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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Honeycrisp and Pink Lady problems!!!!!

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  • From: "Richard J. Ossolinski" <osso@acadia.net>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Honeycrisp and Pink Lady problems!!!!!
  • Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2003 13:15:08 -0500

Ginda, et. al.,
To me a good Macoun is indeed a wonderful apple. Here, however, they are
magnets for scab, never size well despite diligent thinning, and usually drop
half their crop prematurely. Those that are left are small treasures but
don't keep worth a
damn. My Honeycrisps, however, set full crops annually, require very little
thinning, attain excellent size and color, and rarely drop a good fruit
prematurely. I just ate one that was picked in September and "stored" in
temperatures that reached as
high as 70 and as low as 32. Still "explosively crisp" and cosmetically
perfect (without any post harvest treatment) it rivaled fruit just off the
tree. To me it's worth sacrificing some flavor and accepting some bronzing of
foliage for this kind of mid winter refreshment, though I anxiously await the
Honeycrisp crosses (a la Lee Elliot et. al. [see below]) that hopefully will
render more flavorful results while still retaining the incredible texture and
keeping ability currently unique to Honeycrisp.
Richard
Gouldsboro, ME Zone 5 (where yesterday at this time it was 10 below zero: now
+22)

list@ginda.us wrote:
>
> Honeycrisp can't be all that hard to grow, because it is way more
> popular with growers than its parent, Macoun, despite being the lesser
> apple in every way but one. Honeycrisp keeps better than Macoun, and
> its texture is nearly as good as the texture of a Macoun, but the
> flavor and appearance are both far inferior to a decent Macoun.
>
> Honeycrisp will do well competing with other sweet bland apples, such
> as Red Delicious. That is a large market, but the market for apples
> that taste good (not just sweet with no off flavors) has got to be
> nearly as large. Yet Macoun is a minor regional apple.
>
> Ginda

> Lee Elliot wrote:
>
> > It's my opinion and a lot of others too that any new successful
> > cultivars will have that crunch and texture of Honey Crisp . I am
> > crossing HC with Gala, Suncrisp, Pinova, Goldrush, Pink Lady,
> etc, etc,
> > The effort is to breed a Honey Crisp like apple with taste and
> flavor
> > ramped up where HC is lacking and a tree easy to grow without HC's
> > problems.




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