First things first: did you know that the Honeycrisp variety is considered to be like, a superior apple? I didn’t – I prefer Granny Smiths, myself, though I can’t say for sure I’ve ever had a Honeycrisp, so maybe I just don’t know what I’m missing.
Photo Credit: Instagram, teres.tasting.life
Either way, Honeycrisps are in demand and prices are soaring – and really, that’s the answer to the question of why they’re so expensive: there just aren’t currently enough of them to go around.
Photo Credit: Instagram, nesasiraki
The Honeycrisp tree is a finicky one that requires specific soil and maintenance, and the thin, delicate skin means the apples have to be harvested by hand. The harvests can happen multiple times a year, which means even more hands on deck, and all of that adds up to more labor and more cost. Not only that, but growers didn’t anticipate the surge in popularly, and since trees can take up to six years to bear fruit commercially, there aren’t enough apples to keep up with demand.
Photo Credit: Instagram, lakecountryfamilyfun
In a few years farmers will be all caught up, and, in theory, apple prices will go down. But be careful what you wish for – increased production could lead to less-than-perfect fruit. And nobody wants that, no matter what the Counting Crows would have us believe.
h/t: Mental_Floss
