The Apple That Almost Wasn't
Rea,
What if I told you that one of the world’s most popular apples was created by accident and almost ended up in a compost heap? The story of how the Honeycrisp apple came to be might change how you think about what makes something truly special.
Did you know that scientists are always trying to create new kinds of apples? At special research stations called breeding programs, they grow thousands of different apple trees, trying to find ones that taste better, last longer, or survive harsh weather. One of these places is the University of Minnesota’s Horticultural Research Center, where scientists have been creating new apple varieties for over a century.
Back in 1983, a scientist named David Bedford was walking through the research orchard in Minnesota. He came across a tree labeled “MN1711” that was scheduled to be cut down and composted because it didn’t seem promising. But something made him stop and try one of its apples. When he bit into it, he couldn’t believe what he was tasting - it was unlike any apple he’d ever had before!
What made this apple so different? Scientists later discovered that its cells were built differently from other apples. While most apples have small, tightly packed cells, the Honeycrisp had larger cells filled with juice. Combined with an unusually thin skin, this created that amazing “explosive” crunch that made it so special. It was like nature had engineered the perfect apple!
The Honeycrisp was designed to grow in Minnesota’s freezing climate, and it did that job perfectly. It became so popular that it was named Minnesota’s state fruit. But then something interesting happened - everyone wanted Honeycrisp apples all the time, everywhere. While Minnesota could grow amazing Honeycrisps, it could only produce so many. So farmers in Washington State (which grows more than half of all apples in America!) and other warmer places started growing them too.
But here’s the thing about special things - sometimes what makes them special is that you can’t have them whenever you want. When farmers tried growing Honeycrisps in warmer places or storing them too long, they lost that magical crunch and sweetness that made people fall in love with them in the first place. The very things that made them perfect for Minnesota’s cold weather made them struggle in other places.
It’s kind of like how fresh strawberries taste amazing in summer but aren’t quite the same in winter, or how hot chocolate is extra special on a snow day. Sometimes things are better because we can’t have them whenever we want - we have to wait for just the right moment.
Love, Abba
