B.C. apples arrive earlier — and mushier — due to hot summer
Orchardist Glenn Cross says B.C. apples were sunburned during the hot, dry summer
If you bite into a B.C.-grown apple in the coming days and find it soft rather than crunchy, blame it on the hot summer.
Due to the early and warm summer this year, the apple season is ahead of schedule, and people have already started picking McIntosh apples before the Labour Day long weekend, says long-time Okanagan orchardist Glenn Cross.
Unfortunately, the warm summer temperatures also mean those apples may have been sunburned, and are softer than usual.
"The apples are susceptible to sunburning just like the human race is," Cross told Daybreak South.
"What usually happens in an extremely hot year is the apples have a tendency to turn soft prematurely.
"Now with the onset of wet weather right at harvest time, it's making it very difficult to get the crop off in a timely fashion. People are starting to panic a little bit to get the crop off, and that's where the problem lies."
Cross says so far, McIntosh apples appear to have suffered the most, though Gala apples also seem to be a tad mushier than usual.
Though softer apples may not keep as well in cold storage compared to previous years, Cross says it's too early to tell whether apple growers will take a hit due to the softer fruit this season.
Listen to the story: Long, hot summer impacts B.C. apple season