https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-12-14/the-search-for-the-next-honeycrisp-apple
Thanks for posting. Of the apples mentioned in the article, I’ve tried Gold Rush (my own), Ruby Frost, Snap Dragon and Evercrisp. The last three from the Cornell Store.
Of those four, Evercrisp is probably the sweetest. I won’t be surprised if it becomes popular among consumers who love sweet, crunchy apples. It is as crunchy but sweeter than Honey Crisp.
The Cornell Store staff told me the best seller there is Snap Dragon. I like it a lot. I tend to like sweet apples.
3 Likes
I tried a locally grown evercrisp and was sort of disappointed. I can see why many like it, but to me it seemed a bit rich and very sweet for my tastes. Also seemed to go brown fairly quick after slicing. But I’ve never loved fuji apples. Now goldrush i think is excellent and makes me forget about honeycrisp. Some newer varieties I like are Kanzi, Opal, and Pazzazz.
According to this article, SnapDragon and RubyFrost (NY exclusives) were supposed to compete with HoneyCrisp and Cosmic Crisp, but they have had issues. SnapDragon, specifically, has a tendency to runt due to a combination of low vigor and precocity. Even so, the number of trees needed to supply the market was underestimated.
That might explain why I haven’t seen RubyFrost at the local markets. I picked a bag of them a few years ago at an orchard up in the Finger Lakes area, but haven’t been able get back there since. I wasn’t impressed at first. It was just another sweet-tart apple with a hard texture. The last ones, however, did have a honey flavor that was similar to the best Honeycrisps I’ve had. Later I read that they should be stored for at least a month to develop flavor. Oops, I ate most of mine in the weeks after I picked them. So, they might have potential if the honey flavor is the norm more often than not. RubyFrost has enough acid for baking, but the these hard apples are problematic. They eventually soften with age, but before then, the can still be crunchy after an hour of baking. A crust will probably burn before they soften. Precooking might help, but seems like a tricky inconvenience.
1 Like
2019 must have been a good year for Snapdragon in NY. I bought some for .39/lb. They were medium size compared to the large 16 oz Honey Crisp selling for .99/lb but I preferred the Snapdragon. Large 16 oz Fuji were selling .79/lb. Prices were at a local Long Island market. At Costco Snapdragons were selling for 1.65/lb, probably from Washington State.