Why Honeycrisp Apples Don’t Taste How You Remember

In one “Simpsons” episode, Nelson Muntz remarks after leaving a showing of the deeply bizarre and not particularly lunch-related film “Naked Lunch,” “I can think of at least two things wrong with that title.” Similarly, if you’ve had a Honeycrisp apple recently, you may have found at least two things wrong with its name: Namely, that it was neither particularly honey-like nor particularly crisp. False advertising is nothing new when it comes to naming apple cultivars — consider the Red Delicious, which is called “delicious” despite being as appetizing as a wad of wet newspaper — but it’s particularly tragic when it comes to the Honeycrisp because, once upon a time, it lived up to its name. What changed? Well, they got too popular too quickly, leading growers to ignore a fatal flaw.

When the Honeycrisp was first developed by botanists at the University of Minnesota in 1983, most supermarkets sold hardy apples that were available all year — which usually meant the much-maligned Red Delicious, that was only recently overtaken by the Gala in terms of popularity. The Honeycrisp followed in the footsteps of the Granny Smith, one of the best apples for baking, that had recently been introduced to great success. But Honeycrisp had the added bonus of being sweet enough to match the tartness. And they were so crisp, too! Once they hit shelves, consumers couldn’t get enough of them, and demand skyrocketed. But there turned out to be significant problems with both cultivation and storage.

Most of the problems stemmed from the fact that Honeycrisps are a deeply persnickety fruit. They are prone to falling off the tree before it’s time to harvest; they are susceptible to certain disorders, including bitter pit and soft scald, if they aren’t stored and treated in exactly the right conditions; their thin skin means they can suffer if they get too much sunlight; and, to top it all off, their sharp stems can lead to puncturing other apples in storage, so they must be clipped by hand.

Honeycrisps grow beautifully in certain states, especially those with similar climates to their homestate of Minnesota, which was where they were all grown at first. But they suffer in warmer, less consistent climates, including Washington — which is quite unfortunate, seeing as Washington is the apple-growing capital of America. As soon as the first trees were brought over to Washington to be planted, the problems began. But the people wanted Honeycrisps, and they wanted them year-round, which meant they had to be grown in Washington. Flash forward to today, and Honeycrisps remain incredibly popular, making up 13% of apple acreage in the Washington. But these adverse growing conditions have led to the apples suffering in terms of flavor and texture, becoming less sweet and more mealy. All things considered, it might be best to try a new breed, like the Cosmic Crisp, instead.