The reds have come out and are ready to be picked and many orchards have already invited people to come in to pick apples as the fall harvest begins. This year, orchardists in the Northeast report an abundant and flavorful crop.
There are over 250 varieties of apples grown across New York State and some are already in the middle of the harvest while others will be picked as November winds chill the fields.
New York is the second largest producer of apples in the country with over 600 growers and 11 million apple trees. New York Apple Association President Cynthia Haskins reports this year’s harvest is running above the five year average. “We’re estimating about 31,500 million bushels. So that’s a little bit over our five-year average. It’s a little bit down from last year but last year we had a significant crop. So really good sizing, good color, the fall chilly nights that are started up is really bringing out the color. Harvest is a little bit behind last year but barely. So we’re now in the heart of it.”
While September is the traditional start, Haskins says producers have been picking for a few weeks and will continue to pick through the fall. “Actually we begin harvesting as early as about the third week of August. We have some early variety apples that come out. And also they can be harvested up through the first snow depending on the apple variety. So October is pretty much the peak of it.”
In Vermont, Allenholm Farm in South Hero has been growing apples for 149 years. Owner Ray Allen has been recording weather for NOAA for years and found that this year the apple blossom was 8 days late. “So everything’s running late and that helps because it was a real dry summer so the apples weren’t growing very much. The cells divide to begin with and then late season its moisture coming in and the cells grow and make the apple bigger. So apples are running a little smaller than normal but still letting them grow, part of them anyway. But they do have nice flavor now.”
Allen attributes the late bloom and pollination to climate change. “It was a cold spring if you remember. Gardens and everything were late. Trees bloomed late so the apples are going to mature late. So where normally we would be picking Cortlands at least a week ago we won’t be touching any Cortlands until this weekend. Things like Northern Spys normally aren’t ready to pick until the end of October so we may have to wait until a little bit into November to have them. We don’t just like to have a red apple to put out for people to have and then they find out oh, this isn’t as sweet as I figured it would be. We like to wait for the flavors to come on rather than picking them early and green.”
According to the Vermont Tree Fruit Growers Association, about a million bushels of apples are produced in the state annually. While nearly 150 varieties are grown, McIntosh accounts for nearly half of the harvest.
