A New Summer Apple for Kids
A new variety of dessert apple developed by David MacGregor of Fairhaven Farms located at South Haven, Wright County, Minnesota, is now available to consumers. ‘Kinderkrisp’ is an open pollinated seedling of ‘Honeycrisp’ and an unknown variety. In Great Britain the word for an apple ‘seeding’ is ‘pippin’ from the action of planting a seed, as in ‘pip-in’. MacGregor had planted seeds of exceptional apple varieties, ‘Honeycrisp’ being one of them, and created ‘Kinderkrisp’. Since the fruit is small in size, it is thought that the other parent may be of the crab type.
‘Kinderkrisp’ resembles in nearly all characteristics of its known parent except for its size and flavor. “Candied” is an appropriate description of its complex flavor. The apples vary in shape, some being round to round-conical. The tasty and unassuming apple, which ripens in early September, can be consumed by a child without any waste or as a quick and easy snack for an adult.
‘Kinderkrisp’, as well as all other dessert and culinary apples, go suitably with meat, fish, cheese, vegetables and salads, in pies, puddings, and refreshing cordials. Apples can be pureed and frozen, or juiced and frozen, or dried in thin rings, or made into cider, or stewed and made into tarts and jellies, especially with other fruits which help them set.
The idea of using a succession of apple varieties – from the light summer apples through to the richer autumn and early winter kinds – was thought to be a thing of the past, but with our distinct Minnesota bred apple varieties a whole new dimension of flavors can be added to our familiar dishes. ‘Kinderkrisp’ is a welcome addition to our family of Minnesota apple varieties. ‘SweeTango’ and ‘Zestar’ are its cousins.
The ‘Kinderkrisp’ apple trees we sell were grown by Bailey Nurseries and are grafted on Malling 7 (M7) rootstock, a semi-dwarfing rootstock which will produce trees approximately 60% the size of a standard apple tree. Although ‘Kinderkrisp’ as a tree is naturally smaller than other dessert apple trees, due to its genetics, the size of the mature tree will vary.
Nice article Dave enjoyed it
i wonder if a Kindercrisp and a Honeycrisp will cross pollinate each other. It’s tough to be in a Zone 3 and get an apple tree that will bloom late, ripen early, and survive our winters. My only other possibility is to cross pollinate with a Sweet 16, or a Ben Davis.
Yes, the Kindercrisp and Honeycrisp are a great choice to cross pollinate each other!