York Imperial: This apple was originally named “Johnson’s Fine Winter” and originated on the Johnson Farm near York, PA in 1830. Farmer Johnson once watched school children digging out these leaf-covered apples in early spring and found them in remarkably good shape. A local nurseryman called them “imperial keepers” (long lasting) and suggested the name of “York” be changed to “York Imperial”. It has an unusually small core, and is lopsided in appearance. In York County it was also called a ‘schepabbel’ or crooked apple, in the local German dialect. Some of the fruit actually grows on an oblique axis! York Imperial excels in the kitchen, and as a cider apple.