The supermarket-popular Gala and Granny Smith varieties will once again be the most widely grown apple varieties in Washington state this year.

Galas continue to rank first, accounting for 19% of the state’s total apple production, the Washington State Tree Fruit Association predicted Monday.

At 14.5% of the state’s apple crop, Granny Smiths are the next most popular variety.

But a newer, “out of this world” variety is quickly catching up.

The Cosmic Crisp is growing in popularity, and just five years after its introduction, it will account for 9% of the state’s crop in 2024.

It was developed by Washington State University as WA-38 specifically for the agricultural conditions of Eastern Washington and production will have increased by 3% since last year.

Washington is the largest apple producing state in the U.S. and this year’s crop is expected to be 124 million 40-pound boxes.

The other five top varieties are Red Delicious (13%), Honeycrisp (12%) and Fuji (10.5%).

This year, a mild spring and a warm early summer ensured stable growing conditions for apples, the association said.

Cool and wet weather led to a smaller crop of 103.9 million in 2022, but then a much larger “recovery crop” in 2023 of 136.1 million boxes.

There is also an upward trend in the production of organic apples, the group said.

“Apples are synonymous with Washington State and we are known for producing the best apples in the world,” said Derek Sandison, director of the Washington State Department of Agriculture. “Thanks to the more favorable growing conditions last year, we expect the planned crop to be high not only in quantity but also in quality.”

Almost 30 percent of Washington’s harvest is exported to other countries.

And as the state’s primary agricultural product, apples are vital to the state’s economy.

They accounted for 16%, or $2 billion, of the state’s total agricultural produce value in 2022, the market value after deducting selling costs, the association said.

The apple forecast is based on a survey of tree fruit association members and represents the best estimate of the total volume of apples packaged and sold on the fresh market.

The apple harvest usually begins in August and lasts until November.