Apples coming and going. We have received a lot of compliments on the apples this week and we appreciate it! Unfortunately the days of apples are limited as we get down to the last bin. Fortunately the new blossoms have come out - it was beautiful - and it looks like a great crop for this fall. The apples start back up in July with some early summer varieties but the main crop starts in September and runs through November.
The big secret to Beech Creek Orchard fruit is that it was picked ripe and not stored too long. Many of the grocery store fruits are picked green so they can hold up to the long period of time before they make it to the grocery store display. Ethylene gas is a nature's way of making fruit ripen and our food system has many tricks to turn off this process and then turn it back on as needed. This is a great way to keep food fresh and reduce waste but it does not quite taste the same as the natural on the tree method. Many grocery store apples are stored up to 2 years and are waxed to keep them from going bad in storage. Our apples are from last fall and the only wax is the natural layer that Mother Nature has provided...this edible wax builds up over time but can be buffed with a rag to produce a nice shiny apple - aka apple polishing. The apples tend to dry out and ripen a bit while in cold storage and thus get a little sweeter after a couple of months. We recommend storing your apples in the refrigerator instead of the counter as they will stay fresh for several weeks this way.
