Honeycrisp
Place of Origin: Excelsior, MN - University of Minnesota Horticultural Research Center
Year: 1974, released in 1991
Parentage: Keepsake' x unknown
Uses: Eating
History at Three Springs: Planted for packing in 2004.
A variety trial at University of Minnesota was conducted to find varieties suitable for Northern climates. The cross named "MN-1711" proved to have incredible texture. And while this variety was believed to be a cross of Macoun and Honey Gold, DNA testing has since proven the only confirmed parent of Honeycrisp is Keepsake, the other parent was likely an unnamed, numbered selection. This apple has created a huge demand in the marketplace, much in part to it's delightful texture - a result of larger cell size within the flesh of the apple. Regardless of how this apple came to be or to what we attribute it's popularity, it really captured the favor of the apple-eating public in a way that really had not been seen in a long, long time.