11/11/08 In the Pink

In the Pink. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. The apple harvest is nearing completion and last weeks crop estimates are looking at another record breaking year. One of the smaller varieties that is really making a big splash is the Pink Lady apple. Alan Taylor with Pink Lady America says it's an indication that harvest is just about over. TAYLOR: Well if anyone is looking for the end of the apple season I think Pink Lady probably indicates that we're probably just about there because it's the last apple that's harvested on a regular basis here in Washington State and we're looking at a crop actually where some others are up a little bit we're down just a bit from last year. That estimate is 2.1 million compared to 2.4 million last year. TAYLOR: Pink Lady's are a very different apple in a lot of ways. They're generally small and this year they're probably going to be maybe even a little smaller than normal which is a good thing for our export market but as I understand it the king bloom was lost to frost in the spring and that produces the larger apples so we don't have those large apples available this year. Smaller apples but Taylor says the quality is excellent. He also says they are looking at some great promotions again this coming year. TAYLOR: Valentine's Day will be very big for us. We've been developing that holiday as our very own over the last several seasons promoting the apple as an alternative to high calorie candy. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.