Are Cosmic Crisp Apples Out of this World?
The new apple, previously known as simply WA 38, finally has a name: Cosmic Crisp. Could this be a new contender for the Honeycrisp? We will have to wait until 2019 to see as the apple will not be widely available to consumers for the next 5 years. So, what’s in a name? Well, for this apple, one of the outstanding attributes of the variety is its crisp texture. “Crisp” also links the Washington State University (WSU) apple to its parent, Honeycrisp.
The name was chosen after an extensive process led by Carolyn Ross, associate professor in the WSU School of Food Science. WSU is holding a drawing to assign the limited number of trees available to Washington growers for planting in 2017. The drawing closes May 31, 2014.
To enter the WA 38 drawing, please click through this link.
PVM will work with WSU and the Washington apple industry to develop a logo and graphics to support the brand launch before the fruit goes to market, according to a press release. Cosmic Crisp was developed by crossing Enterprise and Honeycrisp in 1997.
The apple has been highly rated for its sweet, tangy flavor and has exceptional storability, WSU notes. The tree is upright and spreading with moderately low vigor, and is precocious, meaning it will start producing fruit at a younger age, with spur development beginning on 2-year-old wood.
Yield is within the range of other locally grown apple cultivars. The fruit ripens in late September, is large and round/conical with 90 to 100 percent of the surface covered with a rich red-purple color over a green-yellow background.
“It was quite a process,” Ross said, in reference to the naming. “I think people didn’t realize how much names can influence their purchasing behavior until they started talking about them.”
Ross hosted several focus groups in Washington locations including Pullman, Yakima and Seattle. Participants were presented with a list of potential names to discuss.
During the process a theme emerged due to the pattern on the rosy cheeks of the apple.
“One of the striking things about the apple is that it’s got lenticels, little spots that look like starbursts,” said Ross, “so people were interested in pursuing names related to outer space and the cosmos.”
Will this apple become the next honeycrisp? I’m excited to find out.
