Minnesota Grown Celebrates Start of State’s Apple Season

The Minnesota Grown Program which promotes the state’s wide variety of agricultural products, helps kick off the state’s apple season this month and build the anticipation for Minnesota’s most famous apple, the Honeycrisp.

The star of the show is the newest early season variety, First Kiss, and this year, it will be more widely available as growers have more trees that have matured and are producing this delightful fruit. Other beloved early season varieties include SweeTango, Zestar! and RiverBelle, which are all available around late-August through September.

These are the first fresh, local apples available since last fall’s crop and here are more details:

First Kiss – The newest University of Minnesota (U of M) early season variety is a Honeycrisp cross available up to four weeks before Honeycrisp ripens. It’s an incredibly crisp, lightly tart and aromatic apple. Excellent storage life of up to five months.

SweeTango – A Honeycrisp-Zestar! cross, this apple is known for its sweet and tart flavor. Developed by the U of M and first available in 2009, SweeTango apples have explosive flavor, crisp texture and juiciness in every bite.

Zestar! – This apple offers its delicate crispness, juicy texture and zesty flavor with a hint of brown sugar. Developed by the U of M and introduced in 1999, this apple has a crisp texture and good storage life – up to two months in the refrigerator.

RiverBelle – A sweet and tart apple with a fruity flavor makes a crisp eating apple. RiverBelle apples grow in the Mississippi River valley of Minnesota and Wisconsin. This unique, orange-flecked apple, was developed by Doug Shefelbine in collaboration with the Mississippi Valley Fruit Co.

“While Minnesotans typically think of local apples being harvested after Labor Day, we now can enjoy delicious apples – that will stand up to any of our best varieties – beginning in mid-August,” said Paul Hugunin, Director of Ag Marketing and Development at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Minnesota Grown program. “Early season apples provide an exciting opportunity for consumers to choose local, fresh produce for an extra month each year.”

For more than 30 years, Minnesota Grown has helped connect customers with local farmers. The Minnesota Grown Directory includes more than 100 orchards around the state. Find an orchard near you at www.minnesotagrown.com.