This year turned out to be a breakout season for SweeTango.

Growers tripled the crop. Retailers distributed SweeTango to stores in cities across the nation. And, most importantly, the legion of SweeTango fans grew by leaps and bounds.

The SweeTango success left growers, retailers and apple lovers eagerly awaiting next year’s season.

“If it’s a representative democracy on Facebook, then SweeTango definitely lived up to its name and reputation,” said Tim Byrne, president of Next Big Thing, the growers cooperative that markets the apple. “People have voted with their posts and the overwhelming response was, ‘You’ve got a great fruit here.’”

The success of any apple season starts long before fruit starts ripening on the trees. This year’s bountiful crop stemmed from good planning in prior years, committed growers and a bit of luck with the weather.

Growers in the SweeTango cooperative avoided major problems with weather or storms. The Pacific Northwest experienced cooler than usual weather, which pushed back the SweeTango harvest by a week to 10 days.

“The West Coast is usually seven to 10 days ahead of everyone else,” Byrne said. “But this year we all began to harvest fruit at the same time.”

The quirk of nature actually helped make this year’s first-ever national distribution of SweeTango run smoothly, Byrne said.

“With the fruit arriving it the same time, that makes it easier to tell consumers about the product,” he said.

Once SweeTangos started hitting stores, apple lovers helped spread the word. The SweeTango page on Facebook filled up with posts such as this one:

“Just discovered these a few weeks ago … my new favorite, the best tasting apple ever!!!! Leaves all the others in the dust.”

Fans are definitely wanting more. One SweeTango lover posted, “I miss SweeTango in Ohio! The season needs to be longer!!!”

While the nature of SweeTango growing means the fruit will remain a seasonal product, fans can look forward to increasingly availability next year. Byrne said growers are expected to produce twice as many SweeTango apples next year.

So thanks to the growers, retailers and, most of all, the SweeTango fans for a great season. Be sure to “like” SweeTango on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to keep up with us during the off season and to get the latest news about the progress of your favorite apple.

Chef Ron Bohnert

He’s known as “Chef Ron” and he prepares a mean herring dish.

Ron Bohnert of Danny’s Bar and Grill at Stoneridge Golf Club in Stillwater, Minn., added more hardware to his growing collection of cooking awards this week — and our very own SweeTango played a supporting role in his winning creation.

Chef Ron competed Nov. 1 in the “Salute to Lake Superior’s Sustainable Fisheries” cook-off, an event hosted by the University of Minnesota’s Sea Grant Program.

The event aimed to show off the possibilities and promise of Lake Superior fish. Nine chefs took part, but no one wowed the judges as well as Chef Ron.

His “Lake Superior Bluefin Herring” featured a black pepper potato encrusted entrée dressed with caviar créme fraiche. It was served with a fennel and arugula slaw, plus a SweeTango apple and cranberry salsa.

Chef Ron said he hadn’t heard of SweeTango apples until this summer, when he came across them at a grocery store.

“I bought six of them and I got into my truck and took a bite of one,” he said. “I had to get out of my truck because the juice was running down my chin. The taste was just great.”

He said SweeTango was a natural choice for his herring dish because of the apple’s ties to Minnesota. (SweeTango was developed at the University of Minnesota.)

Lead judge Don Miller, executive chef at the University of Notre Dame, praised Chef Ron’s creation.

“Chef Ron’s entrée was phenomenal,” Miller said in a press release from the University of Minnesota. “He really had a command of the fish.”

Chef Ron, who took home a first-prize of $1,000, said he hopes the competition raises awareness about Lake Superior herring.

“When you mention herring, people think of the stuff in the jar,” he said. “But it’s very much like Lake Superior whitefish. It’s very light, flaky and sweet-tasting.”

Chef Ron was kind enough to share his SweeTango-cranberry recipe with us. So here it is:

SweeTango Apple and Cranberry Salsa
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/3 cup SweeTango apple (medium diced with peel on)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup fresh cranberries
2 tablespoons chardonnay
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon jalapeño(minced, with seeds)
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions: In a small sauce pan, add vinegar, apple, cranberries and wine. Over medium heat, cook until the fresh cranberries burst. Add remaining ingredients and reduce heat. Best served at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Looking to get creative with your SweeTango apples?

Food writers across the country have been busy testing out and sharing apple recipes this fall. We’ve collected some links for everyone to enjoy.

Some of the recipes below call specifically for SweeTango apples. Others are more general, but we’re sure would be great with SweeTango.

Get cooking!

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SweeTango apples are great. But don’t just take our word for it. Listen to our fans. They’ve been posting testimonials on our Facebook page.

Here’s a sampling of posts from the past two weeks:

“OMG!!!!!! SOOOOOO good….I am in LOVE!!!! Bought my first 2 yesterday at WalMart and will have get more. They are expensive…but so worth it!”
– Linda

“I am a Wal-Mart produce manager and this my most popular apple. Regardless of price! just that good!”
– Curtis

“Awesome! I tasted my first SweeTango yesterday and fell in LOVE!”
– Toby

“Had my first in VA last week… hope I can find them local to me. My new favorite apple!”
– Karen

“I am an apple lover, but these are THE BEST apples I have ever tasted.”
– Susan

“I bought SweeTango apples at Dorothy Lane Market in Dayton, OH. They are absolutely WONDERFUL!”
– Karen

“SweeTango apples are AMAZING!!!!! Absolutely love them!! So happy they finally have made their way to Utah!! Thank you!!! ”
– Kristine

“This is my 13 month old daughter, enjoying her very first SweeTango Apple! She LOVED it! Stole it right out of my hands, and wouldn’t let go!”
– Heather

“I was a die hard Honeycrisp fan until I tried a SweeTango last night My new fave! ”
– Elizabeth

“Tried this apple today! Wow! Best apple ever. I will plant some as soon as I can buy the trees! I have empire, honeycrisp, red and yellow delicious on the Costa Estate and SweeTango is way better!”
– Peter

“I have been waiting to try a SweeTango for years and today I finally had my chance. YUMMMMMMMMM!!! Best apple ever!!!!”
– Angie

“Picked some of these up this weekend. My 2 yrs old son and I love them! Looks like we’ll be headed back to the store soon. they are the best apples I’ve eaten!”
– Mike

“I discovered these apples last fall while traveling and called our local orchard when I arrived home. They hadn’t heard of them. Just left that same orchard a year later with some! I love the crispness, sweetness, and juiciness. One of my favorite apples now!!!!”
– Cindy

“These are the ultimate in apples! They are unequaled, in my book. They are crunchy, juicy, and so AWESOME!!”
– Mame

“Best apples I have ever eaten! SweeTango has it all: crisp, sweet, tart, and solid. So glad my friend said to me “You HAVE to try this apple! You won’t believe how good it is!” She was right!”
– Barbara