December 19: Honeycrisp
Keepsake x MN1627 (Duchess of Oldenburg x Golden Delicious)
University of Minnesota, 1991
The Honeycrisp apple needs no introduction.
It is the crown jewel of the best apple variety breeding program in the world (here! in Minnesota!) and is surpassed in flavor and texture only by its children, like those developed at the U: SweeTango, First Kiss, Kudos, Triumph (and now, the just-released Big Flirt and SuperSnap); and those developed outside of Minnesota that have already gained a foothold at supermarkets, varieties like CosmicCrisp, EverCrisp, and Ludacrisp.
Honeycrisp truly changed the industry of apple growing, turning apples from a commodity into a variety/brand that people ask for by name. Though many growers complain about the “diva” that is Honeycrisp, the trouble they go to is worth it as consumers continue to pay a premium for the variety.
Of all of the apples included in the Advent calendar, Honeycrisp is probably the only one that I would recommend for fresh eating only. I would never use Honeycrisp for jelly, it’s insipid in hard cider, there’s no point in baking it because its hallmark texture just disappears . . .at least for fresh-pressed cider, it’s darn juicy and sweet.
Growing Notes
Honeycrisp takes a good long time to get growing so if you’ve planted a tree that hasn’t yet borne fruit, be patient. One of the neatest things for apple growers is that Honeycrisp is resistant to the predominant fungal pest of apples, apple scab. The pains that commercial growers report aren’t as relevant to home growers, so don’t let their complaints stop you.
