Savoring the harvest: Why fresh Washington apples are a fall must
It should be no surprise to most Washington State residents that we produce an impressive sixty percent of the apples in the United States, more than anywhere else in the nation. The apple is both a state symbol and a part of Washington’s collective identity. But have you ever stopped to think about the journey those apples take, from being grown and harvested to landing on grocery store shelves, farmers' markets, or on school lunch trays? Let’s follow Simon Jackson, a third generation Washington apple grower and co-owner of Whitestone Mountain Orchard, as he works long shifts during the apple harvest season, which can last from early summer to late fall.
At 29 years old, Simon’s living quarters are just a few hundred feet away from the apple trees where Whitestone Mountain Orchard grows 14 different varieties: Gala, Jonagold, Honey Crisp, and Stayman, to name a few. Each morning, cool air greets Simon as he steps outside just as the sun is starting to rise over the Okanagan Highlands that surround the orchard.
The orchard is separated into 8-acre blocks, each dedicated to different varieties of apple trees. The trees generally begin to produce fruit after two years, and the quality and quantity of their harvest tend to rise in subsequent years once the trees mature, particularly during the third and fourth. This 100-acre orchard is home to 30,000 apple trees.
To harvest all this fruit, Simon works alongside a crew of 17 field hands who carry picking bags and metal ladders. “Most of our workers are seasonal employees from Oaxaca, Mexico,” Jackson says. “Many have been with us for 15 years, and some of their children are following in their footsteps.”
Today they are harvesting Sugarbee apples. Each one will be carefully handpicked, trimmed, examined for imperfections, and sorted into bins. At the moment, Simon is weaving through the rows of trees, inspecting bins marked with QR codes used to track them. He discards any apples that don’t meet his standards, knowing this is just the beginning of their journey.
By noon, the refreshing chill of morning fades, and is replaced by heat that causes sweat to trickle down everyone’s sun-tanned faces. The apples are polished to remove any residue from the orchard, including dirt and clay used to organically protect them from sunburn. “With the extreme heat in the summer and fall they have a tendency to get scorched and to mush,” Simon says. “The clay is just another layer of protection.”
Holding a bright red apple in his hands with yellow undertones, Simon says, “This is a year-round job. After we harvested the trees, they’ve had a tough year producing fruit. We apply nutrient sprays to help the trees recover and prepare for winter, a process we call ‘putting the orchard to sleep.’”
This process takes place at the end of October. Then, in February, March, and April, Simon and his team begin pruning to shape the trees for the upcoming year, promoting new growth and spraying nutrients to wake them up for the cycle to start all over again.
Inside the orchard warehouse's transportation hub, Claire Lichtenfel and her husband Hal, co-owner of Whitestone Mountain Orchard and parents to Simon, are busy overseeing the packing of 4,200 pounds of gala apples into boxes bound for the Mead School District in Spokane, Washington. This is just one of the many venues trucks will deliver their apples to. By the end of the year, they expect to harvest 640,000 pounds of apples, all destined for homes throughout the region and beyond.
The past few seasons have been incredibly challenging for apple farmers, bringing stress to both the trees and those who tend them. Two years ago, a severe heat dome scorched the apples, with temperatures soaring to 105°F. The following winter, an abrupt freeze followed an unusually warm fall, leaving the trees in shock as they clung to their leaves, disrupting their nutrient cycles. Last year, a surprising abundance of fruit led to plummeting prices for growers. These experiences highlight the unpredictability of farming.
Yet despite the challenges, Claire, Hal, and Simon can’t imagine doing anything else. “My dad walked this orchard every day,” Claire said. “His deep connection to the land has inspired our family to truly cherish our harvest.” Hal notes that the participation of the USDA and WSDA in local and regional food system initiatives has been a tremendous benefit for growers, particularly for smaller orchards. The youngest family member, Simon Jackson, is determined to carry on the family tradition.
Although apples are sold in stores throughout the year, older apples lack the vibrant flavor of those that are freshly harvested. “Every apple has its prime season, and there are times when they’re simply out of season,” said Claire. “Many people hope to enjoy fruits all year long, but those options often come from last year’s harvest, causing their flavors and nutrients to diminish. Right now, we’re in the peak of apple harvest season—the perfect time to truly enjoy their taste.”