I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again – Pixie Crunch is a no-brainer for retail orchards. The more I see this apple, the more I like it.
Although we think of this as a relatively new apple, the original cross was made 45 years ago at Rutgers University and it was selected from a planting in West Lafayette, Indiana. Before being named Pixie Crunch, it was tested as Co-op 33. It resulted from a cross of two numbered apple selections but has both Golden Delicious and Rome in the pedigree.
The Pixie Crunch tree is spreading and precocious. Expect good crops and excellent quality fruit from young trees. Fruit size is about the same as Gala and fruit finish is a dark red blush over a yellow background. With reasonable tree management, most fruit will have over 75% color. Fruit ripens a week or two after Gala.
What stands out most about Pixy Crunch is its eating quality. Fruit are very crisp – maybe not quite as crisp as Honeycrisp but definitely crisper than Gala. Not only are fruit crisp, but they stay crisp on the tree over a long period. Fruit drop is not usually a problem. These factors give Pixie Crunch a very wide harvest window, at least 3 weeks with fruit still in very good condition on the tree. Because of this, and the very good eating quality, Pixy Crunch should be included in plantings at retail farm markets.
Pixie crunch apple