteristics:  
Harvest season:  Mid-July in Pittsboro, NC.
Bloom season:  early; mid-February in Pittsboro.
Estimated chill requirement:  TBD chill portions, but definitely a low-chill apple.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  Very precocious, blooming in Lee's orchard in the 2nd year after planting.
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Calhoun, Lee Jr. Old Southern Apples. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60358-294-0.  p.139-140.

Summer Champion
Breeder(s):  J.W. Kincaid, probably.
History:  Probably originated near Weatherford, Texas.  It was first named 'Kincaid', then renamed 'Holland' for a prominent citizen of Weatherford, G.A. Holland.  Stark Bro's Nursery began selling it in the 1930's and renamed it 'Summer Champion'.
Rootstocks used:  MM111.
Orchards grown in:  Southern California desert.
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  crisp, juicy, subacid.
Fruit size:  medium
Fruit appearance:  round, slightly conical; yellow skin mostly covered with pink and red stripes.  Flesh light yellow.
Uses:  
Culinary characteristics:  No personal experience yet.
Storage characteristics:  
Harvest season:  August.
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  TBD chill portions.
Diseases:  Susceptible to fireblight.
Precocity:  
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Calhoun, Lee Jr. Old Southern Apples. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60358-294-0.  pp.147-148.

Summerset® (MAIA-12)
Breeder(s):  Midwest Apple Improvement Association (MAIA)
History:  Resulted from a 'Honeycrisp' X 'Fuji' cross and tested as MDD3-75.  Granted U.S. Plant Patent PP29,213
Rootstocks used:  
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  Our first fruit were excellent fresh-eating quality with a tangy-sweet flavor and a very crisp texture.  However, the crispness hasn't held up over the years.  They tend to be crisp soon after ripening, but quickly turn mealy.
Fruit size:  40 g/fruit in 2022- an extremely difficult sizing year.  94 g/fruit the following year.
Fruit appearance:  Red over greenish background.
Uses:  Dessert.  Other possibilities haven't been tested yet.
Culinary characteristics:  Haven't had enough to cook.
Storage characteristics:  
Harvest season:  Summer-Early Fall.  In Zone 10, the seasons are off, so I've picked them over a period of months.  About 160 days after full bloom.
Bloom season:  About 5 days after 'Goldrush'.
Estimated chill requirement:  86 chill portions.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  Very precocious.  First fruit borne the year of planting despite my best efforts to pluck the fruit off and allow the trees to settle in.
Productivity:  Productive.
Growth habit:  Wide crotch angles; needs little pruning.
References other than my own experience:
Ortet. Vol. 7. p.2.

Sundowner®
Breeder(s):  John Cripps of Western Australia
History:  Resulted from the same cross that produced 'Pink Lady'® (a.k.a. 'Cripp's Pink'):  'Golden Delicious' X 'Lady Williams'.  Also known as 'Cripps Red' and 'Cripp's-Two'.
Rootstocks used:  
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  Fair-Good.  Because we don't have any fruit from our yard yet, I can only comment on how others have described it based on eating fruit from a local farmer's market.  Bay Laurel describes it as crisp and sweet, but the fruit we've eaten are neither.  To be fair, the stand we purchase from (because there are no alternatives) tends to pick their fruit much too green, but what we've gotten are slightly tart and coarse-textured, but not crisp.  Later in storage, these fruits become soft, but not mealy and gain no flavor or sweetness.
Fruit size:  
Fruit appearance:  
Uses:  Primarily touted as a dessert apple, it makes a fair pie.
Culinary characteristics:  Keeps its shape when cooked.
Storage characteristics:  Seems to be good, based on the fact that locally-grown ones are still available in the farmer's markets until March.
Harvest season:  Very late.
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  28 chill portions.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  Very precocious, often bearing in 2nd year after planting.
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Orange Pippin website
Bay Laurel Nursery, Winter 2023 catalog.
Kuffel Creek Apple Tree Nursery

Thompson of Mississippi
Breeder(s):  A Mr. Thompson.
History:  Probably originated near Jackson, MS.  Scions sent to Lee Calhoun by Sylvia Walker of Jackson, MS.
Rootstocks used:  MM111.
Orchards grown in:  Southern California desert.
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  fine-grained, not very juicy or crisp, brisk subacid.
Fruit size:  medium
Fruit appearance:  round, slightly oblate, sometimes slightly lopsided; skin light green mostly covered with blotches of golden russet and a pale red blush.
Uses:  
Culinary characteristics:  No personal experience yet.
Storage characteristics:  
Harvest season:  Late July-August in Pittsboro.
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  TBD chill portions.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Calhoun, Lee Jr. Old Southern Apples. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60358-294-0.  p.154.

Victoria Limbertwig
Breeder(s):  None.  Chance seedling.
History:  Originated in either Grundy County or Warren County in Tennessee before 1860.  Despite many points of commonality in the descriptions, it is distinct from another apple named 'Victoria'.
Rootstocks used:  Bud9
Notes:  
Tree:  Annual-bearing; vigorous.
Diseases:  Moderate resistance to the major diseases.
Fruit quality:  Crisp, sweet and fine-grained.  In my SoCal orchard, they are not crisp or sweet, but have been astringent and barely edible.  They will improve in the coming years or the tree will be removed.
Fruit size:  Medium. 68 g/ fruit in 2023. Smaller the year before, but that was a historic drought year.
Fruit appearance:  Oblate-conic; Deep red over yellow and prominent yellowish-brown lenticels making the apple one of the most strikingly beautiful apples grown.  Isn't particularly attractive here in the desert.  Tends to crack badly here in the SoCal desert.
Uses:  
Culinary characteristics:  
Keeping ability in common storage (refrigerator crisper/ root cellar):  Good.  I've kept them for over 3 months in the crisper. The quality neither improved nor diminished during this time.
Harvest season:  Fall.  Mid-October here in the SoCal desert, 170-176 days after full bloom.
Uses:  Dessert (fresh-eating).
Bloom season:  With 'Goldrush'.
Estimated chill requirement:  70 chill portions.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  Very precocious on Bud9, bearing the 2nd year after planting.
Productivity:  Sets well, but tends to drop.
Growth habit:  Sprawling and spreading.  It has the willowy twigs that some folks think is what makes a Limbertwig a Limbertwig (but it's actually the unique taste, not the growth habit.)
References other than my own experience:
Burford, Tom. 2013. Apples of North America. ISBN 978-1-60469-249-5.  p. 190.
Calhoun, Lee Jr. Old Southern Apples. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60358-294-0.

Winter Sweet
Breeder(s):  ???
History:  This attractive late fall apple comes from the collection of the late Henry Morton of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Mr. Morton was instrumental in finding and saving many wonderful apple trees on the many old abandoned homesteads in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The origin of the Winter Sweet is unknown.
Rootstocks used:  G.935
Notes:  
Fruit quality:  very firm, crisp, juicy and very sweet
Fruit size:  medium to large
Fruit appearance:  roundish to mostly oblate in shape. "The thin, smooth, yellow skin is almost entirely covered with dark red shading with darker red striping. The yellowish-white flesh is very firm, crisp, juicy and very sweet." (Big Horse Creek Farm).
Uses:  
Culinary characteristics:  
Storage characteristics:  fair
Harvest season:  October
Bloom season:  
Estimated chill requirement:  62-73 chill portions.
Diseases:  
Precocity:  
Productivity:  
Growth habit:  
References other than my own experience:
Big Horse Creek Farm