What's Inside

Frostbite^TM Description

• Characteristics
• Description

• Licensing
• Order Frostbite^TM Trees

Intense Sweet Taste

The Frostbite^TM Apple packs a punch. It's almost tangy, very sweet, and juicy. Biting into a Frostbite^TM is almost like biting into a piece of sugarcane. Savoring its juice tastes almost like molasses melting in your mouth.

Small, Late Season Sweet

By its late harvest season, Frostbite^TM fruit is only about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. At maturity, it has a stripped maroon-red skin over a gold-yellow background. Its firm and juicy, cream colored flesh, delivers small, intensely sweet bites. This apple is great for making cider.

Growing & Storing Cautions

Frostbite^TM has a tendency to get russeting (cracks around the top of the apple), which can attract wasps and other pests. The cracks also make the apple susceptible to mold during its relatively short storage life.

Rarely Bitten By Cold

The Frostbite^TM Apple is extremely cold hardy. It has performed for decades in USDA zone 3b (-30 to -35F). This durability allows Frostbite^TM to thrive in northern climates where very few good quality apples can grow.

Apple Breeding Star

Frostbite^TM has been a key apple in the U of M's breeding program since the 1920's. It's extreme cold hardiness and unique flavor make it an excellent apple to cross with other varieties. Frostbite^TM is a parent to Keepsake and Sweet 16 Apples and a grandparent to Honeycrisp.

Growing Availability

Nurseries began grafting trees in 2008. Trees are expected to be ready for sale in 2009 for 2010 planting. Mature fruit will likely be available to the public about four years later.