Zestar!® Cold Hardy, Early Season Apple Variety

Great Crisp Taste

The most outstanding feature of a Zestar!® Brand, Minnewashta apple variety is its sprightly sweet-tart taste with a hint of brown sugar. And, unlike other early season apples that are often soft or mealy, Zestar! apples are juicy with a light, crisp texture. Just one bite and you will savor the zesty flavor and crunch.

Zestar! Apples Ripen Early

Growers and apple lovers will delight in this tasty apple that ripens early in the season. Under Minnesota growing conditions, Zestar! apples ripen in late August to early September, about the same time as PaulaRed®. It's the perfect way to start the apple season on a good note.

Exceptional Extended Storage Life

Zestar! apples have an extended storage life and will maintain their great taste and crunch for 2 months in refrigeration. For consumers, this means an apple that will give them a zesty crunch after hours in a lunchbox, days in a fruit bowl, or even weeks in a refrigerator.

Zestar! Apple Trees are Cold Hardy

Zestar! apple trees have been tested through harsh Minnesota winters as well as severe cold conditions created in laboratory freezers. Zestar! apples grow best in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 and 4.

Licensing Zestar! Apples for Propagation

The Zestar! apple tree has received plant variety protection worldwide but the US plant patent (PP11,367) has expired and a license from the University of Minnesota is not required for propagating Zestar! apple trees the United States.

If you would like to propagate Zestar! apple trees in Canada, please complete the appropriate license application.

Zestar! - More Information

• University of Minnesota Apples
• David Bedford's faculty page
• Order trees from a licensed nursery
• Please contact us for licensing outside US or Canada.

Zestar! - Protection Information

• US Plant Variety Protection (Expired) USPP11367 P
• Canadian Plant Breeders' Rights - Certificate Number 2995