I n the Yuma area, warm winters are not conducive for significant apple production, thus, apples are primarily a niche market specialty crop. However, although the region is not able to grow apples like those found in Washington State, but with the right varieties, good fruit can be grown here in the desert. The key to success is choosing varieties of fruit that have a low chilling requirement.
Like all deciduous fruit trees; apples, need a minimum amount of cold during the winter to properly grow and produce fruit. Many varieties of fruit trees need more cold than we typically receive here in Yuma and the varieties that require the least amount of cold temperatures (low chill) are those that can produce fruit.
They include; ‘Anna', ‘Desert Gold' and ‘Gala’.
Apple trees don't bear their first fruit until they are four or five years old. There are more than
7,000 varieties of apples, but only about 100 are grown commercially in the U.S. Eight varieties account for 80% of total U.S. production. Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith,
McIntosh, Rome Beauty, Jonathan, York and Stayman. Apples account for 50% of the world's deciduous fruit tree production.
Archaeologists have evidence of people eating apples as far back as 6500 B.C.
Research has shown that the more apples a person eats, the lower his or her risk of developing lung cancer.
Johnny Appleseed was the nickname for John Chapman, a kind and generous American pioneer born in 1774 who planted apple seeds in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. When the first colonists migrated to North America, they brought apple seeds with them. The first recorded planting was in 1629 by the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Americans eat about 19.6 pounds of fresh apples annually, compared to about 46 pounds consumed annually by residents of European Countries. It takes about 36 apples to create one gallon of apple cider. It takes the photosynthetic energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.
China is now the world's largest apple producer, followed by the U.S. in second place.
One of George Washington's hobbies was pruning his apple trees.
America's longest-lived apple tree was reportedly planted in 1647 by Peter Stuyvesant in his Manhattan orchard and was still bearing fruit when a derailed train struck it in 1866.
On average, apples ripen 6 to 10 times faster at room temperature than if they were refrigerated.
For optimal storage, apples should be kept at 35-40 degrees with relative humidity of 80-90%.
The world's largest apple peel was created by Kathy Wafler Madison on October 16, 1976, in Rochester, NY. It was measured at 172 feet, 4 inches long.
Fresh apples float because 25 percent of their volume is air. About 50% of apples grown in the
United States are sold fresh, and 50% are processed into apple juice, apple sauce or dehydrated apple products. Almost 50% of the US apple crop is processed into apple products, such as apple juice, applesauce, apple pie filling, and canned apple slices.
Apples have five seed pocket, each pocket contains seeds. The number of seeds per carpel is determined by the vigor and health of the plant. Different varieties of apples have different number of seeds.

Planting an apple seed from a particular apple will not produce a tree of that same variety. The seed is a cross of the tree the fruit was grown on and the variety that was the cross pollinator.
Don’t peel your apple. Over two–thirds of the fiber and lots of antioxidants are found in the peel.
Antioxidants help to reduce damage to cells, which can trigger some diseases.
The Adam's apple is so-called because of a popular idea that it was created when the forbidden fruit got stuck in Adam's throat when he swallowed it.
Apples, like tomatoes are one of the most versatile fruits. They are delicious raw or cooked in sweet or savory dishes. They add sweetness to chutneys and jellies, and rich in pectin, apple added to a homemade jam ensures a good set.
There are over 1200 native apples for eating, cooking, as well as for cider making and crab apples for pickling. They have enchanting names: Acklam Russets, Barnack Beauty, Nutmeg Pippin,
Knobby Russet…and many more. Despite this, most growers concentrate on a few commercially proven varieties, leaving only a few varieties available in most markets.
Kurt Nolte is an area agriculture agent with the Yuma County Cooperative Extension. He can be reached at 928-726-3904.