Honeycrisp

Lore & Background

The Honeycrisp was developed at the University of Minnesota's Horticultural Research Center. The apple was once slated to be discarded but became a prized commercial product. The grandparents on the MN1627 side are Duchess of Oldenburg and Golden Delicious. The Honeycrisp was bred for taste—sweetness, tartness, and crispness—not for high yield, long shelf life, or ease of transport. It has larger cells than most apple cultivars, a trait correlated with juiciness, as larger cells rupture instead of cleaving along cell walls. The Honeycrisp retains its pigment well and has a relatively long shelf life when stored in cool, dry conditions, though its taste fades after long storage.

Reader's Guide

The Honeycrisp apple marks a turning point in the history of the apple industry. Its popularity drove a shift away from older varieties like Red Delicious in both the United States and Canada. By the 2020s, about half of new apple varieties for sale in the US and Canada are progeny of the Honeycrisp, including SweeTango, Rave, Cosmic Crisp, Sunflare, EverCrisp, SugarBee, SnapDragon, Pink Luster, and Orleans. Its price per pound is at least twice that of other popular varieties. Nova Scotia farmers even exported Honeycrisp apples to the United States. The Honeycrisp is demanding for growers: it bruises easily, has a thin skin requiring hand-clipped stalks, suffers from bitter pit (affecting 23% of harvest), and yields only 60% good fruit. Breeders continue to search for hybrids that appeal to consumers while being less costly to cultivate and longer-lasting in storage without losing taste.

Did You Know?

• The Honeycrisp was once slated to be discarded before becoming a prized commercial product.
• The Honeycrisp has larger cells than most apple cultivars, which makes it taste juicier because the cells rupture instead of cleaving along cell walls.
• By the 2020s, many new apple varieties for sale in the United States and Canada are progeny of the Honeycrisp.