Honeydrop Cherry

• Grown, sold, and described by Bunny Hop Seeds
• Plant growth: indeterminate
• Leaf type: regular leaf
• Time to maturity: early-midseason
• Approx. number of seeds per pack: 15+
• Germination tested after Hot Water Seed Treatment for Fungal and Bacterial Diseases

“Honeydrop Cherry” is one of those interesting varieties whose name spelling and appearance vary somewhat from vendor to vendor, although its origin is consistently stated. FEDCO Seeds was the first to offer this variety, and I quote here from their listing: “From a selection of F-1 Sunsugar, Rachel and Tevis Robertson-Goldberg of Crabapple Farm in Chesterfield, MA, developed Honeydrop and sent us the original seed, with their blessing to keep the production going. Honeydrop’s sweet juicy fruity honey-colored treats taste almost like white grapes. They are much less prone to cracking in wet weather than Sun Gold.” You may see it in other places listed as two words, but I will stick with “Honeydrop” to match the original vendor’s choice.
The Honeydrop Cherry I have grown does match FEDCO’s original picture of a shape that varies slightly from a grape to a little dumpy pear, on the same plant, varying with daylight hours through the season. It should not be perfectly round or oblate. I have seen this cherry called pink, yellow, and orange. In truth, Honeydrop Cherry is apricot. The flesh is orange with a beta carotene pink tinge in the center at full ripeness, and the epidermis (outermost skin) is clear. This makes the most beautiful pastel color that has been named “apricot” in tomato language. At less than full ripeness and in very hot and humid weather, the unripe color looks more yellowish with a greenish cast in parts.
From my tasting notes, Honeydrop Cherry has excellent sweet rich flavor at full ripeness. If there is still a greenish tint to the gel surrounding the seeds, it is not fully ripe. Productivity was steady and lengthy through my hot summer, picking up markedly when the temps eased back to the 80s and nights in the high 60s. Definitely an Ellie’s WOW variety.