Weather makes for sweet apples
Heat and sun are said to be making for a delicious fall apple harvest.
While the summer’s drought has left other crops stunted, the Ontario Apple Growers association says the success of some apple crops is in the sunshine, that’s what elevates the sugars in the fruit.
Earl McArthur and his crew are working to bring in the harvest over at McArthur Apples on Fairgrounds Road near Stayner.
The theory, according to McArthur, is that mature apple trees can handle a little stress.
“Apple trees under stress seek out moisture,” said McArthur. “The flavour is good because of the heat, and lots of sun is excellent.”
McArthur’s family has been growing apples for almost a century. He says he has seen a change in the way people buy apples. While there is a trend toward farm-to-table and farmgate sales, McArthur said in his experience fewer people are buying apples in bulk due to a reduction in the number of people who make preserves, the way they used to. They tend to buy apples year-round and consume them right away, he said.
McArthur said it used to be that half of his business was farmgate sales and now it makes for a quarter of all sales, and that sector is decreasing all the time. The rest goes to processing and pack-out. Grocery stores want fruit no smaller than two-and-a-half inches in diameter and with almost no flaws. The rest go to food processors for juice.
McArthur is the third generation to work his farm. He took over the farm from his father, Gordon, in 1979. He said each generation has focused on their personal interests. Having a passion for apples, McArthur has overhauled and expanded the orchard. He now grows about 10 varieties.
At Giffen’s in Glen Huron, Bob Giffen says, early in the season, they were a bit worried about the lack of rain.
“It was better than we thought it was going to be,” said Giffen. “The drought certainly was having an effect on them but then the rains were timely enough to grow them to some degree. Some varieties are smaller than they have been in the past and other varieties are pretty good. So the drought had an effect, but not seriously.”
He said the rain came just in time to get them growing again but all the sunshine does help with the flavour.
“The sunshine does sweeten them and we got lots of sunshine, and they have beautiful colour,” said Giffen. He said the recipe for the deep red colour is warm days and cool nights.
Janette Morrison of Morrison Farm said the lack of rain has contributed to the higher brix content, the same sugar index used to measure wine grapes, which have also benefited from the hot summer. They sell apples at local farmers’ markets, including Creemore, and go into the grocery stores through Giffen’s.
She says it has not been a season without adversity. There was frost when the trees were in blossom, which has reduced the crop, and hail marked the apples.
There was a time when a decent profit could have been made from blemished apples but now there are few options for juicing in the area. All but one major juice processor have shut down. Giffen says many people are not aware that the apple juice they consume is imported, often from China, in concentrated form and is reconstituted here before being packaged.
He said the local food movements have helped raise awareness and have helped increase demand for local produce.
As it is now, 60 per cent of Giffen’s apples end up in the grocery store and they have seen an increase in sales through the country market store. Giffen pegs on-site sales at about 10 per cent.
Morrison said it is important to note that local produce, no matter what variety, has a superior flavour because it is fresh and grown to maturity before being picked.
According to Ontario Apple Growers, the value of the Ontario apple crop is approximately $60 million, which includes sales to fresh and processing markets, on-farm and pick-your-own.
Trina Berlo photo: Mark Madill helps bring in the harvest at McArthur Apples near Stayner.
