Welcome to National Apple Month!
6 Apple Facts!
How many different variations of apples are there?
There are 7,500 known variations of apples in the world, and 2,500 of those varieties are grown here in the United States. Here is a list of most of those variations!
When do Apples typically get Harvested?
Different varieties tend to be better harvested at different times. Depending on the variety, apple harvesting can take place as early as June in some cases, all the way up until early November.
Do Apples have any Health Benefits?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, apples can have a slight positive affect on blood pressure, and even have some minor anti inflammatory properties!
Amygdalin and Cyanide? What do Those Have to do with Apples?
Apples are one fruit in a group of edible fruits with seeds that contain amygdalin, which becomes cyanide when crushed and digested. In fact, some varieties of apricots, almonds, cherries, and more all have some level of amygdalin in their seeds!
Which States Produce the Most Apples?
The top 3 producers of apples in the US according to the USDA Economic Research Service are Washington, New York, and Michigan.
What Apple Variety is the Most Produced Variety in the US?
According to the Northwest Horticultural council, in the 2022/2023 season, Gala apples had the most apples produced.
4 Delicious Apple Recipes to Celebrate the Season!
5 Fantastic Apple Festivals to Enjoy!
The Washington State Apple Blossom Festival
Located in Wenatchee Washington, this self-proclaimed apple capital of the world goes all out for their apple blossom festival with events in late April and early May. This celebration is the oldest major festival in the state of Washington showcasing their people, heritage, and the fruit industry. From parades, carnival rides, and a car show, to bike races, and food and craft vendors and more, the Wenatchee Apple Blossom Festival is a massive apple celebration.
Franklin PA Applefest
This Pennsylvania apple festival attracts thousands of visitors, and has plenty of things to do as well. For three days, the Franklin Applefest offers free entertainment, around 350 different food and craft vendors, a 5k race, activities for the kids, and a antique car show. The festival typically takes place near the beginning of October, having taken place on October 4, 5 and 6 in 2024.
Warwick New York Applefest
The Warwick Applefest takes place near the beginning of October, and happened on October 6th in 2024. This New York festival also features a large number of craft and food vendors, as well as non-profit exhibitors, music and entertainment, apple pie baking contents, and an entire children’s carnival. They also post a guide for the festival on their site before the festivities take place so you can do your research ahead of time.
Bayfield Apple Festival
The Bayfield Apple Festival of Wisconsin is a popular apple focused festival that also typically takes place in the beginning of October. In 2024, the festival ran from October 4th to the 6th. Bayfield puts on a massive celebration when it comes to apples, having everything from a grand parade, to a Apple festival Queen contest along with the usual food and craft vendors that other apple festivals tend to offer.
Nappanee Apple Festival
Located only around 25 miles from our home office, Nappanee Indiana hosts their own Nappanee Apple Festival. Known for having produced the 7 foot apple pie in the past, this festival also includes its own Miss Apple Blossom scholarship pageant, a 5k, apple baking contests, and more. This apple festival takes place much earlier than the rest of the festivals on this list, typically happening in the middle of September.
Johnny Appleseed
John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, is a famous apple loving figure in United States history who as the stories go, traveled across the lands planting and selling apple seeds everywhere he went. According to the Heinz History Center, Johnny was born in Massachusetts, later moving to Pittsburgh. He got his start with apples by gathering left over apple seeds from German cider mills south of Pittsburgh, which he then sold to settlers heading West. After some time, he loaded up a large number of seeds, and began traveling west himself, selling and planting seeds as he went. It is said that he would often trade the seeds for clothing to use on his trip, and aimed to give away seeds to those that needed them more.
Every winter Johnny would return back to Pittsburgh to winter there, and restock on apple seeds. Eventually, he even began acting as a missionary as he spread seeds across the mid-west, reading bible verses for the settlers he came across. The History Center suggests that Johnny’s journey came to an end in 1845, as he died from pneumonia at a friends home in Indiana, somewhere a bit north of current day Ft. Wayne.
While he did trade and provide seeds to settlers he found, he also planted seeds in wilderness locations in hopes that settlers would be able to make use of them as they moved west, according to the Farmers Almanac. As apples often could be quite useful to pioneer families providing hard cider which was heavily used, this helped incoming pioneers get their homesteads flourishing faster. In some cases, according to the Smithsonian Magazine, the cider was even used in place of some of the pioneer’s water intake as it was easier to make sure it was clean for drinking, and not all homesteads had easy access to clean water.
Every winter Johnny would return back to Pittsburgh to winter there, and restock on apple seeds. Eventually, he even began acting as a missionary as he spread seeds across the mid-west, reading bible verses for the settlers he came across. The History Center suggests that Johnny’s journey came to an end in 1845, as he died from pneumonia at a friends home in Indiana, somewhere a bit north of current day Ft. Wayne.
While he did trade and provide seeds to settlers he found, he also planted seeds in wilderness locations in hopes that settlers would be able to make use of them as they moved west, according to the Farmers Almanac. As apples often could be quite useful to pioneer families providing hard cider which was heavily used, this helped incoming pioneers get their homesteads flourishing faster. In some cases, according to the Smithsonian Magazine, the cider was even used in place of some of the pioneer’s water intake as it was easier to make sure it was clean for drinking, and not all homesteads had easy access to clean water.