Harvest of the Month
October
+
Apples
Let's learn all about Apples
- Color: Apples come in many different colors, such as green, yellow, brown, and red. Just like picking out your favorite crayons, you can choose apples in different colors to enjoy different flavors.
- Shape: Apples are typically roundish, oblate, or oblong shapes with a cute dimple at the top where the stem grows. This round-shaped fruit has more chance of bouncing on the ground and rolling to a different area where it can sprout.
- Flavor: Apples might be sweet, tart, or a little of both. Some offer hints of cinnamon spice. Others are aromatic and have a honey-like flavor. The skin and the flesh taste slightly different so be sure to eat them both.
- Ripening: You will never have to cut a ripe apple from the tree. Check the seed color; the seeds in an apple will generally turn brown then the apple is ripe.
- Harvest: California apples are harvested from late August through October. The main growing areas are the counties along the upper Sacramento Valley and river delta and Mendocino, Lake, and El Dorado counties.
Fun Fact: Apples are actually a part of the Rose family.
Featured Apple Grower:
Cuyama Orchards,
Santa Barbara County
Family Business
Eric (top) and Gregory (bottom right) Albano thin apples on the farm with their crew boss Augustin (bottom left) in the early summer
in Let's Learn about Cuyama Orchards
Cuyama Orchards got its roots in 1992 when Howard and Jean Albano plowed under 20 acres of hay in front of their farmhouse and planted Nagafu Fuji apples that had just made their entrance to the US from Japan.
By 1997, they had 80 acres of Fuji and Pink Lady apples in production when they partnered with their son Byron to handle the sales and marketing. Together they developed an enthusiastic local following for the excellent apples that Howard and Jean were producing. In 1999 they completed transitioning to certified organic production and continued expanding their orchards to meet the burgeoning demand for their fruit.
Cuyama in Santa Barbara County, and is nestled in the uppermost reaches of the Cuyama Valley in a rugged mountainous corner of Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties in California.
The Cuyama Family offers a variety of apples
The Crimson Gold apple is a classic American heirloom apple. It was discovered by Albert Etter in Humboldt County California. This variety was lost for decades, but thankfully, it was re-discovered from an original tree. The Crimson Gold is perfect for fresh snacking and a prized ingredient for pastries, jellies, chutneys, and cider.
The Nagafu Fuji is the original Fuji apple from Japan prized for its firm delicious creamy-yellow flesh, its sweet full flavor, and its delicate thin skin. Cuyama Nagafu Fuji are the pride of Cuyama Orchards, and we continue to grow this nearly lost Fuji heirloom which we consider to be the best Fuji scion of all.
The Evercrisp is a cross between a Fuji and a Honeycrisp, with the sweetness of a Fuji and the snap of a Honeycrisp.
Arkansas Black is one of the quintessential American Heirloom apples. This variety was prized before refrigeration for its ability to store in the cellar all winter due to its thick naturally waxy skin that protects it from decay. The flesh is yellow and mildly sweet. Properly ripened, Arkansas Blacks are loaded with tannins and polyphenols that give this apple its characteristic flavor which comes through fresh, baked, or brewed in a classic hard cider.
The micro-climate of the Cuyama Valley turns out to be just right for growing perfect Pink Lady® apples. Sweet, tart, fragrant, and bursting with flavor. Originally from Australia, the Pink Lady® apple grows exceptionally well in the Cuyama Valley. Our unique little valley has the perfect Mediterranean climate where warm late fall days and crisp cool nights allow the Pink Lady® for the full 200-day season that it optimally requires.
Let's Enjoy Apples
Plans to share a sliced apple with your coworkers, midday? Try this preparation technique for an easy grab-and-go way to enjoy the fruit later in the day!
Contact Us
For more info on The FruitGuys Farm-to-School Program, contact Carol Stewart at [email protected]
For general info, School Bulletin suggestions, or questions about your Nutrition Education materials, contact The School Team at [email protected]
fruitguysfarmtoschool.com