Ask a man the price of gas and he can tell you what he last paid per gallon within 5 cents. Ask a mom the cost of a gallon of milk and chances are she’s going to be on the mark, too.
I can’t tell you what either milk or gas cost. But I know what you’ll pay for a Honeycrisp apple.
Gott Brothers sell Honeycrisps for $2.50 a pound, twice what you’ll pay for any other variety at their farm stand at Main Avenue and 30th Street.
If you want to buy the same apple in New York City, you’ll pay upwards of $5 a pound. In Ohio, where apple orchards are as perennial as grass, expect to pay around $2 a pound, and it might be the best apple you’ve ever tasted, despite it being developed 20 years ago at the University of Minnesota, which takes credit for this stellar variety.
The Great Lakes climate is just about the worst in the nation, but it is ideal for apples. Although there’s no similarity, Montezuma County turns out some great apples, too. At one time, back in the 1950s, more commercial apples were shipped and sold out of Colorado than Washington state.
Apple production is labor-intensive. Pruning is done by hand, usually by migrant workers swinging up from the south. Olathe farmers will tell you that Washington doubled its efforts to attract migrant workers in the late 1950s. Colorado then lost its place in the migrant worker queue, never to get it back again. Big marketing efforts by Washington’s apple producers then sealed the deal.
So why do Honeycrisp apples command such a high price? Supply and demand. It’s arguably the best eating apple in the country, a Midwest success story, much as the Gala was for New Zealand and the Fuji was for Japan.
The Honeycrisp is related to the Macoun and the Honeygold, which is a Golden Delicious cultivar. Macouns are great pie apples, similar to the old Cortland or Winesap. Golden Delicious is NOT related to Red Delicious. Golden Delicious is arguably the most versatile apple and a tree commonly and easily grown in this area.
Honeygold and Macoun are both sold at Gott Brothers for $1.25 a pound.
I’m going to plant four semi-dwarf apple trees next spring – two Honeycrisp, a Honeygold and possibly a Jonathon pollinator or a Jonagold. It will be about four years before I get a good crop.
I wish I would have done this 10 years ago. Meanwhile, I’m going to learn how to prune my old heirloom plum and pay closer attention to where I plant in the future.
When we did our recent remodel, we lost a “birthday tree” – no doubt the best baby gift I’ve ever received. I’ve been lamenting it for a year now. It’s time to move on by making room for this next apple superstar.
Arborists say, “Plant pears for your heirs.” But apples can be enjoyed in a couple short years.
