CHANHASSEN, Minn. -- An apple, it seems, is at the core of Minnesota's history.
"Apple breeding at the University(of Minnesota) started in the late 1800's and it has been going at the horticulture research center since 1908," apple breeding guru Dr. James Luby said Tuesday night of the apple craze in the state.
For more than 100 years Minnesota minds, like Dr. Luby's, have been breeding the perfect apple, and for the last 60 years the record speaks for itself: Haralson, Honeycrisp, Zestar, the apple roster is long and distinguished.
"It's almost as good as wines," Dr. Luby said with a grin.
But apples are NO laughing matter. They are serious business. The early crop is in and it's the new kid apple, the SweeTango, that has people a little giddy. So giddy that folks at the Apple House in Chanhassen keep them in the back because if its in plan sight customers may lose their apples.
The SweeTango is ready and it's not just a "whoops, we made a cool apple," it's a "love apple."
"The perfect child with the best qualities from honeycrisp and zester," Apple House manager Patti Mirabelli said of the breed.
The SweeTango is an apple love child born of a years long breeding between papa Honeycrisp and mama Zestar.
To prove how popular it is the folks at the Apple House say this weekend when they start selling baby SweeTango the people will come en masse.
"It's just a whole new world with people and apples. They can smell them from Highway 5 and they will pull over and come in, it's crazy," Mirabelli said.
(Copyright 2011 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)