Sweetser's Apple Barrel and Orchards

We’re Open Until Mid December from 10-5:30 p.m. and we want to thank our loyal customers by offering a free 1/4 peck of apples with each purchase of $10 or more!

We have 22 apple varieties in the store right now- that’s quadruple what you’ll find in the grocery store. Come stock up on apple pie favorites like the Northern Spy and try heirloom varieties like Ben Davis and Brock! The Ben Davis apples are an American variety dating back to before the Civil War whose true origins remain unknown to this day. We also have the popular Baldwin apple in stock. Bladwins are one of the oldest American heirloom varieties that date back to before the Revolutionary War when they were discovered in the 1740s in Wilmington, Massachusetts.

We now have 16 varieties of apple in the store at one time! This incredible diversity won’t last long, so stop on by to try some of these hard-to-find, old-time apples! We have rare varieties like the Nodhead and Northern Spy along with popular apples like the Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Spencer.

Manager Rommy Holman with our blue ribbon at the Cumberland Fair.

Sweetser’s won the blue ribbon for Maine Apple Orchards at the Cumberland Fair this past week. The apples progress from our oldest heirloom varieties like the Rolfe apples to the newest like Honey Crisp. We hope you stopped by the fair! You can come by the Apple Barrel seven days a week to choose from over seven varieties of heirloom and popular Fall apples.

Paul, the owner of Squire Mountain Tub Cheese will be offering free samples at Sweetser’s today until 5 p.m.!  Try out delicious offering of Squire Mountain spreadable tub cheese with flavors like port wine, garlic herb, good ol’ cheddar, horseradish, cheddar olive and pimento, and more! Squire Mountain cheese was founded in 1996 in Fryeburg, Maine and now distributes in several states. Their new facility is located in Standish. Owners Paul and Deana come to give free samplings at Sweetser’s every year. Their tub cheese gets its name from the old wooden tubs in which cheese like this used to be produced.

The Macoun is one of our favorite apples at Sweetser’s. They are a cross between the McIntosh and Jersey Black varieties. They have firm, crisp flesh and a delicious sweet taste. They are often pronounced “McCowan” and were developed at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York, by R. Wellington. They are named after Canadian fruit grower W.T. Macoun, and were first introduced in 1923. Availability is generally October through November.

The smooth rich taste of Sweetser’s apple cider lets you know that it’s Autumn in Maine. We make cider from our own individually selected apples from late August through closing in December. While cider is definitely best fresh, you can also freeze it to open anytime during the year. We now have cider in pints, half-gallons and gallons. Sweetser’s cider is all natural with no preservatives or additives; just real apple cider!

The newest apple in the market is the Gala! The Red Gravensteins are at their peak of flavor, plus we have Mcintosh, Cortland, Honeycrisp, Paula Red as our primary varieties. Several choices of heirloom cooking apples remain, including Duchess, and Yellow Transparent.

The Apple Barrel is now open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with a great variety of heirloom and popular apples. We have the ever popular Honeycrisp and Mcintosh apples along with the heirloom Red Gravensteins. Come stop by to try one of our many apple varieties or pick up an apple pie, Maine maple syrup, Standard Baking breads, or many other Maine seasonal specialties.