Michigan apple season expected to bring bumper crop of 32 million bushels

Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press
Updated ·2 min read

Break out the apple pie, apple cobbler and apple sauce recipes: Bountiful good news is coming out of Michigan's apple orchards this season.

Michigan's apple crop is estimated to come in at a whopping 32 million bushels, nearly as much as last year's record bushel buster. The crop estimate, announced last Friday from the USApple outlook meeting in Chicago that includes industry experts, growers, processors and shippers, pegged this year's Michigan crop as above average.

“As growers continue to plant high-density orchards and adopt other innovative growing practices, Michigan’s apple crop will continue to grow,” said Diane Smith, executive director of the Michigan Apple Committee in a news release.

Honeycrisp apples.
Honeycrisp apples.

An earlier forecast by the USDA's National Agriculture Statistic Service, Great Lakes region, pegged this year's crop as 15% lower than last year. That forecast was done from Aug. 1, before the official start of the season.

In 2022, the Michigan Apple Committee said that Michigan harvested a record 32.4 million bushels or 1.3 billion pounds of apples, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. An average Michigan apple crop comes in at around 24 million bushels.

Smith added that spring and summer weather conditions were favorable for growing apples this year.

"While some regionalized losses occurred due to frost and hail, overall our state’s growers report a very healthy crop with great-looking fruit,” said Smith.

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Among apple-producing states, Michigan is the third largest producer of apples. Throughout the state, there are nearly 15 million apple trees covering 34,500 acres, according to the Michigan Apple Committee. Those apple trees cover 34,500 acres on nearly 800 family-run farms.

Michigan's apple crop is unique because of a wide array of varieties produced across the nearly 800 family-run farms. Michigan apples also rank among the top cash-value agriculture crops in Michigan, according to the NASS, Great Lakes Region.

Here are the apple committee's estimated harvest times for a baker’s dozen variety of Michigan apples:

  • Paula Red: Pleasingly tart — Aug. 25

  • Ginger Gold: Sweet with a hint of tartness — Sept. 6

  • Gala: Soft flesh and sweet — Sept. 6

  • McIntosh: Juicy and lightly tart — Sept. 15

  • Honeycrisp: Sweet like honey and crisp bite — Sept. 15

  • Jonagold: Crisp, tart and sweet — Sept. 28

  • Golden Delicious: Gingery taste and sweet — Oct. 1

  • Ambrosia: Sweet and low acid — Oct. 1

  • Fuji: Crisp and sweet — Oct. 6

  • Red Delicious: Full sweet flavor — Oct. 9

  • Ida red: Tangy and tart — Oct. 15

  • Evercrisp: Sweet, juicy and packs a crunch — Oct. 25

  • Cripps Pink: Tart and sweet with crisp, juicy flesh — Oct. 31

Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan apple orchards' crops predicted to be above average