What's Wrong With The Honeycrisp Apples?

Moderator: appledude

Post Reply
Consumer
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2010 12:01 am

What's Wrong With The Honeycrisp Apples?

Post by Consumer »

When the honeycrisp first appeared in the produce department I bought some and instantly decided they were the best apples I'd ever eaten. The skin was tender and not tough and hard to chew, the inside was crisp and you needed a napkin handy to mop up all the juice running down your chin and the taste was just right. Unfortunately others found them equally tasty and they quickly disappeared as they were new and in short supply. Come fall and I anxiously awaited the return of the honeycrisp. This year I've been greatly disappointed in the quality of the honeycrisp apple supply. The original apples were all uniformly large, but some of the ones showing up now are small, some are medium and others are large. Some of the apples are crisp, juicy and tasty as were the originals but others taste awful, the skin is tough and chewy, they're not very juicy and the "meat" is soft and mushy. Seems like growers in a rush to ramp up production to meet demand have a total disregard for the quality and taste that made the apple so popular. I keep the apples in the vegetable crisper in my refrigerator and usually only keep a one or two week supply on hand. I've actually thrown quite a few of the apples in the trash because they didn't taste good. If these apples are being shipped to oversea markets I can imagine that consumers in other places will be as disappointed as I am.

Years ago I used to like Fuji apples until I started biting into them and finding brown, rotten centers. It got so bad that I started cutting the apples in half to be sure they were good. I finally quit buying fuji's since so many of them were going into the trash can. I live in Eastern Washington which is probably the number one apple growing area in the world. Why in heck can't I find a dependable supply of quality honeycrisp apples? Maybe apples should be graded as good, better and best. I'd certainly pay a premium price if I knew I was buying the honeycrisps that I first found and liked.

Just my 2 cents worth. Any apple growers listening?
OrangePippin-Richard
Posts: 165
Joined: Sun Nov 21, 2010 12:14 pm
Contact:

Re: What's Wrong With The Honeycrisp Apples?

Post by OrangePippin-Richard »

Some varieties perform very differently in different climates and seasons, and from our limited experience I would say Honeycrisp is in that category. Contrast it with say Spartan, or Rubinette, two varieties that seem to taste the same year in year out and regardless of where you get them from. Another factor is probably storage management, which is perhaps a factor for varieties like Fuji which can be kept for long periods.
tkuntz
Posts: 98
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2008 8:01 pm
Location: Elizabethtown, PA
Contact:

Re: What's Wrong With The Honeycrisp Apples?

Post by tkuntz »

As a grower, I am concerned with your bad experiences with Honeycrisp and Fuji and I apologize for the group. If growers are not careful these great new varieties will go the way of the Red Delicious.
Sounds like you need to find a local farm market where you can get fresh locally grown apples from a grower who takes the time to allow the apples to ripen naturally on the tree.

Honeycrisp are a very unique apple in that they can vary in flavor from apple to apple on the same tree. The flavor of a Honeycrisp is only perfect for a very short harvest window, so if the grower is in a rush to get them to the market or doesn't take the time to spot harvest, quality can be grossly affected. Honeycrisp also need to be handled differently than other varieties after harvest. They cannot be chilled too quickly or they lose their flavor. They are a very difficult variety for the large scale orchardists to grow and reach the perfect quality apple. The large growers are the ones who supply the large grocery chains and box stores. This is why I recommend finding a smaller local grower and you may find a better quality apple.

I have also found that Honeycrisp are a poor keeping apple. If they are stored more than a few months, the quality greatly diminishes. Also, the smaller Honeycrisp don't seem to have the flavor of the larger ones. This is not true with every variety, but I've found it to be true with Honeycrisp.
J-Gee
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Feb 14, 2011 6:32 pm

Re: What's Wrong With The Honeycrisp Apples?

Post by J-Gee »

I have found the quality of Honeycrisp apples has definitely taken a hit over the last 2-3 years.My mouth waters just thinking about Honeycrisp apples 3-5 years ago.I have bought from local orchards,as well as the grocery and have wasted quite a bit of money on them the last few years.I'm just fortunate that the parrot will eat them.I really long for a good one.Is it true that they shouldn't be picked until the middle of October? I live in southeastern Ohio.
User avatar
Drew Dubious
Posts: 104
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2010 5:58 am
Location: Canton MA

Re: What's Wrong With The Honeycrisp Apples?

Post by Drew Dubious »

I understand Honeycrisp is a bi-annual. That could have alot to do with the quality some years.
Rocky
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2011 7:49 pm

Re: What's Wrong With The Honeycrisp Apples?

Post by Rocky »

I just bought 2 honeycrisp trees my question is will they pollinate them self or do i need a different tree for that? :idea:
appledude
Posts: 429
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2008 12:24 pm

Re: What's Wrong With The Honeycrisp Apples?

Post by appledude »

Drew Dubious wrote:I understand Honeycrisp is a bi-annual. That could have alot to do with the quality some years.
I wonder if they bear every other year for the same reason as MacIntoshes?

Mac's bear too heavy one year, then take a year off to build up fruiting resources. The way to prevent that from occurring is to thin fruit heavily every single year, leaving perhaps one fruit per foot of branch. Even doing that I still get too many to eat, but they are a very flavorful juicing apple too.

Too heavy a fruit load (non-thinned tree) will also tend to make the whole crop taste bland, another good reason to thin before they are the size of dimes.
Post Reply