Fruit
Cosmic Crisp
A tier
Cosmic Crisp, or WA 38, is Washington State's Honeycrisp and Enterprise cross—dark red freckled skin, dense explosive crunch, balanced sweet-tart juice, and exceptional storage that orchards planted at massive scale. University branding aimed to restore grower margins after Honeycrisp's patent era ended. Fresh eating rivals Honeycrisp with often better storability in the home fridge. Slices for service hold well on buffets. Availability surged in the 2020s as young orchards matured into full bearing. A modern club-style success story from public breeding.
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History
Washington State University selected WA 38 from Enterprise and Honeycrisp parentage.
Cosmic Crisp trees began exclusive early plantings for Washington growers.
Retail launch made Cosmic Crisp one of the largest single-variety debuts in US apple history.
Supply matured as plantings came into full bearing for national distribution.