Oct 21, 2025 - Business
Virginia orchards lean on Golden Delicious apples
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How do you like them apples? If the answer is "local," then you're probably munching on a Golden Delicious.
Why it matters: Golden Delicious is the most produced apple in Virginia, which is one of the nation's top apple growing states.
- And that's something worth celebrating on this National Apple Day.
The big picture: Although Golden Delicious, York and Red Delicious are the most-produced apples in Virginia, Gala is the top apple grown nationally.
- But none of them reshaped the U.S. apple market the way Honeycrisp has. The crisp and tangy fruit burst onto the market in the 1980s and has since become the highest-priced variety in the nation.
Stunning stat: Despite its $2.16 per pound average price tag, per the USDA (compared to $1.40 for Galas and Red Delicious), Honeycrisp has had a nearly fivefold output increase since 2011 to meet demand.