Sonya Apple

I was browsing the produce section at Holiday Market in Royal Oak, MI, when I came across an apple variety I haven’t heard of, called a Sonya. It’s a pretty, bi-color apple. It is a very sweet apple. It is a cross between a Gala and a Red Delicious, hence why it is so sweet. If you don’t like sweet apples, you might want to avoid this one. My wife thought it tasted like a carrot! There isn’t much tartness to it, so I don’t think I would use it for any baking applications, plus it’s flavor is one dimensional (sweet!). The apple is very crisp, like a honey crisp. It has a thin outer skin and is extremely juicy.

The Sonya apple originated in New Zealand. They were brought over to grow in the Yakima Valley of Washington. The valley is known for it’s rich volcanic soils, which matches the growing environment in it’s place of origin. They are distributed in the United States by Sage Fruit Co. and Rainier Fruit Co.