SCHOOL TOURS
In September and October, May and June we offer school tours and hundreds of school children visit the farm for an in-depth view of what it takes to grow an apple.  The tours are adapted to the age of the students.  They enjoy a 45 minute tour and a sample of our 100% pure apple juice.

SOME APPLE Q & A:
Here are some commonly asked questions about apples.

What are apples?
Where are apples produced in BC?
How many apples do we produce?
How are apples produced?
What happens after the apples leave the farm?
What are apples used for?
What is the nutritional content of an apple?
What challenges do apple growers face?
Who's involved in producing apples?

What are apples?
An apple is a round tree fruit that has crisp white flesh. The skin colour of an apple can vary from yellow to green to red. An apple is a pome fruit, as is a pear. A pome fruit has multiple seeds protected by a core. There are over 100 varieties of apples grown in North America. The varieties grown for BC's commercial production are Red and Golden Delicious, Royal Gala, McIntosh and Spartan. Newer varieties now being widely planted include Jonagold, Braeburn and Fuji.


Where are apples produced in BC?
About 98% of BC apples are produced in the Okanagan-Similkameen Valleys. The hot, dry weather is ideal for growing Red and Golden Delicious apples. High sunlight and temperature levels are ideal for apple colouring and yield. The low rainfall level reduces the impact of disease. Most orchards are on slopes near lakes. This moderates the temperature and reduces the risk of winter injury and spring frost. Apples are also grown on Vancouver Island, in the Fraser Valley and in Kootenay areas.


How many apples do we produce?
BC produces about 30% of apples grown in Canada. The total quantity ranges from 136,000 tonnes to 195,000 tonnes. This amounts to more than 1 billion apples. British Columbians consume 25% of the apples grown in BC. That's about 75 to 100 apples per person per year.


How are apples produced?
Apples are grown in orchards. Apple growing has become a specialized science known as pomology. An apple tree is composed of two parts: the cultivar (fruit-bearing part of the tree) and the rootstock. Both cultivar and rootstock are selected for specific site conditions. The cultivar is grafted onto the rootstock. Grafting involves placing a short shoot of a dormant cultivar into the rootstock. The tongue and groove union is then wrapped with tape and left to grow. Caring for an orchard requires planting trees, pruning, fertilizing, controlling weed growth, insects, and other pests, watering, and replanting trees to ensure the orchard is always healthy.

Apple trees must be cross-pollinated. When the trees start to bloom, orchardists place beehives in fields to ensure pollination.
It is important not to spray an orchard at this time, as honeybees are very sensitive to insecticides. As small apples start to grow, some are removed to control the size and number of apples produced. The trees will also do this naturally during the June drop.

Apples are harvested from August to October. Some indicators that apples are ready for harvest include brown seed coats, crisp and juicy flesh texture and the skin colour turning from green to yellow or red. Apples that are to be eaten fresh are hand picked into picking bags hung from the pickers shoulder. These bags are carefully emptied into wooden bins that hold 350 to 400kg.


What happens after the apples leave the farm?
Two-thirds of the apple crop is sold fresh. Apples are either sold directly right after harvest or taken to the packinghouse where they are sorted, graded and packed into 18kg boxes and sometimes into smaller bags. Packinghouses use modern equipment and computers, but still rely on hand labour. Apples are shipped to North American markets by truck, and to other markets by boat. At the retail outlet, apples are either sold already bagged, or sold individually or in bulk by weight.

The rest of the crop is processed. Apple juice is the most popular form of processed apples. To make apple juice, apples are washed and ground to a pulp. The juice is squeezed out and filtered. The juice is pasteurized, which means it's heated to kill any harmful bacteria.


What are apples used for?
About two-thirds of the apples grown are eaten as fresh fruit. Processed apples are used for fresh and frozen apple juice, sauce, cider and vinegar. Apples can be dried, made into apple leather or used as pie filling.

Apples are about 85% water. They contain a variety of essential minerals and vitamins. They are about 12% natural sugar or fructose. Fructose is a water-soluble sugar found in all ripe fruit. Because of the solubility of fructose, they body does not have to convert it into sugar before use, therefore, making apples a source of instant energy. Apples are a high source of pectin, a soluble fibre that can absorb more water than any other bulking agent.

Apples clean the digestive system. Eating an apple cleans the teeth and massages the gums, removing more bacteria than two three-minute brushings followed by a gargle. Scientists have proven that apple eaters have fewer headaches, intestinal disorders, colds, respiratory problems and illnesses associated with the nervous system.

What is the nutritional content of an apple?

What challenges do apple growers face?
BC is internationally recognized as the North American leader in the adoption of modern technology. Fruit growers have had to modernize their growing methods to remain competitive in the world. Many of the old orchards consisted of big apple trees planted large distances apart. Today, many orchardists have switched to high-density plantings. These orchards have smaller trees planted much closer together. For example, older orchards might have 80 trees per hectare. High-density orchards can have as many as 1500 to 12,000 trees per hectare. High-density planting produces trees that produce fruit earlier, yield larger crops and are easier to harvest. Growers have planted different varieties of apples that are more popular in the international markets.

Another challenge is pests, and how to deal with them. There are three main orchard pests that are difficult to control. They are the codling moth, leaf roller and bud moth.

Who's involved in producing apples?

	Orchard owners and managers
	Orchard labourers
	Aplarists
	Packinghouse employees
	Processing plant employees
	Truckers, dispatchers
	Sales and advertising staff
	Fertilizer, pesticide and equipment dealers
	Box, bin and pallet manufacturers
	Packinghouse construction, management and labour employees
	Government and university teachers
	Inspectors

The apple industry is a major employer in the Okanagan Valley. Each year, 7% of the labour force is employed by the apple industry. About 4,800 people work in the orchards, 2,500 in packinghouses, and 1,000 are hired as seasonal workers.

Interesting Facts About Apples

Apples are the most valuable edible horticulture crop in BC. About 75% of all BC orchard land is planted with apple trees!

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Contacts and other resources:

*BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food
website

*BC Fruit Growers' Association (the association has produced a teacher's resource called Treasures From Our Trees.  For more information on this publication, contact the Association.)

*BC Tree Fruits
website

*Summerland Research Station