New apple varieties coming to US market
Beyond Cosmic Crisp, which is causing a stir in Washington, a number of other apples are pushing their way into this increasingly dynamic field.
One of them is MAIA 1. Apples from MAIA 1 will be sold under the branded name EverCrisp, which is a product of the Midwest Apple Improvement Association (MAIA).
“It’s one of the most refreshing apples I’ve ever eaten,” said Randy Beaudry, Ph.D., professor in the Michigan State University Department of Horticulture. “And because we use so many techniques nowadays, such as CA storage, dynamic CA storage and 1-MCP that suppress ripening, you need a variety that is not absolutely dependent on the aroma profile, but rather has that fresh mouth flavor. EverCrisp has that.”
The MAIA is also rolling out four additional apples. They include Crunch-A-Bunch and Bakers Delight, which were launched in mid-November by Gurney’s Seed and Nursery Co. of Greendale, Indiana.
Crunch-a-Bunch is actually an early Gold Rush, a crunchy yellow apple with a following among cider enthusiasts. Cooper describes Crunch-a-Bunch as possessing the same “effervescent,” somewhat tropical taste palette of Gold Rush, but with less-pronounced lenticels for a more attractive appearance and, most notably, an earlier harvest date and far superior flesh texture.
“It ripens right after Honeycrisp, so it’s a very attractive harvest window,” he said. “Its tree habit has a nice open form, and it’s that way right out of the gate, so it’s an easy tree form to manage.”
Read more at goodfruit.com
