'Roxbury Russet' is an extremely productive variety, and like many older varieties, it stores well through the winter months. Modern cold storage technology has meant that the superb keeping qualities of 'Roxbury Russet' are no longer important commercially, but to the home gardener, keeping quality is still an important asset for a fruit variety. Thomas Jefferson planted a number of 'Roxbury Russet' trees in Monticello's South Orchard in 1778. He referred to them as "russetings" because of the distinctive russets on the skin of the fruit. This was among the most popular varieties in America in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The fruit of the 'Roxbury Russet' has a greenish skin and a crisp, tart taste that ripens in early fall.