The York Imperial has been grown in Pennsylvania for roughly two centuries and remains one of the state’s signature apple varieties, but shoppers may rarely see one in a supermarket produce aisle.

Spotlight PA reports that the variety is particularly valued for processing and storage, so consumers are more likely to encounter Yorks in applesauce, juice, cider, vinegar or apple butter than in a fruit bowl.

The heirloom apple traces its history to York County, where a nurseryman is believed to have developed the variety from a local seedling.

Industry figures cited by Spotlight PA show that York Imperials made up an estimated 26% of Pennsylvania’s apple crop in 2025. But about 97% of the variety’s crop goes to processors, which is why shoppers are more likely to encounter it in prepared products than as a fresh, shiny supermarket apple.

That processing market includes Adams County. York Imperials are among the top four apple crops at Peters Orchards, and much of the farm’s crop goes to Knouse Foods, a regional cooperative that makes applesauce and pie fillings.

The fruit can be tart when it is first picked and becomes sweeter as it sits in storage. Its thick skin and sometimes lopsided or striped appearance may make it less eye-catching than varieties bred for supermarket displays, but appearance is only part of the story.

Growers value the apple’s texture for cooking: it slices well and holds its shape as it softens, and it can add body to applesauce. Yorks also keep well, a useful quality when the variety was first spreading before modern refrigerated storage was available.

York Imperials are typically harvested through October. People looking for fresh fruit may have better luck at farm stores or roadside stands than at a supermarket, and the trees’ tendency to produce heavier crops in alternating years is a familiar challenge for growers.

Source: Asha Prihar, Spotlight PA.