Photo/Michelle Murdock
By Michelle Murdock, Contributing Writer
Northborough – In November, a new apple variety called SnapDragon? was introduced by New York Apple Growers (NYAG) at the Wegmans Food Market in Northborough. Special displays were set up in store, complete with in-store demos and appearances by growers who were on hand to visit with shoppers and answer any questions.
Known for its crispy texture, combined with a sweet and juicy flavor, SnapDragon has a distinctly bright red dappled color making it perfect for snacking.
“This bi-color apple is a hybrid of a Honeycrisp that has excellent quality, storage and shelf life,” said Jeff Crist, vice chair of the Board of Directors of NYAG. “Our consumer research revealed that consumers not only responded very favorably to SnapDragon’s crisp texture and sweet taste, but also noted high willingness to purchase.”
Visiting the Northborough store Nov. 8 were Roger and Ingrid LaMont of Roger LaMont Farm in Albion, N.Y. In addition to being an apple grower, LaMont is also a founding member of New York Apple Growers LLC, a grower-owned company united with the mission of introducing exclusive, premium flavor apple varieties to the marketplace. The organization is comprised of 145 grower members in the state of New York, representing about 60 percent of the state’s apple production.
Developed by Cornell University, SnapDragon is licensed for a managed release with NYAG. Growers pay royalties on trees purchased, acreage planted and fruit produced, and the income is used to market the new varieties and support Cornell’s apple-breeding program. A second apple, RubyFrost, will go to market in January 2015.
Apple breeder Susan Brown, at Cornell’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, N.Y., said, “Consumer reaction to these two varieties has exceeded our already high expectations. Many customers have declared that they have a new ‘favorite’ apple.”
And it was no different for shoppers in the Northborough Wegmans as customers sampled the SnapDragons. According to Ingrid LaMont, comments ranged from “this is a good apple; a really good apple,” to “my new favorite,” “it’s a sweet apple,” and “yummy.”
“Both SnapDragon and RubyFrost have been in the making for a decade,” Roger LaMont said. “From plant breeding to supermarket, it was eight years for SnapDragon and 12 for RubyFrost.”
The first trees were planted in farmers’ orchards in 2011 and the young trees have produced a limited crop this year with plans for a much larger roll out in 2015-16.
SnapDragon apples are being offered exclusively at Wegmans’ stores through December 2014.
For recipes and pairing ideas, and to learn more about SnapDragon apples, visit www.SnapDragonApple.com.
