Apples are the main fruit grown in Canada. Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia are the main apple-producing provinces.
Stevenson's Orchard, in Franklin Centre, Quebec, is a typical apple farm. Their 80 acres produce about 60 000 bushels per year (there are 120-130 apples in a bushel, so they produce about 7 200 000 to 7 800 000 apples every year!)
The Stevenson's, a working orchard since 1910, produces over 15 different kinds of apples. McIntosh and Cortland are the most popular types. People buy different types of apples for different reasons; some apples are only good for baking while some are good for eating. The "Wolf River" apple, for example, tastes terrible raw, but is really good in apple pie because it doesn't turn to mush when cooked.
Apples are usually
harvested in late August and early September. Some orchards let people
pick their own fruit, and some employ people to pick the fruit for them.
Sometimes apple farmers need to store their apples over the winter. To
do this they must keep the apples at an exact temperature in a controlled
atmosphere (reduced oxygen levels) to prevent spoilage.
Apples are sprayed to protect them from diseases, fungi, and insects. Apple scab, tarnish plant bug, and apple maggot can seriously harm the crop if not prevented. There are monitoring stations to warn when the climate is right for certain fungi so that the farmers know when to spray. Another thing that can harm the crop is hail, which also damages blueberries, pears, etc. Hail cannot be prevented, and the damage that it does to the fruit is permanent.
Did you know...
Apples aren't the only fruit grown in Quebec. Blueberries, strawberries, and other small and tree fruits are also common crops. Many types of fruit cannot survive the harsh and long winters that the province experiences, and so are difficult to grow.
Blueberries do well in bog soils (like peat moss) with a high level of acidity. They need to be watered frequently, so most blueberry farmers build an irrigation system to give the plants the 1 inch of water that they need every week. They are usually planted on little mounds of earth so their roots don't get flooded. Even though they need a lot of water, plants can drown just like you!
Blueberries, beside being cultivated on farms, also grow wild in many regions of Quebec, particularly the Saguenay-Lac St-Jean area. These wild blueberry bushes receive little attention, except sometimes some thinning, before the berries are picked. Costs to look after the bushes are low but it takes more people and hours to harvest the fruit.
The Canadian climate can be very harsh, but blueberries can't be hurt unless the temperature reaches -30 degrees Celsius or less. This hardly ever happens because snow insulates the plants and keeps them warmer than the outside air.
Each blueberry plant produces about two flats of berries a year, depending on how old it is. Some farmers can keep their plants alive for 25 years so that they can grow really big. A flat contains 12 pints (about 5 kilograms) worth of fruit.
There are many different kinds of blueberry plants, some produce better fruit for eating fresh, and others make better pie berries (just like the different kinds of apples).
Although most strawberry production is processed into jams, fillings (pies, yogurt) and toppings, locally grown strawberries have become very popular in recent years. New varieties are hardier and thus survive the Canadian winter in better shape. Covering the strawberry plants with straw helps to insulate them against the worst cold just in case there is not a lot of snow cover on the ground. Canada still imports from California and Florida about three-quarters of consumed strawberries. The first strawberries become ripe in June and many farmers sell from roadside stalls as the picking season is only a few weeks in length. U-pick strawberry farms are also very popular, and most farmers don't mind if you munch on a few while you pick. Besides, with that red strawberry juice all over your lips (and probably a few spots on that nice white T-shirt), how can you hide it!!!?
Pears and plums are very similar to apples (to take care of, not to
eat!) but are a lot harder to grow successfully because of winter temperatures.
Southern Ontario and the interior region of British Columbia have milder
climates, and they are able to grow these tree fruits, as well as peaches,
grapes and cherries.
