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The experimental designation is NY 73334-35, commonly shortened to NY 35.

Bonkers is the memorable nickname that became associated with the selection after it left the research setting and reached specialty growers.

Bonkers was developed through the apple-breeding program at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York.

The Geneva program has produced and evaluated many experimental apples, only a small number of which eventually receive formal names and commercial releases.

Not in the traditional historical sense.

Bonkers is a modern experimental breeding selection rather than a centuries-old variety passed down through early American orchards.

It appears within Honeycrisp.com's collection of unusual apples because it is rare, distinctive and generally unavailable through ordinary grocery distribution.

No. Public nursery and apple-database records describe NY 35 as an experimental selection that was never formally released as a named Cornell commercial cultivar.

The available public records do not identify one definitive reason.

Apple-breeding programs evaluate thousands of seedlings, and many promising selections are never released. A new cultivar must meet a broad combination of orchard, storage, appearance, marketing and commercial-production requirements.

Bonkers has several unusual traits—including slow early bearing, occasional irregular fruit and some fruit that forms without seeds— that may have complicated commercial interest.

The name became associated with orchardist and apple author Michael Phillips and his family after the selection reached specialty orchard circles.

Published sources differ slightly on the exact attribution: some nursery accounts say Phillips named it, while one apple database credits his daughter Gracie.

The safest conclusion is that the playful Bonkers name arose through the Phillips family rather than as an official Cornell name.

The name fits several unusual characteristics.

Bonkers can produce very large, impressive fruit, and some apples develop with irregular or asymmetrical shapes because fruit can form with few or no seeds.

Both names refer to the same apple selection.

NY 35 or NY 73334-35 is the technical experimental designation. Bonkers is the informal name used by growers and apple enthusiasts.

Bonkers is generally identified as a cross of Liberty and Red Delicious.

Technical records may list Liberty under its original experimental number, NY 55140-19.

Liberty is a famously reliable tree and offers crisp, juicy, sweet-tart fruit.

Bonkers is a reliable tree, substantial acidity and good all-purpose eating and cooking qualities. Those similarities are consistent with its Liberty parentage.

Bonkers develops large fruit with strong red coloring, traits that fit naturally with its Red Delicious parentage.

Its brighter acidity and greater tartness, however, create a very different eating experience from the generally mild, sweet flavor associated with Red Delicious.

Empire is not listed as a parent of Bonkers.

However, an orchardist who helped popularize Bonkers described fully tree-ripened fruit as developing fruity overtones reminiscent of Empire apples.

That is a tasting comparison rather than a statement of parentage.

Yes. Some Bonkers fruit has been reported to develop with few or no mature seeds.

The horticultural term for fruit development without normal fertilization is parthenocarpy.

No. Seedlessness is not guaranteed in every individual apple.

Some fruit may have normal seeds, some may have only a few, and some may develop without mature seeds.

It can.

Seeds and fertilization influence normal fruit development. Bonkers apples that form with few or no seeds may become asymmetrical, lopsided or otherwise irregular.

Irregular shape is therefore a natural varietal characteristic, not automatically a sign that the fruit is defective.

Some fruit with few or no seeds may appear to have a reduced or less-developed core.

This varies from apple to apple and should not be promised for every piece of fruit.

Yes. Bonkers is consistently described as a large to very large apple.

Individual fruit size still varies with crop load, rainfall, maturity, tree position and orchard management.

The base skin color is generally greenish-yellow to yellow, covered by a substantial dark-red wash as the fruit matures.

The amount of red varies with sunlight, maturity and growing conditions.

Bonkers flesh is generally described as ivory, cream or off-white.

Natural seedless or low-seed fruit development can produce uneven, lopsided or unusual shapes.

Weather, crop load and tree position also influence size and shape. Bonkers should not be expected to look as mechanically uniform as a high-volume supermarket variety.

Bonkers generally leans toward the tart side, especially when harvested before full maturity.

Good fruit combines noticeable acidity with juice, some sweetness and enough complexity to keep the tartness from feeling one-dimensional.

Yes. Evaluators and nursery descriptions consistently emphasize firm, very crisp flesh.

Crispness is one of the strongest reasons Bonkers attracted attention despite never receiving a formal commercial release.

Yes. Bonkers is generally described as very juicy as well as crisp.

That combination gives the apple a lively fresh-eating character, particularly for people who enjoy noticeable acidity.

Reports from specialty growers suggest that the flavor becomes fruitier as Bonkers reaches fuller tree maturity.

One orchard description compares those mature fruity notes with the character of Empire.

Harvest timing still requires judgment because leaving any apple too long can affect firmness, storage and fruit drop.

Fruit maturity, sunlight, temperature, crop load and harvest timing all affect sugar and acidity.

An apple picked slightly early may taste more sharply tart, while a more mature apple may show greater sweetness and fruitiness.

In New York conditions, Bonkers is generally associated with an early- to mid-October harvest.

Some records place its approximate maturity around early October, while evaluators have also described it as a mid-October apple. Orchard location and the growing season explain some of that variation.

Visit our Apple Harvest Calendar for current seasonal guidance.

Nursery descriptions generally place Bonkers after Red Delicious.

Exact timing varies by orchard and season.

No. Harvest dates are approximate windows, not guaranteed shipping dates.

Fruit may mature across multiple trees and orchard blocks over several picking passes. Orders ship as suitable fruit becomes available for packing.

Visit Fresh Apples Ready to Ship for current inventory.

If Bonkers has not been harvested yet, check Apples Still Growing for upcoming varieties.

No. Bonkers is an annual crop.

Once the harvested and refrigerated supply is sold, the next fruit must wait for another growing season.

Bonkers has been reported to maintain useful quality for approximately one to three months under good cold-storage conditions.

That range is not a guarantee for every household refrigerator or every individual apple.

Storage depends on harvest maturity, fruit condition, refrigerator temperature, humidity and handling.

Use one-to-three months as a general varietal report rather than a promised expiration period. Inspect fruit regularly and use any softening apples first.

• Refrigerate promptly after delivery.
• Use a crisper drawer or breathable container.
• Allow some airflow around the fruit.
• Avoid unnecessary bruising.
• Inspect stored fruit periodically.
• Use any softening fruit first.
• Keep apples away from onions, garlic and strong food odors.

Yes. Peel and slice the apples before freezing for later pies, crisps, sauce or cooked recipes.

Frozen apples soften after thawing and are better suited to cooking than fresh eating.

Yes. Bonkers is especially appealing to people who enjoy a crisp, juicy apple with noticeable tartness.

Customers who prefer very mild or primarily sweet apples may find it more assertive than Red Delicious.

Yes. Bonkers offers firm flesh and enough acidity to remain flavorful after baking.

It can be used alone or mixed with a sweeter apple to soften its tart character.

Yes. Its crisp flesh and bright acidity work well beneath a sweet oat or brown-sugar topping.

Yes. Apple databases and nursery sources specifically identify sauce as a useful Bonkers application.

The natural acidity produces a bright sauce. Add sugar only after tasting, or blend Bonkers with a naturally sweeter variety.

Bonkers can contribute acidity, juice and fresh apple character to a cider blend.

Cider generally benefits from combining apples that contribute different levels of sweetness, acidity, aroma and body.

Yes. Its acidity works well with pork, sausage, poultry, cabbage, stuffing, roasted squash and aged cheeses.

Try Bonkers with sharp cheddar, aged Gouda, blue cheese or creamy Brie.

The apple's tartness provides contrast to rich or salty cheeses.

Yes. The skin is edible and provides fiber along with the rest of the whole fruit.

Peeling remains a matter of preference or recipe requirements.

No apple tree should be described as universally immune.

Nursery descriptions characterize NY 35 as vigorous and hardy.

Reports also suggest that it can be slower to begin bearing than some other modern apple varieties.

Tree references list NY 35 as not self-fertile and as a triploid.

Triploid apple trees are generally poor pollen sources for other varieties. Home growers should obtain variety-specific pollination guidance from the nursery supplying the tree rather than relying on Bonkers as the orchard's only pollinator.

Some fruit can develop parthenocarpically, meaning without normal fertilization and mature seed formation.

That does not make the tree fully self-fertile or eliminate the value of compatible pollination throughout the orchard.

Bonkers is extremely difficult to find through ordinary grocery distribution because it was never formally released as a major commercial variety.

When our crop is available, you can buy Bonkers apples online from Honeycrisp.com and have them shipped from our orchard operation to your door.

Check Fresh Apples Ready to Ship for current availability.

Bonkers is a limited annual crop, and inventory may sell out before the next harvest.

Visit Apples Still Growing to see upcoming varieties, or browse fruit currently ready to ship.

Package options depend on crop size and current inventory. Honeycrisp.com may offer smaller gift boxes, larger gift boxes and bulk-style cases.

The product listings above this information section are the current source for package sizes, pricing and availability.

Gift boxes are designed for presentation and greater individual fruit protection.

Bulk cases generally provide more fruit for the money, but apples are packed closer together and may have a greater chance of cosmetic bruising during transit.

Seed development, fruit position, crop load and weather all influence apple shape.

Bonkers is additionally known for occasional low-seed or seedless fruit, which can create especially irregular shapes.

Red Delicious contributes part of Bonkers' parentage and may help explain the strong red color and large fruit.

The eating experience is quite different. Red Delicious is usually mild and sweet, while Bonkers has much brighter acidity and a more forceful sweet-tart character.

Empire is not a listed parent of Bonkers.

The comparison comes from flavor: fully tree-ripened Bonkers has been described as developing fruity overtones reminiscent of Empire.

Both apples came out of modern Cornell breeding work.

Enterprise received a formal release and became a recognized named cultivar. Bonkers remained an unreleased experimental selection.

Bonkers is especially notable for very large fruit, high acidity and occasional seedless or irregular fruit.

Choose Honeycrisp for its familiar sweet-tart flavor, explosive juiciness and brittle modern crunch.

Choose Bonkers when you want to explore a rare experimental apple with more pronounced acidity, large red fruit and a story that never reached ordinary supermarket shelves.

Yes. It was developed through the New York apple-breeding program at Geneva and carries the experimental selection number NY 73334-35.

No. Bonkers was produced through conventional apple breeding by crossing parent varieties and evaluating the resulting seedlings.

No. Some fruit is quite regular, while some can become lopsided or irregular because of low-seed or seedless development.

Yes. Crisp Bonkers slices pair especially well with sharp cheddar, aged Gouda, blue cheese and rich creamy cheeses.

It offers the kind of apple most people never get to try: one that was bred, grown and quietly kept, with known parents, very large fruit and a flavor that never reached a supermarket shelf.

No. Rarity means unusual or hard to find, not automatically superior for every taste.

Bonkers is especially suitable for people who enjoy crisp, juicy and noticeably tart apples. Someone seeking a very mild, primarily sweet apple may prefer a different variety.

Sixteen varieties, most of which you will never see in a supermarket — Baldwin, Keepsake, Brock, Enterprise and more.

The whole list is on the Heirloom Apple Collection page. If you like Bonkers, that is a good place to go next.

Liberty and Red Delicious, out of the Cornell breeding programme at Geneva, New York.

Both parents are on this site, which makes Bonkers an easy one to place: Liberty brings the bright sweet-tart McIntosh-family flavor, Red Delicious the color and the shape.

Directly — Liberty is one of its parents. If you like Liberty you will recognize the family resemblance straight away.

Liberty is itself a modern Cornell apple that most people mistake for an heirloom, which makes the pair of them a nice bit of orchard history.

Because it never went through a formal release, so it never got a formal name. It carries its breeding numbers officially and Bonkers in practice.

Most apples are named by a committee. This one was named by the people growing it, which is rather better.

Bright and sweet-tart, in the McIntosh family direction it inherits through Liberty, with good juice.

It is an easy apple to like — nothing awkward about it.

Very. An apple that never had a formal release never got the nursery push that puts a variety into orchards across the country.

That is exactly why it is in the heirloom collection. You will not find it in a supermarket.

Yes. Like nearly every apple, Bonkers will not set a decent crop alone, so plan on a second variety flowering at the same time within bee range.

Most mid-season apples will do it — Cortland or Golden Delicious are easy partners.

Roughly 30 to 36, depending on how the fruit sizes that year. A peck is about 10 to 12 pounds.

That is enough for several pies, or a good batch of sauce with fruit left over for eating.

Liberty first, since it is the parent, and then Cortland or McIntosh for the same bright family flavor.

Among the heirlooms, Brock is another modern-bred apple that ended up rare.

Small plantings, hand picking, uneven fruit and no volume buyer. A supermarket apple is priced on millions of bushels and a national distribution network; an heirloom is not.

What you get for it is a flavor and a history the volume varieties simply do not have.

Eat it fresh and tell somebody its name. It is a genuinely good apple with a genuinely good story.

It also makes a bright, fragrant sauce, as most apples in the McIntosh line do.

Some fruit can form without normal fertilization, resulting in apples with few or no mature seeds and sometimes an irregular shape.

Breeding programs create and evaluate many seedlings. Numbered designations help researchers track parentage, orchard performance, fruit quality and storage before deciding whether a selection merits a formal name and release.

Bonkers retained the technical identity NY 73334-35 because it never received an official commercial release name.

It combines formal university breeding with an informal orchard nickname.

Instead of progressing from an experimental number to a polished commercial brand, it remained a rare numbered selection that acquired a memorable name among specialty growers.

Why did the Bonkers apple skip the seed meeting?
It sometimes prefers to work without a core committee.

Why was Bonkers never bothered by looking uneven?
It knew character comes in every shape.

What did Bonkers say when asked for its formal name?
“NY 73334-35—but my friends keep it simple.”