Ancient Roots, Modern Fruits: The Evolution of the Apple

By Mark Mulcahy
From past to our future: How your new favorite organic apples are blessings from the past.

When talking to friends or family, sometimes you’ll hear someone say: I looked into my ancestry and found out that my great-grandmother was of this nationality, or my father’s family was part of this or that culture. We listen and share their excitement as the story of their origin unfolds.

I do the same with fruits and vegetables! If we were visiting a produce department together, it would be common to hear me talking about the parentage of a certain apple, where it is best grown, or how it holds up post-harvest. So, with apple season upon us, I dove into the history of some apple favorites out of curiosity. Look what I found!
A staple at Melissa’s, and any organic produce department, is the Fuji apple. The Fuji was developed in Japan as a cross between a Red Delicious and a Ralls apple. Given that it’s named after Mt. Fuji, a symbol of symmetry and beauty, one can only surmise it’s a pretty special apple. Unusually solid, a Fuji will hold up for months under normal refrigeration and does not require special storage like other apples. In fact, its flavor improves with age! Its high sugar content, balanced with a slight degree of acidity, makes it the perfect apple for many people. It’s even a good cooking apple, although its firmness requires extra cooking time to turn soft.
How about what may be one of the most popular apples in any produce department—an apple that seems to defy the price barriers that most apples fall under. The Honeycrisp is one of the University of Minnesota's best apples, and it’s now widely grown around the world. People who enjoy the well-balanced sweet-tart taste (which I think most of us do) are especially appreciative of the feature that truly sets Honeycrisp apples apart: their exceptionally crisp and juicy texture. That’s not all; Honeycrisp apples have an excellent storage life. Their outstanding flavor and texture can be maintained for at least seven months in refrigerated storage without CA (atmosphere modification). (Getting into the geek zone again!) For the longest time, 'Macoun' and 'Honeygold' apples were thought to be the parents of this wonderful apple. Then, upon new genetic testing in 2005, it was revealed that these apples were not responsible for the creation of Honeycrisp. The testing found that Honeycrisp's true parents were 'Keepsake' and an unnamed apple tree referred to as 'MN1627' - the latter of which never even made it to market.
Now consider a newer apple: the Cosmic Crisp®, which took 20 years of study and breeding and became widely popular due to its perfectly balanced flavor, crisp texture, juiciness and striking color. The Cosmic Crisp would not be here if the University of Minnesota had not done their work in the 1960’s, as its parents are the Enterprise and Honeycrisp. The list goes on and on, and it gets more interesting as it does.

What's your favorite apple? Opal? Its parents are the Golden Delicious and Topaz apple varieties, which were both developed in the Czech Republic. The Envy apple’s parents are the Royal Gala and Braeburn apples, and it was developed in New Zealand.

If you have tried any of the parent apples, see if you can pick them out the next time you bite into one of these new, popular varieties!
Looking for a couple more to consider? How about Hunnyz® apples, or the WildTwist® Apples? And if you’d like some new ways of trying apples this fall, check out these fun recipes. Happy apple season to parents and kids alike!