My daughter and husband live in Canada with their four children. Pretty sure that each of them considers the apple as their fruit of choice. And when it comes to variety, they only consider the Honey Crisp. In our local community, there are so many apple trees growing everywhere. Most homeowners or homesteaders have at least one apple tree and often an entire apple orchard. I haven’t heard tell of the Honey Crisp growing locally, yet; however, I was just reading in the Wall Street Journal that it is now not just the top growing apple in the orchards of Washington State, but it is practically the only variety. Canadians in B.C. don’t need to import the Honey Crisp from Washington State. Marar Market in Cranbrook and Victoria brings them in from their orchards in Creston.
I remember my grandkids getting hooked on them with the first bite, and they are not alone. According to the WSJ, “Consumers, bored by the softer, blander Red Delicious variety that had ruled grocery aisles for decades, discovered an apple that was sweet and so texturally satisfying they never looked back.” I have to agree with their description of the Red Delicious. I would prefer just about any of the traditional apples in our backyard over them any day.
Described as syrupy-sweet and shockingly crisp, Honey Crisp now dominates the American market, even if it sometimes costs three times as much as other varieties. The growers in Washington State, on the other hand, complain it is a ‘painstaking ordeal’ to grow. According to Kait Thornton, whose family has been growing apples for more than a century, the traits that make it more desirable to the consumer also create more challenges to the grower. To prevent that tender, thin skin from being punctured by the stem, each apple must be hand-clipped at harvest. The trees must be thinned and sprayed to treat an endemic calcium deficiency. And to retain that signature red-pink hue on the skin, workers must lay out reflective material by hand. But some growers are still not complaining and have even nicknamed it ‘Moneycrisp,’ because of the higher price at harvest.
So, apple breeders are working feverishly to find an apple that isn’t so demanding with all the same delicious qualities. The closest, so far, is the Cosmic Crisp. One of my grandsons will eat that apple, but it is still his second choice. Experts claim the sweetest-tasting apple is Fuji, followed by Gala, Honey Crisp and then Red Delicious. According to Minnesota Hardy, what sets the Honey Crisp apple apart is its exceptionally crisp and juicy texture. “Bite into the cream-colored flesh and the large cells explode with juice in your mouth, carrying a delightful, well-balanced, sub-acid and mildly aromatic flavor.”
Everybody has heard the saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” And Campbell County Health has counted 10 of these benefits. Apples are nutritious and may support weight loss, gut health, mental health and heart health. They may help prevent cancer, digestive diseases and asthma, as well as protect the brain and lower the chance of diabetes.
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