There are more than 2,500 types of apples grown the United States every year, but only one apple gets to be the apple of our eye.
For more than a half century, Red Delicious have been the darling of the apple world. But when it comes to apples, love can go sour. Gala are now the most popular and most grown apples in America, followed (in order) by Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, and Honeycrisp, according to the U.S. Apple Association.
“The rise in production of newer varieties of apples aimed at the fresh consumption domestic market has caused demand for Red Delicious to decline,” Mark Seetin, the association’s director of regulatory and industry affairs, said in a statement. “However, Red Delicious is important in the export market, where it makes up roughly half of our apple exports.”
Red Delicious has been America’s go-to fruit for decades. Originated in the 1870s, the picture perfect shape, shiny skin, and consistent red coloring made Red Delicious the image of apples everywhere. But Red Delicious are rarely crisp and can often be mealy with waxy skins. With so many interesting varieties out there today, it’s hard to compete.
The U.S. Apple Association predicted that the farmers would grow about 52.4 million Gala apples in 2018 — up 5.9 percent from last year.
Red Delicious production is expected to drop by 10.7 percent, or 51.7 million apples.
The association said it’s the Gala’s “taste, texture, and sweetness,” that gave the Gala it’s fall harvest fan club.
“The rise in production of newer varieties of apples aimed at the fresh consumption domestic market has caused demand for Red Delicious to decline,” said Seetin.
Honeycrisps continue to surge in popularity. The relative newcomer to the crop (originating at the University of Minnesota in the 1960s), saw a rise in production from 21.8 million to 23.5 million this year, surpassing Golden Delicious for the first time.
Also see, Cooking and canning your own applesauce.
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