In recent decades, Red and Golden Delicious apple varieties have been predominant at local orchards and in grocery stores. Today, many U.S. apple growers plant Gala, Fuji and Granny Smith apples, which remain popular with consumers. In just the past few years, Cameo, Honeycrisp and Pink Lady apple varieties have been introduced.

When developing a new variety, breeders strive for an apple with superior eating quality that is firm, crisp and juicy with a balanced sweet-tart flavor. It must also be attractive with good color, size and appearance. To be considered a good variety, an apple must bear fruit early, produce well, not be prone to sunburn and be disease-resistant. It should also store well and taste great when it comes out of cold storage.

Sound like a tall order? Not for the SweeTango, one of the newest apple varieties on the market. Those who have sampled it say it is the best eating apple they have ever tasted and it also is great for pies, according to most reports.

SweeTango apples have been hitting the marketplace in a few big cities, including Seattle. Researchers at the University of Minnesota breeding program spent more than 20 years developing it.

“A lot of people are asking for SweeTango apples. Like Honeycrisp, when you bite into it you get a burst of juice and a crispy texture. It has a very nice sugar/acid balance with a very complex flavor,” Alison DeMarree of DeMarree Fruit Farm in Williamson, N.Y., located on the shores of Lake Ontario, told Foodie News.

“SweeTango is an early-season producer, about 10 days ahead of Honeycrisp, around the first week of September. Few premium apples come out around that time, when produce managers are eager for something new to start the fall season,” DeMarree explained.

SweeTango is a closed release managed variety which means growers are required to develop a plan for how much they will plant and how it will be packed and marketed. With open release apple varieties, anyone can buy a tree, plant it and market the fruit as they choose.

Because SweeTango is a managed variety, the breeders who developed it get a production royalty for every tree produced. In addition, for every bushel marketed, a few cents go back to the breeders to maintain a viable breeding program. Consumers benefit too, as one retail price is set across the country.

SweeTango was developed by the same breeders that developed the Honeycrisp. It was created by combining the Honeycrisp with the Zestar.

According to DeMarree, the advantage for growers when investing in a closed managed variety is that they control the amount of fruit so that the market is not oversupplied, which would drive the price down. When growers control the quality and quantity this way, they are much more likely to be able to recoup their investment.

By 2012 more SweeTango trees will come into production and the fruit will become available nationwide. The most popular fruit in America, apples are nutritious, versatile, portable and available year-round. To learn more, go to:

• SweeTango site
• SweeTango Facebook
• U.S. Apple Association: Apple Guide