How's This Year's Apple Crop Looking

Photo courtesy of David Slack, FlickrWith apple season just around the corner, some predictions from America's biggest apple-producing regions have begun to pop up. Sit back down, California: This is the glory season for the North.Following a disastrous peach season for areas roughly north of central New Jersey, we found ourselves wondering: Are this year's apples okay' After all, many of the same areas grow both apples and peaches. Will this fall be bereft of apple pies'Plus: Bored with Apples' Try One of These 7 Delicious Rare Cousins InsteadIt's also going to be a good season for Washington; the Washington State Tree Fruit Association predicted an increase of 15 percent over last year, up to 132.9 million bushels.But New York--well, things in the Northeast in general are a little goofy this year. A drought throughout the region has, at best, stunted fruit growth, and at worst actively reduced the crop size. New York State is expecting a crop of around 30 million bushels, which you'll notice is slightly fewer than Michigan's predicted crop. On the other hand, the drought had an unexpected effect: With less water, the apples in New York will have a higher sugar concentration, leading to, yes, smaller apples, but they'll be sweeter and crunchier.Plus: Something's Rotten in the Pet Food IndustrySo You Want to be a Farmer'Gardening as a Kid Indicates You'll Eat Fruits and Veggies as a College StudentAlso on HuffPost: -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
Click here to read full news..