The end of August in Northern Illinois marks the opening of many of the apple orchards in our region. These orchards grow a wide-range of unique and common apple varieties, with new varieties ripening each week from now until the end of October. At many of these family-owned and operated orchards, you may find pumpkins, value-added products like jams, apple cider, and donuts, and activities to keep family members entertained during your visits.   

“We’re really fortunate to have so many u-pick apple orchards, overseen by generations of families, with a wide range of different types of apples,” states Grant McCarty, Local Foods and Small Farms Educator for Jo Daviess, Stephenson, and Winnebago counties. “If you visit an orchard this early, you may not find the varieties you want or they may not be ready to be picked by customers; but orchards commonly have harvest calendars on their social media and websites that can tell you when your favorite is ripening. Most orchards open with ‘Zestar,’ a Minnesota variety, available.”

Overall, the apple crop has had a very good growing season.  “May is the make-or-break month where the trees flower, and if it’s too cold, rainy, or pollinators are not active, it can result in fewer apples later in the season. Though we’ve had periods of dry and wet conditions this summer, most varieties have done well at commercial orchards,” McCarty continues.

Though you may find common varieties of apples like ‘Fuji,’ ‘Honeycrisp,’ ‘Granny Smith,’ and ‘Gala,’ many orchards sometimes grow 25-30 varieties. “It can certainly vary, but many of our orchards are growing varieties you may have never had before, nor would you find in a grocery store. These may be similar in flavor, color, and use as those varieties you are used to. Some of these apple varieties come from the breeding programs at Midwestern Universities and the Midwest Apple Improvement Association like ‘Evercrisp’ and ‘Sweet Maia’. So this is a good time to visit an orchard and find your new favorite.”