By Joel Donofrio
When a quality product meets the high expectations of its advanced marketing, a star of the produce section is born.
The Cosmic Crisp apple fits that description, and its skyrocketing production and consumption leads a wave of new varieties that are expected to help boost the 2024 Washington apple crop above three of the past four years’ harvests.
“People like to try new varieties, to mix and match … and Cosmic Crisps are very popular,” said J.R. St. Aubin, co-owner of the Fruit City farmstand in Union Gap, Yakima County.
“(Cosmic Crisps) keep like a rock — it’s scary how well they keep their crispness,” St. Aubin added. “You can forget about them and leave them in your fridge for weeks, even months, and they’re still hard and taste good.”
For nearly six decades, Fruit City has provided customers with Yakima Valley-produced fruits and vegetables throughout the harvest seasons — from asparagus in the spring to as many as 18 varieties of apples in the fall.
St. Aubin and his brother, Lynn, purchase apples from growers across the valley.
“My mom and dad started this business in 1966 — we’ve been around for 58 years, knock on wood,” J.R. St. Aubin said. “My brother and I grew up in the valley, we know a lot of the growers. We work with a lot of the smaller growers and try to buy from a variety of people.”
This year’s crop forecast
Growers both large and small are expected to have a good crop this fall, according to the forecast issued by the Washington State Tree Fruit Association.
The association, which represents growers, packers and marketers of Washington apples, pears and sweet cherries, expects this year’s moderate weather will help deliver a crop estimated at 124 million standard 40-pound boxes of fresh apples.
“We are seeing a more normal harvest and excellent fruit quality this year,” said Jon DeVaney, WSTFA president. “A moderate spring and warm early summer created stable growing conditions.”
DeVaney called the 2024 harvest forecast “a return to recent historic norms” after two unusual years.
The 124-million box estimate is close to Washington’s 2020 and 2021 apple crops of 122.5 and 122.9 million boxes, respectively.
Cool and wet weather dampened the 2022 crop, which was 103.9 million boxes statewide, then 2023 saw a much larger “rebound” crop of 136.1 million boxes, DeVaney said.
Apples continue to be the state’s leading agricultural commodity, representing $2 billion, or 16%, of Washington’s total farm-gate agricultural value in 2022.
Derek Sandison, Washington State Department of Agriculture director, noted that nearly 30% of the annual apple harvest is exported.
“Apples are synonymous with Washington state, and we are known for producing the world’s finest apples,” Sandison said. “Thanks to the more favorable growing conditions this past year, we expect the projected harvest to be not only high in quantity, but also quality.”
DeVaney noted that the 2024 apple forecast is based on a survey of WSTFA members and represents the best estimate of fruit that will be harvested, packed and sold on the fresh market. It does not include apples sold to processors.
The apple harvest began in August and typically continues into early November, with this year’s relatively mild fall weather helping harvest conditions.
Galas the most popular variety
WSTFA’s forecast includes estimates for each variety of apple, with Galas expected to be the most popular at 19% of the total Washington apple crop.
Those are followed by Granny Smiths (14.5%), Red Delicious (13%), Honeycrisp (12%) and Fujis (10.5%).
Cosmic Crisps, developed by Washington State University specifically for Eastern Washington’s growing conditions, are anticipated to make up 9% of this year’s crop. DeVaney noted the variety’s significant growth in popularity since it was introduced just five years ago, as Cosmic Crisps represented 1% of the harvest in 2020 and 6% of the crop in 2023.
