I agree, Fuji is good, it’s my close second. It does lack in texture though, which kind of goes to my original premise - it all depends on how much you are into texture. Like I know people who outright say that to them texture is the most important thing in an apple. Which is probably why there is market for HC. I don’t remember Envy and Modi right now, will try them.
It is somewhat of a blessing IMO. Some vendors that come to farmers’ market here are just huge orchards with literally same stuff that goes into big grocery stores. I can see boxes from their farm when the store next to me restocks the shelves.
I had WildTwist, hopefully it becomes more popular but it’s not easily available right now. Between spending half a day on a trip to Costco for an apple that travelled through their supply chain vs picking a (usually) fresher HC from farmers’ market, the latter wins for now.
More than most things, it depends so much on how it is grown. A home-grown ‘Gala’ apple holds its own with any four-syllable foreign language heirloom apple.
I don’t know why ‘Honeycrisp’ would be singled out for the hate.
It’s not about hating Honeycrisp, it’s more about being displease. You paid a high price for HC and expect a good taste. That’s where the disappointment come into play. It does not taste good. Since the price came down to match the quality, it’s just your normal apple at the super market.
HC, grown at home maybe a different story. One of disappointment and of success. Many report HC to be a slow growing apple that require a lengthy chill hours. Many homeowners struggle growing it. They grow it because they wanted a superior experience at home rather than the super market HC. They then found out that it’s not so easy beucase of their climate. Those who succeed will get to enjoy what HC should be.
I think it’s just the nature of growing things commercially and at scale. Honestly when it comes to grocery stores, it’s far from my largest disappointments. For example, I don’t know how grocery store strawberries and raspberries are a successful product that sells (outside of culinary applications).
It’s not genetic drift. It does have to do with cultural conditions. Honeycrisp produces a great apple in the Great Lakes region, where conditions favor it’s development. But Eastern Washington produces most of them now. That is the wrong climate for Honeycrisp.
Further, the wholesale apple system is built to destroy the reputation of apple varieties by pumping poor quality fruit that looks good into the market. Apples from eastern Washington are over cropped, over-irrigated and picked 3-4 weeks too early. They look beautiful but are culinary disappointments. I live there now and rarely find good apples in the markets. I used to live in the Great Lakes region. The local orchards had great apples. Supermarkets were still hit or miss. Honeycrisp apples were excellent at local orchards, such that they commanded almost twice the price, and always sold out.
With apples, the wholesale marketing system ruins them, and always will until they make fundamental changes.
The over cropping problem is real and probably trumps climate. I’m in Minnesota and didn’t thin enough - although I THOUGHT I had thinned aggressively. I’m ready to throw out two bushels of HC. Very sad. Well, maybe I’ll dry them.
Yes, the WA apples usually have a good crisp texture, although I probably prefer a little denser.
I wouldn’t disparage Honeycrisp so much if the first apples I had of it weren’t so great. The contrast from those memories, which may have grown more wonderful with time, and what is available now makes the disappointment greater.
Off hand I’d say they are usually range 7 to 10 in texture and 3-5 out of 10 in flavor for the typical fruit available.
Pink Lady I’d give 6-8 in texture and 6-9 in flavor.
Envy 6-9 in texture. 5-8 in flavor
Opal 4-9 in texture (used to be 7-9) 5-9 in flavor.
The first Honeycrisp I had were probably 10 in texture, and 7.5 in flavor. Maybe hard to judge the flavor because the texture was revolutionary. I probably would have said higher back then.
Had my first crop of HC this year and they were very good. Central Ohio. Showed some bitter pit, but other than that they were excellent. Its what my family wants. I really enjoyed the few Freedom apple I had, they were the best this year. The Liberty were ok, but in years past they were the best.
I havent bought apples in a grocery in 45 years. Granny smiths in 1977. I’ve been looking at them as my apple geekiness increases. I was shocked at how small the bagged apples were. So small they were the non pickers in my orchard.
I’m skeptical of all apples in the grocery due to the storage.
I converted a number of people this year that said the didnt like Golden Delicious only asking for more because their experience was grocery store apples.
I think the quality of apples are how fresh, except the varieties that improve with storage, where grown (climate), and genetics.
And of course picking it at the exact perfect time, tasting the fruits of your labor.
I cant see true HC going from awesome to so so without external forces causing it.
I have long found Honey Crisp to be a disappointment. The first year they were good then they lost all flavour. The price point created the dissatisfaction, lots of money for a big letdown. But that can also apply to other apples, Pink Lady comes to mind.
It’s been about 9 years since my HCs were really good. That was also the last year to have a sunny, dry August in my part of the northeast.
None of my other apples seem to be this way.
I was just reading that Honeycrisp has a short shelf life, and so it’s quality drops fast after being picked, long storage could be one of the reasons for Honeycrisp apples not being as good anymore.
Storage life for commercial HC 4-6 months in common storage. Controlled atmosphere, where most all HC goes, will easily get 12 months.
It is this very long storage life while still staying crisp that made it famous.
As i said in earlier post, its competitors at the time of its release were Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, etc. Think late 1990s the bar was set very low. The only other variety in the store that was firm was Grannies and that was because they were hard starch balls with no flavor.
HC will store a ridiculous long time but a lot of things have to come together first for that to happen…
First the apples have to be grown properly. Propper nutrition is critical.
Then harvest timing has to be spot on. This is a measurment of starch conversion, sugars, pressure, and color.
Then storage has to be just right, HC are not stored with other varieties. They have they’re own storage parameters.
Sorry about the confusion but I don’t have a Fireside apple tree, I was referring to Fireside apples I found one vendor selling at my local farmers’ market. I always get excited when someone brings some non-default apples. A quick google search at least a few vendors selling them (e.g. Trees of Antiquity) so hopefully you can get the tree.
Just to add a observation on Honey Crisp apples.
Even though they are an apple that has been around for a while and several newer varieties have come out like the new Cosmic Crisp,Honey Crisp is the most expensive apple in my town(Alpine,Texas)at $4.99 a pound,while Cosmic Crisp is at $3.99 lb,Gala at $3.99lb,Fuji at$3.99 lb,and Red Delicious at $2.99 lb(big apples).
The Honey Crisp were huge and most were 1/2 lb and some bigger,so I couldn’t justify paying 2.50-3.00 dollars for one apple that might not even taste decent,from my previous experience.