Van Ymeren Orchards, Alymer, Ontario.

Honeycrisp are famous as hearty, juicy apples, but sometimes they get out of hand. For size, that is.

The Grower issued a challenge in October for the biggest Honeycrisp apple, spurred by Ontario apple grower Gail Ardiel at Apple Springs Orchard. To their credit, growers in the provinces of Ontario, Nova Scotia and Manitoba responded with eight entries overall.   

Congratulations to the winner -- Van Ymeren Orchards, Alymer, Ontario -- for its whopper measuring 4.9175 inches. The Nova Scotia winner is from Joan Hebb at Scotian Gold Cooperative, Coldbrook, for an apple measuring 4.28 inches. In Manitoba, Waldo and Lorna Thiessen, Altona, take the prize for their 3.5 inch apple. 

The Thiessen’s explain that they are strawberry and raspberry growers in Altona, Manitoba.

“We first learned about Honeycrisp when we attended the Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Conference in St. Cloud.  We had a tour at the University of Minnesota where they introduced Honeycrisp. That’s when we bought the tree,” says Lorna Thiessen.  

Sponsor Agro-K recognized the need for a lighter moment during a challenging 2020 growing season.

“Growers familiar with Honeycrisp know how challenging it can be to achieve the perfect fruit size,” says Rick de Jong, Agro-K Canadian business development manager. “Having a contest for the largest Honeycrisp may seem backwards but it sure is fun. Agro-K thanks farmers from across Canada for all their hard work, especially now during these trying times.”  

All entrants will receive a Grower cap.  The three provincial winners will receive a $150 VISA gift card, courtesy of Agro-K.