With September just around the corner, Eastern apples are poised to once again captivate consumers with their quality, flavor and versatility — reminding why they remain a perennial favorite in markets across the country.

Crunch Time Apple Growers, which grows and markets SnapDragon and RubyFrost apples in the state of New York, is expecting its largest SnapDragon harvest this season.

Hudson River Fruit Distributors, a leading Eastern apple grower-shipper in New York’s Hudson River Valley, is excited about the upcoming apple season.

Alisha Albinder Camac, vice president and a fourth-generation member of the family-owned company, said favorable weather has set the stage for a good harvest.

“Go west, young man,” newspaper editor Horace Greeley famously said in the mid-18th century, trying to encourage people to move from the crowded Northeast corridor of the country to the wide-open spaces of much of the rest of the nation.

Eastern apples have been a part of The Next Big Thing since its inception.

Honeybear's First Kiss apples will be an early variety primer to the fall season. Shipping from Honeybear Brands’ Midwest facilities in mid-August, this Minnesota-grown variety provides a jump start to new fresh crop sales. First Kiss, which debuted in limited supply, has grown its fan base of happy shoppers over the past few years — and now it is headed back to retailer shelves in even greater numbers this season.