Peaches dominated a local fruit stand I visited on Labor Day, but there were also apples available.
Even with harvest just underway, there were several different apple varieties to choose from, including a few I’d never heard of.
Such variety was unknown when I was growing up in the other side of the country in the 1980s and 1990s. Back then, there were just a few choices, with one variety dominating it all: Red Delicious.
Back in 1990, nearly 70 percent of all Washington apples packed were Red Delicious. Nearly three decades later, that percentage has dropped to about 25 percent, according to the Washington State Tree Fruit Association’s recent estimate for the 2017 crop.
“Now the American consumer has more choice,” said Tim Kovis, a spokesman for the association. “Do they want something more tart? Do want something sweet? Do they want a certain (other) taste profile? There are more options to satisfy that desire.”
Indeed, I went from eating exclusively Red Delicious apples in my childhood to not having one in probably a decade — I’ve come to enjoy the sweet-tart flavor of Cripps Pink, which is also sold under the brand name of Pink Lady.
Most of the state’s apples fall into one of six varieties: Red Delicious, Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious and Honeycrisp. Red Delicious still accounts for the largest share at 25 percent. The Gala variety — at around 23 percent — is not far behind. Honeycrisp accounts for the smallest of the big six at 7 percent.
“Within one to three years, Gala may well bump Red Delicious out of first place and take over as the apple variety with the greatest production,” Mark Seetin, director of regulatory and industry affairs for the U.S. Apple Association wrote in an email.
Still, with a estimated crop of around 132 million 40-pound boxes, there are still a lot of Red Delicious apples out there — 33.2 million boxes to be exact. And those apples still have a place, especially in the export market, Kovis said.
A lot of those Red Delicious apples end up in countries, such as India, where apples endure a long wait — hours, even days — in ports and other holding areas, he said.
“The Reds just hold up better in these kinds of conditions, when you don’t have a modern, developed supply chain,” he said.
Last year, about 22 million of the 36.5 million boxes, or about 60 percent, of Red Delicious apples were exported.
Mexico, India, Indonesia, China, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates were the main importers of Red Delicious, said Todd Fryhover, president of the Washington Apple Commission, which oversees international marketing.
For most residents in those countries, the Red Delicious is the most affordable variety.
“It’s our introductory apple,” he said. “Without Red Delicious we’re not getting any other variety into those countries.”
That’s good news for the many growers continuing to produce Red Delicious. “The Reds are still a known quantity,” Kovis said. “There’s a history of growing them in Central Washington.”
Kovis compared apple varieties with the coffee market. While Starbucks and other craft coffee brands has created more choices, long-time brands, such as Folgers and Maxwell House, are still on the shelves. And there are still people who buy them.
The same goes with Red Delicious. “For the foreseeable future, they will have a place in the market,” he said. “There are folks out there that grew up on the Reds and they love them.”
