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Minnesota apples

LET'S TALK APPLES

CLOSED FOR THE SEASON

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FLAVOR & TEXTURE
Crisp, juicy texture, and an exciting zesty sweet-tart flavor with a hint of brown sugar.

GREAT FOR
Excellent for both fresh eating and cooking.

FUN FACTS

  • Unlike other early season apples that are often soft or mealy, Zestar!® is juicy with a light, crisp texture

  • Introduced in 1999

  • Ripens late August to early September

ZESTAR

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FLAVOR & TEXTURE
SweeTango® Minneiska Apples combine the crispness of Honeycrisp with the juiciness of Zestar!®, offering a sweet, tangy bite with subtle fall spices and a long, refreshing finish.

GREAT FOR
Everything!

FUN FACTS

  • SweeTango® apples were introduced in 2009 when horticulturalists from the University of Minnesota bred a Honeycrisp with a Zestar

  • SweeTango® is a managed apple variety, which means only licensed growers can produce the fruit.

  • Typically ripens in early September

SWEETANGO

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FLAVOR & TEXTURE
Golden to yellow-green fruit that is crisp, sweet and juicy. Similar to Golden Delicious but sweeter.

GREAT FOR
Fresh eating and in salads, and also good for cooking and baking.

FUN FACTS

  • The Honeygold apple was developed at the University of Minnesota

  • Honeygold is a cross between Golden Delicious and Haralson apples

  • Ripens late September

HONEYGOLD

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FLAVOR & TEXTURE
Explosively crisp with a well-balanced, sweet-tart flavor. Firm and very juicy.

GREAT FOR
Eating fresh, cooking and in salads.

FUN FACTS

  • The Honeycrisp apple was developed at the University of Minnesota

  • Honeycrisp was named the Minnesota State Fruit in 2006

  • The Honeycrisp Apple was even selected as one of the top 25 innovations in over a decade in the 2006 Better World Report

HONEYCRISP

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FLAVOR & TEXTURE
Irregularly shaped and primarily red in color. The light yellow flesh is hard and crisp, with plenty of juice. The flavor is distinctive, strong, sweet, nutty, and aromatic, which gets smoother with age.

GREAT FOR
Better for fresh eating than cooking or baking.

FUN FACTS

  • Best-known as one of the parents of the popular Honeycrisp

  • Was developed by the University of Minnesota and introduced in 1978

  • Ripens mid-October

KEEPSAKE

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FLAVOR & TEXTURE
Extra-sweet and aromatic and very juicy with tender, snow-white flesh.

GREAT FOR
Excellent for eating, good for sauces and salads. Also is excellent for making European style apple pies because it doesn't break down during cooking and remains firm.

FUN FACTS

  • Macoun apples are a cross between the 'McIntosh' and 'Jersey Black' cultivars

  • With bright red skin and juicy white flesh, they make an attractive apple on a cheese plate

MACOUN

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FLAVOR & TEXTURE
A sweet, mid-sized apple variety with a bright red skin with green markings and a cream-colored, juicy inner flesh.

GREAT FOR
Salads, baking, cooking, or for eating fresh. It freezes well for keeping longer periods of time.

FUN FACTS

  • Becoming one of the most popular apples in Minnesota

  • Introduced in 1964

  • Ripens early to mid-October

REGENT

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FLAVOR & TEXTURE
Crisp and juicy with an exotic yellow flesh and a very sweet, unusual sugar cane or spicy cherry candy flavor.

GREAT FOR
Eating fresh or using in desserts that don’t require apples to keep their shape (Sweet Sixteen apples dissolve in most recipes).

FUN FACTS

  • Developed by the University of Minnesota and introduced in 1977

  • The Sweet Sixteen apple tree is extra hardy and long-lived even in harsh conditions

  • Ripens mid- to late September

SWEET 16

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FLAVOR & TEXTURE
Cortland apples are slightly sweeter than their McIntosh parent and are balanced with subtle tartness, creating a sweet, tangy, vinous taste.

GREAT FOR
Cortland apples have a sweet, mildly tart flavor and resist browning, making them perfect for salads, slaws, fruit bowls, and cheese boards—fresh or cooked.

FUN FACTS

  • Developed at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York in 1898

  • Named after Cortland County, New York

  • Among the 15 most popular in the US and Canada

CORTLAND

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FLAVOR & TEXTURE
Firm texture with a complex tart flavor.

GREAT FOR
Especially good for pies!

FUN FACTS

  • It is named after Charles Haralson, superintendent of the University of Minnesota Fruit Breeding Farm

  • 2022 is the 100th birthday for the Haralson apple!

  • Ripens late September to early October

HARALSON

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