WNC is Apple-looza

Come pick apples in WNC!

Western North Carolina (WNC) is one of the top apple growing regions in the state of North Carolina and the state ranks in the top 10 for the country. During the harvest season from August to October, WNC and in particular Henderson County become a palooza of apple activities. The pinnacle is the annual NC Apple Festival held the first weekend in September coinciding and ending on Labor Day.

The goal of this website is to share some of the best orchards, events, and apple-centric information for those living or visiting Henderson County, North Carolina.

SAFETY TIP: For visitors, please pay attention to traffic flows in downtown Hendersonville. Church and King Streets are ONE WAY only.

FUN FACTS

• North Carolina consistently ranks in the top apple producing states, usually 7th to 9th.
• North Carolina produces 1 to 2 percent of the total domestic crop.
• An apple tree will start bearing fruit 8-10 years after it is planted. A dwarf tree starts bearing in 3-6 years.
• It takes about 36 apples (approximately 1/2 bushel) to create one gallon of apple cider.
• Apples are a member of the rose plant family along with pears, peaches, plums, and cherries.
• Twenty-five hundred varieties of apples are grown in the United States; seventy-five hundred varieties are grown around the world.
• One hundred varieties of apples are commercially grown in the United States in 36 states.
• Apples are fat, sodium, and cholesterol free, and a medium apple has about 80 calories.
• Apples are a great source of pectin, a soluble fiber. One apple has 5 grams of fiber.
• Virtually all apples are still picked by hand in the fall.
• Twenty-five percent of an apple’s volume is air-that’s why they float.
• Apples are the second most valuable fruit in the United States. Oranges are the first.
• The largest United States’ apple crop was 277.3 million bushels in 1998.
• A peck of apples weighs approximately 10 pounds and a bushel of apples weighs approximately 42 pounds.
• There are 4 pecks in a bushel and 8 half pecks in a bushel.
• One bushel of apples yields approximately 12 quarts or 24 pints of applesauce.
• Apples ripen or soften ten times faster at room temperature than if they were refrigerated.
• There are approximately 10,000 acres of apples in North Carolina.
• Annual production costs range widely; the average cost for a well-maintained orchard is approximately $1,800 per acre.
• The majority (60 to 70 percent) of North Carolina apples over the past 10 to 20 years have been sold through processing and juice markets; the remainder is sold through fresh markets.