Early season apples will be available at orchards, grocery stores and farmers markets across Minnesota beginning in mid-August, kicking off the harvest Minnesota Grown apples for 2021. Varieties such as First Kiss, SweeTango®, Zestar!® and RiverBelle, ready for picking up to four weeks sooner than the Honeycrisp, marking the first fresh, local apples since last fall's crop.
Many orchards are keeping safety measures in place to help customers have an enjoyable, safe visit this year. Although much of Minnesota has faced drought conditions throughout 2021, local apple growers have been carefully tending their trees to ensure that consumers can enjoy apples this year.
This August four varieties are typically available from mid-August through early-September:
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.
In addition to their earlier harvest dates, these varieties provide a vastly superior eating experience in comparison to traditional early season varieties suitable for Minnesota's climate.
"Early season apples provide Minnesotans with an opportunity to enjoy fresh, juicy, local apples for the first time since last fall," said Paul Hugunin, Director of Ag Marketing and Development at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Minnesota Grown program. "We're looking forward to having early season varieties available in stores and farmers markets across the state beginning in mid-August, and growers can't wait to welcome people back to the orchards, where visitors can create memories with loved ones while stocking up on their early season apple favorites."
For over 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 MinnesotaGrown.com. You'll also find the Minnesota Grown logo at grocery stores and farmers markets..
For more information:
minnesotagrown.com