This is an exciting time for many reasons; the sun is finally breaking through, the weather is starting to warm up, and we are oh-so close to our JAZZ apple blossom season! In just six short months, harvest will begin, which is the most important time of the year for us! Recently we had our marketing team come out to Wenatchee, Washington to get their boots dirty and experience a day in the life of growing JAZZ™ apples. Take a look below!
We all know JAZZ™ apples provide an always refreshing crunch and tangy-sweet explosion of flavor, but there is so much that goes into producing these sensational apples behind the scenes. We were about three weeks ahead of blossom season when we visited, but did you know that JAZZ™ apples start off as a flower bud that looks like this?
That’s right, that will eventually transform into a JAZZ apple! In fact, there are actually five flowers in these buds and with the warmer weather quickly approaching, they’ll begin to grow along the tree’s branches! From there, the flower is pollinated by our friends – bees! These bees are attracted to the apple flowers by nectar and natural scent of the flower. As the bees pollinate the different flowers, the fertilized ovules soon become seeds. Then, the outer wall of the ovary develops into the flesh of the apple and the inner wall of the ovary develops into the apple core around the seeds. Pretty cool, right?!
When summer finally comes around, the apples grow to size and begin to change color. As summer turns into fall, the JAZZ™ apples ripen to the perfect, sensational flavor we all know and love, are picked by hand, and are sent to your local grocery store!
Apple growing can best be described as a labor of love, as our dedicated growers pour their heart and soul into their beloved JAZZ™ apple trees to maintain the highest quality standards for you and your family to enjoy! We can’t wait for harvest season and are looking forward to making 2019 our best season yet!
For more information about how JAZZ™ apples are grown, click here!
Source: University of Illinois Extension