Minnesota apple pickers, flex your muscles! The time to reach into these phenomenal fruit trees and pick delicious homegrown treasures is nigh. With apple season approaching, a new survey from CFANS Insights shows that more than half of Minnesotans (52 percent) say the University of Minnesota-born Honeycrisp is their favorite, and nearly a third (32 percent) are willing to pay a premium for it. The popular apple variety (declared the official state apple in 2006) is just one of 29 varieties to emerge from the U of M’s legendary apple breeding program since its inception in 1878. That’s good news, considering the survey found that 80 percent of Minnesotans believe it’s important to buy Minnesota-grown fruit, beating the national trend of buying local fruit.

Honeycrisp also scores highly among apple lovers in Minnesota with its high apple flavor. Snackers in our state place particular importance on apples being sweet (41 percent), crunchy (26 percent) and juicy (20 percent), and Honeycrisp fulfills these characteristics with flying colors.

According to Minnesota Grown, a statewide partnership between the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and specialty crop growers, 20 million pounds of apples are grown in the state each year, and the partnership has more than 140 orchards throughout Minnesota.

First Kiss® is the earliest apple available each fall at the University of Minnesota, starting in mid- to late August. Find an orchard near you to start picking! Plus, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s AppleHouse is back and better than ever. It will reopen for the season on August 22, with extended hours of 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

Press release from UMN Extension