Harvest Time in Apple Country

That crisp, juicy, delicious first bite, the fragrant aroma of a fresh pie, the gleaming red of the shining fruit . . . these are the tastes, smells and sights of the apple harvest season in Wentachee Valley, Washington.  Known as the Apple Capital of the World, Wentachee Valley takes great pride in its apple crop and culture. 

Wentachee Valley is nestled in Washington Apple Country, the nation’s largest producer of award-winning apples.  It all began in the 1870s, when a single immigrant farmer started his apple dynasty with a dream and some seedlings.  Though Wentachee had initially prospered by prospectors moving west during the Gold Rush, immigrant Phillip Miller found the region’s true “gold”- apples.  The German-born farmer spent many years wandering west across America from Pennsylvania.  After a brief stop in Ellensburg, Washington, he set up his homestead in Wentachee Valley.

The soil was so rich that his saplings grew into a beautiful orchard of apple trees.  Soon, small family farms were growing apples all over the region.  It was 1901 when Wentachee Valley’s apples were introduced to the rest of the nation at the Chicago World Fair, grown by Wentachee farmer John Horan.  Since then, Wentachee Valley has been dubbed into the Apple Capital of the World.

Apples are a delicious, healthy, and extremely versatile fruit.  There are eleven varieties of apples grown in Washington- from the popular Red Delicious to the famously tart Granny Smith.  How did the Granny Smith get its name?  “Granny Smith” is actually Ana Mae Smith, who was shocked when some French crabapple seeds she absent-mindedly tossed in her yard grew to yield the green fruit.  Now her accidental horticulture discovery is enjoyed all over the world for its juicy, tangy flavor.

Autumn is harvest season for apples, and the people of Apply Country love to celebrate.    This season, if you are lucky enough to find yourself in a fruitful orchard, pick your very own apple right off the tree.  Rub it on your sleeve and take a great juicy bite.