ST. LOUIS — The next time you’re browsing through the produce aisle, you may come across a new selection of apples.
Eckert’s Farms is bringing its EverCrisp apples to all Schnucks grocery stores.
Editor's note: The video above is from 2019
The family-owned farm has worked with the Midwest Apple Improvement Association over the last decade to develop the apple, according to a press release.
“It has been very well received, and we suspect that it will be one of our top selling apples in the future,” Chris Eckert, president of Eckert’s Farms, said in the release.
It was created by combining Honeycrisp and Fuji apples.
“There was a desire for an apple with the crunch of Honeycrisp that also ripened in October," Eckert said. "After careful development, the EverCrisp was born.”
Although Honeycrisp is a popular apple variety, it wasn't developed to thrive in the Midwest climate. After years of testing, farmers developed a cross between the parent apples of Honeycrisp and Fuji that could survive through winter and spring weather.
After it was developed, it took years to grow the trees to produce EverCrisp apples.
“In 2010, we tested 5-10 EverCrisp trees in our orchard, and by 2013, we had planted over 1,000,” Eckert said. “We’ve just now been able to produce a yield large enough to warrant distribution beyond our pick-your-own experiences at our farms.”
There are now more than 1 million EverCrisp trees grown throughout the world, but Eckert’s is the largest grower in the St. Louis area.
If you’d like to try the EverCrisp apple, head to your local Schnucks store.