Minnesota does not have the climate to grow all of my favorite foods (avocados and mangoes anyone?), but there are some pretty outstanding varieties of apples that grow here and that are just beginning to show up in markets.

The University of Minnesota has been working for more than a century to develop apples that can thrive in Minnesota’s climate. They are responsible for developing one of my favorite apple varieties, Honeycrisp, which the U of M’s website bills (accurately, but also repeatedly) as “explosively crisp.” I’ll have more to say on Honeycrisps later in the season, when I can get my dirty little hands on some.

One early season variety that showed up at the co-op last week is the Zestar!, another apple variety developed at the U of M (it was introduced in 1999).

Zestar! is similar to Honeycrisp in that it’s flavor is both very sweet and very tart, with a pleasantly crisp texture. I usually avoid early season apples, because I like my apples crisp and early season apple varieties are more likely to be soft or mealy. Zestar! does not have this problem.

While I am not convinced I have the same pure, true love for Zestar! that I do for Honeycrisp, Zestar! definitely wins in the naming contest, because the exclamation mark is a part of the registered trademark.

Although Zestar! seems to brown fairly quickly when cut, it is still a winner in the early season apple contest. It passed muster with peanut butter (my favorite way to eat apples) and with Fini, a delicious sharp cheddar from Fairbault Dairy. Aged in Sandstone, yummy in my tummy, and an unnecessary sidetrack.

Zestar! apple: Flavor – A; Texture – B+; Use of Punctuation in Trademarked Name – A++