I got two questions on the same day from readers who are growing ‘Honeycrisp’ apple trees. Is this because you like the flavor of the apple?
Like wine grapes, every variety of fruit has its own “terrior“. When we try a fruit tree in a new climate and soil from its original terrior, where we know it did well, we take a risk. We will not know if that risk paid off or not for about five years after its first successful year of production. I learned my lesson on that with ‘Flavor Supreme’ pluot which excited me at first until I got to know it better. Like wine grapes, every variety of fruit has its own “terrior“. which can produce erratically with late spring frosts and its own genetics.
Right now ‘Gala’ apple has become the number one apple in grocery stores beating out ‘Red Delicious’ because of its flavor, storage and shipping qualities. Why did ‘Red Delicious’ apple (btw, an Iowa apple originally) dominate the apple industry for 50 years? Primarily because you could keep it in cold storage for nearly 12 months. It was not because it tasted great. It was the primary apple grown in eastern Washington state for many years. Now we have many different kinds (sports, aka natural mutations) of ‘Red Delicious’ and ‘Gala’ apples for different purposes (color, production timing, size, flavor). So why was ‘Granny Smith’ apple so popular (third largest producer in the US)? Storage. It will store for a long time, like ‘Red Delicious’. for a year or longer. It is certainly not because of its flavor. ‘Mutsu’ apple, a better suited apple variety for the desert, is a green apple that tastes better than “Granny Smith’ but will only store for about two or three months.
 |
| ‘Mutsu’ apple ready for harvest. In my opinion ‘Mutsu’ apple (spur type) is a better choice for desert climates than ‘Granny Smith’, a tip type apple tree. |
‘Honeycrisp’ apple was developed in the Minnesota market as fresh fruit. It was nearly discarded because it didnt ship or store very well, a necessity for commercial production.
I dont know how it will perform in a hot desert climate like we have in the Mojave Desert. I have never tried it. All of the flavor and texture tests came out of Minnesota so we know it does well and tastes good in the upper Midwest. When trying it outside of its normal ‘terrior’ be prepared to evaluate it for about five years.
Remember the words ‘terrior’ and ‘sport’. Both are important when it comes to backyard production.
I like Granny Smith but am hesitant trying them in southern AZ. Originating in Penna, I’m not wild about dessert apples. To me, they’re insipid. Tart apples are best, whether it’s with cheddar cheese, a sauce, sauerkraut, or pies. For that, pick them on the green side, then when processed, save the water used to cook them for jelly or juice.
Um, Red Delicious: Anyone in the family who farmed, and that's most of us, had an apple orchard. To us, the RD was a horse apple. That was it’s initial use; farmers knew animals needed a balanced diet, just as we do.
Try Pink Lady apple.
I would like that; they're a good apple but rated for no warmer than Zone 8; we're in 9. Right now, I'm about ready to sacrifice the dog in hopes that the Dorsett survives summer winds. Last year, newly planted, it had windbreaks up, which the dog decided to play tug-o-war with. A new olive and my first loquat (Nugget) arrived from Planting Justice. Keep up the posts! They're very good, and thank you.