14 Thursday, August 15, 2024 BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com
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Tues., Wed., Thurs., Sat. 11am to 3pm; Closed Fri.SHELLY KEHRLE-SULSER
Executive Editor
A family outing typically associat-
ed with fall will commence a month
before the Sept. 22 fall equinox this
year.
With all fruit ripening about two
weeks earlier than normal and with
Michigan State University Extension
announcing that apples are predicted
to be no different, Canaan Orchard,
a four-acre “you pick” apple orchard
near Climax, will open two weeks
early.
“It’s going to be an earlier season
than usual,” said orchard operator,
Dave Salerno. “Usually, it’s the
Thursday after Labor Day and this
year, they’re predicting the Gala,
which is the first variety that I have,
Dave Salerno said this is the first year he has had to consider opening the
you-pick apple orchard near Climax two weeks early due to an early crop
due to the warm start to the year. (Shopper News photo by Shelly Kehrle-Sulser)Early apple crop leads to earliest opening yet for Canaan Orchard
they’re predicting will be ready by
Aug. 24 so it’s a two-week earlier
than usual start.”
Salerno plans to open his fall, six-
week season on Saturday, Aug. 24
when all other varieties are expected
to follow close behind such as
Honeycrisp, expected to be ready by
Aug. 29 instead of Sept. 13; Jonathan
on Sept. 10 instead of Sept. 22 and
Golden Delicious on Sept. 13 as
opposed to the normal peak of Sept.
25, to name a few.
In all, he offers 20 different variet-
ies for the picking and for selling at
the farm stand.
“That’s going to be kind of dif-
ferent for people to come out and
pick apples in August because
September,” he said, “well, early
September is early, too, because the
newer varieties, Gala, Honeycrisp,
stuff like that, weren’t around maybe
20 years ago. Now, usually people
come out mid September or late
September.”
In fact, late September and early
October has historically been the best
picking time.
“You have a wider variety ofapples ready but this year,” he said,
“it’s going to be probably two weeks
earlier.”
The early harvest is being blamed
on more warm days earlier in the
year than normal.
“I think in early January,” he said,
“they fulfilled their chilling. Apple
trees need so many hours of chilling
for the fruit bud to set.”
Those buds that then emerge in
June produce apples the following
year.
According to MSU Extension, most
varieties are predicted to harvest 10
or more days earlier than normal due
to warmer than normal conditions
during early spring pushing bloom
earlier and warm temperatures for
the month following bloom. “Harvest
dates may need to be adjusted as we
get closer to harvest,” MSU advised
on July 8. “Crop load is variable
across the southwest region due
to cool conditions during bloom.
Gala and Jonagold crops tend to be
lower than normal. Honeycrisp crop
potentials are fair to good, depending
on the site. Blocks with light crop
loads will mature three or four days
sooner than the predicted harvest
dates whereas heavy crop loads will
mature approximately one week later
than the predicted dates.”
MSU Extension keeps track of
heating degree days, said Salerno.
“This year, because it was warm
in February,” he said, “I think maple
syrup had a very short season. It was
warm earlier and that made them
come out and bloom earlier and
that’s another indicator of how they
figure out when they’ll mature, how
many days it’s been since the full
bloom.”
Typically, he said, they bloom
around Mother’s Day in mid May.
“This year, they bloomed in April,”
Salerno explained. “I’ll have to
change my sign from ‘Opening in
September’ to ‘August.’ I’m plan-
ning on the 24th but it might be a
little bit earlier. I doubt it will be any
later. You just have to pick one and
eat it and see what you think. That’s
how I do it.”
Not all varieties will be ready the
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