Apples
June - Early August
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Whenever someone says he or she is from Washington State, the first word that generally comes to mind is apples! Washington has become famous for its apples in the last 175 years due to Dr. John McLoughlin of the Hudson Bay Company who planted the first apple seed in a greenhouse at Vancouver in 1825. Red Delicious apples were still the dominant variety in 2001; Gala, Fuji, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples have increased in importance as the industry has diversified. Seasonality The joy of biting into a crisp, juicy Washington apple can be experienced year-round due to controlled atmosphere storage. Known simply as "CA" in the industry, controlled atmosphere storage involves careful control of temperature, oxygen, carbon dioxide and humidity. Read more! Recipes Search our recipe database. Producers
Fun Facts/Did You Know
Production Stats In 2001, there were 192,000 acres of apples in the state. The Yakima area which includes Yakima, Kittitas, and Benton Counties was the largest apple area with 90,500 acres. The Wenatchee district (Chelan, Okanogan and Douglas Counties) was next with 54,000 acres. The 2001 apple harvest was 76 million 42 pound boxes. This link to the A HREF="http://www.bestapples.com/facts/cropfacts.html">Washington Apple Commission crop fact sheet includes harvest times and more. Food Safety Growers in Washington state work continually to reduce their use of pesticides. Like other farmers around the country, orchardists are trying to control pest damage by working with, rather than against nature. Growers are relying more and more on natural pest enemies, pest-resistant varieties, pest monitoring, cultural practices and other methods to minimize the need for agrichemicals such as pesticides. Read more! Contact Washington Apple Commission |