Cannamore Orchard

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A Sample of Our Products To Enjoy!

Apples

The options are endless...

Explore our beautiful orchard and pick your own apples from our many varieties, or visit the orchard store to select our freshly picked apples off the shelves. Families can enjoy quality time together outdoors while savouring the crisp flavour of freshly picked apples. The apple season runs from mid-August into October. Come early as the apples are in high demand and your family will be begging to come back for more fun! We usually have pick-your-own (PYO by weight) from mid-August until the end of September, depending on the crop and the number of pickers. It helps cut down on pollution if you bring your own bags too. Apple picking continues until the trees are bare (usually around end of September or Thanksgiving weekend) from 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. Monday to Friday and on the weekends from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Most years there are apples in the store until into November.

Following are some of the apple varieties available at Cannamore Orchard

Cortland	A Ben Davis/McIntosh cross large, flat, dull red apple with a purple hue and soft, white flesh. Less aromatic than McIntosh. A good keeper.	Uses: fresh, drying, freezing, baking, salads, pies, cider Available: After McIntosh – late Sept.
Honeycrisp	Very sweet and aromatic. Great for juice, as it is a very juicy apple. Good for eating, and baking. Mid season	Uses: fresh, dessert Available: September
Lobo	Pollinated seedling of McIntosh A large round-conical apple with ribs. Very white flesh often with a ting of pink. eye, slightly ribbed on body	Uses: When green, eaten as a sour apple. Pies and fresh eating. Available: Late August for green. Beginning September for ripe.
Empire	A Red Delicious-McIntosh cross apple having a long shelf life. White, sweet and juicy flesh. Aromatic and crisp with creamy white juicy flesh.	Uses: Excellent fresh and in cider. Available: Late September
Ginger Gold	A chance seedling apple that is medium large and round. Yellowish-white flesh that is juicy, firm, crisp and slightly coarse. Has a sweet, tangy flavour.	Uses: fresh eating and dessert. Very slow to brown, so it's a great choice for apple slices and salads. Available: mid September.
McIntosh	Originated in Dundas County, home of Cannamore Orchard. Possibly seedling of Fameuse or St. Lawrence. A medium to large, round apple. Flesh white withy sometimes a tinge of red. Juicy, crisp somewhat firm apple.	Uses: Fresh, dessert, cooking, cider and sauce. Available: Most years mid September. (After Lobo and before Cortland.)
Paula Red	A chance seedling, possibly from Cortland. A medium to large size, tart, round apple. Apple sweetens as it stays on tree. Flesh is white, juicy, crisp and fine-grained.	Uses: Fresh, dessert, and pies and sauce. Available: Late August to mid September.
Spartan	A cross between the McIntosh and Pippin. Good all-purpose apple. Medium to large round-conic apple. Flesh is creamy-white, juicy, sweet, crisp and fine textured. Keeps very well.	Uses: Fresh, dessert and cider. Some use it in pies and applesauce. Available: End of September/early October.
Melba	Cross with McIntosh parent. Size is variable but round-conic. Flesh is white, juicy, crisp and soft.	Uses: Dessert, cooking and juice. Makes a softer textured pie. Available: Mid August.
Yellow Transparent	Russian origin and a very old variety. A generally round mid size apple. Flesh is white, juicy, moderately firm and crisp.	Uses: Fresh, drying, sauce and cooking. Makes a softer textured pie. Available: early to mid-August.

Some General Apple Information

• Apples are fat, sodium, and cholesterol free. A medium apple has about 80 calories. Apples are high in dietary fiber, Vitamin A and niacin. They contain iron and other trace minerals and are a fair source of Vitamin C.
• Apples are ranked No. 1 in antioxidant activity compared with 40 other commercially available fruits and vegetables. That means a serving of apples has more of the antioxidant power you need to fight aging, cancer and heart disease.
• Apples originated in the Middle East (in an area between the Caspin and the Black Sea) more than 4000 years ago! They were the favourite fruit of ancient Greeks and Romans.
• Apples arrived in England at around the time of the Norman conquest (in 1066) and English settlers brought them to America in the 1600 and 1700's.
• Apples are one of the easiest fruit to pick and use. They're big and easy to pick, and can be eaten fresh, cooked, canned, frozen or made into many tasty and healthy dishes.
• Apples ripen from the outside of the tree towards the centre, so the apples on the outside of the tree will ripen first. Picking apples directly from a tree is easy.

Did You Know..?

Apples give off a gas that speeds up the ripening of bananas, kiwis, peaches, plums and pears. Place these fruits in a paper bag with your apples to quicken their ripening!

Tip: How to Pick Apples

When picking apples the colour can be anything from dark green, to yellow, pink, orange, bright red, dark red or even a combination. It all depends on the variety. And colour is not really how you tell when an apple is ripe. Apples should be crisp and firm. You will see that there are almost always two or more apples growing stem to stem, and many more along the branch. After deciding which group of apples you want, you pick them in the following manner:

• Place the palms of your hands on each apple, at the same time.
• Gently use your fingers – without putting too much pressure on the apples – to twist and turn the apples.
• As you twist and turn the apples, gently roll the apple upwards off the branch. (If you have more than just the stems attached to the apples when they are picked you did not quite do it as we do.)
• If the apple you’re trying to pick drops (or any others on the tree) go ahead and pick it up and put it in your container. It is perfectly okay.
• Place the picked apples into your container. Never drop or throw them into your container. Throwing or dropping them into a container will bruise a lot of fruit.

Other Tips for Apple Pickers

• NEVER pull the apple straight away from the tree.
• NEVER shake the tree or branch.
• NEVER climb in the tree. Your feet ALWAYS stay on the ground.
• It is okay to eat an apple in the orchard as long as you put the apple core in the garbage.
• Apple cores left on the ground attract mice and mice can do a lot of damage to the apple trees in the winter.

Tips for Storing Apples

• Keep your apples cool after picking to help increase their shelf life. Store your apples in the coolest place you have. (Even a cool basement will work.)
• Apples stored in the refrigerator stay fresh twice as long as those left out. Refrigerate your apples in the crisper section of your fridge; cool air maintains juiciness, quality and crispness.
• Handle your apples gently to prevent bruising.
• If unable to store in the fridge, store apples in a cardboard box with holes in the side (or ventilated storage bag) away from food with strong odours. Kept cool, fresh-picked apples will generally keep weeks.
• High humidity helps to keep the apples from shriveling, but don't let them get actually wet. A wet towel placed nearby helps to keep the humidity up. Sprinkle with a water mister a few times a week.
• Don't wash apples until just before using to prevent spoilage.
• When storing apples check them frequently and remove any that are beginning to spoil.

We hope that you and your family and friends will have a good time picking or purchasing your apples at Cannamore Orchard. We invite you to come back often and feel free to ask questions.

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