As North Bay Produce enters August, blueberries, both organic and conventional, are in full swing and early variety Michigan apples have begun coming in as well.

“The apple season is looking great as Michigan apples had a productive bloom and looks to be a great fall crop,” said Aaron Hunter, sales representative for the Traverse City, MI-based cooperative. “Washington’s numbers are down, but Miching will have an excellent crop and we continue to grow year after year.”

Michigan is the third-largest producer of apples in the country so it’s very important to the state, being that it’s the largest and most valuable fruit crop.

“The average crop size for Michigan Apples is about 24 million bushels,” said Diane Smith, executive director of the Michigan Apple Committee. “In 2021, frost and freeze events resulted in a smaller crop, approximately 15 million bushels. In 2022, the industry is optimistic that the crop size will be above average.”

As Rice Fruit prepares to begin its fall harvest season, it is focused on providing a good mix of premium apples that will have broad appeal to consumers.

“We are looking at our 2022 crop with promise and optimism,” said Brenda Briggs, vice president of sales and marketing for the Gardners, PA-based grower-shipper. “The growing season has been uneventful with adequate moisture and sunshine, and harvest timing is expected to be similar to last year.”

Crunch Time Apple Growers is comprised of 150 growers in New York State. When the company was formed, it was granted an exclusive license to grow and market SnapDragon and RubyFrost apples in North America.  

“These two apple varieties are the entire focus of the company,” said Jessica Wells, executive director of the Lockport, NY-based company. “The company has learned a lot in the last 10 years about marketing premium apples to consumers and to retailers and we’re excited to continue learning as the industry evolves.”

With so many apple varieties out there, it’s hard for one particular type of apple to stand out, but that is exactly what the Pink Lady has done.

Pink Lady apples are some of the first apples to blossom each year and the last ones to be harvested, but they are worth the wait. They soak up 200 days of sunshine, they have a delicious flavor and a beautiful rosy blush, and as the Pink Lady marks its 25th anniversary in the United States it has become the country’s sixth-most-popular apple.

Consumers have yet another reason to choose the Pink Lady brand when shopping for apples. For the first time in the global brand’s history, the fruit was named Best Apple in the 2022 Healthy Snack Awards from Good Housekeeping in the Powerhouse Produce category.