MOORESVILLE — In the heat of the summer, fall festivities may be the last thing on your mind. This week, several orchards across Indiana have their first apples of the season ready to go.
WRTV visited Anderson Orchard in Mooresville to see how the early varieties, like Lodi and Pristine, are doing this year.
"It's actually a pretty good crop," described Erin Sterling with Anderson Orchard. "The rain has helped. They're sizing up nicely."
We had plenty of rain this spring, but this has meant the apples have been able to grow a bit bigger than normal this year.
Temperatures play a big role in apple growth, too, especially cool spring nights.
"We did hit some lows like 25, and that can be devastating if you're in bloom," Sterling shared.
A hard freeze (temperatures dropping below 28 degrees) in the spring, after apple flowers have bloomed, can kill the fruit before it even gets started for the season.
"We didn't have a big freeze," continued Sterling. "Which was great because we've had those over the last few years."
As for last week's heat wave, Sterling says 90-degree temperatures don't really impact the early summer apple varieties.
"When you start hitting 90s in September, that's not great for them. They don't keep well. They fall off," she explained of the later varieties. "It needs to be cool by then. But they can usually handle it pretty well through July and August."
The perfect weather mix means a great crop this July. This is good news for apple lovers like Veronica Shook.
"We try to come on opening day every year," Shook shared. "Then we try to come once a week, sometimes twice a week."
Shook is a frequent visitor to Anderson Orchard. She loves the early varieties for baking, and especially for making homemade applesauce.
"My grandparents used to have a Lodi apple tree in their backyard. My mom learned how to make applesauce," Shook continued. "They passed it down, and as kids, we'd have to be helping."
She shared that her freezer is usually well stocked with frozen applesauce, but she was at the bottom of the barrel and ready to restock.
The early varieties of apples are tart, not sweet. Many more varieties of apples will be available in August, September and even into October.
With the early varieties this summer, Anderson Orchard will be open for pre-picked apples in their farm market starting July 3. U-pick apples will start at the end of August.
If you'd like to find an apple orchard near you, you can visit the Indiana Grown website, using the category 'produce' and subcategory 'fruits.'
