An apple story!
The commercial production of apples in New Brunswick began more than 100 years ago. U-picks have since then become a popular Fall outdoor family activity.
But what do we really know about this crispy, juicy and colored fruit that we either eat fresh or cooked on October rainy days? We interviewed Pavel Bourgeois, co-owner of La Fleur du Pommier cooperative who’s producing 477 tons of apples every year to learn more about apples.
La Fleur du Pommier was founded in 1978 by four families who decided to partner to offer high quality apples. Located in Cocagne, the farm counts 10 000 apple trees and many acres of land. While constantly innovating to remain on the leading edge, the cooperative is also an environmentally friendly farm known for it “waste-free” policy.
“We determine our apple production according to the bins of apples collected”. Each bin weights between 700 and 800 pounds and we collect about 1500 bins per year. 14% of our production is dedicated to sales. You can for example find our apples at the Moncton and Dieppe Markets and at Sobeys. And even though U-picks are very popular, it only represents 4% of our total annual production!”.
So what do you do with the rest of the 83% of the apple production?
“The remaining apples are primarily used to produce juice”, says Mr. Bourgeois.
“Our farm has a great variety of apples. We are also able to have different generations of apples thanks to the investments we made throughout the years in terms of storage, which allows us to play with a wide range of flavors! For example, using first generation apples will result in a sweeter juice. On the other hand we will obtain a more delicate taste of it using second or third generation apples.”
“We are always looking for ways to reduce our apple waste which brings us to use different methods in order to do so.” Just like that the apple vinegar sold by La Fleur du pommier is made from the unsold or approaching expiration date apple juice and the apple presenting a lower quality are offered to local farms to feed the animals.
But to practise a “zero waste” policy having a good storage system is also needed. “Apples are stored in a hangar at low temperature, where the oxygen level is maintained at a lower level (approx. 3 %) to increase CO2 level. This environment increases the apple's lifetime from 8 to 10 months which allows us to sell our apples all winter long.”
Finally, do you have any method that you would like to share with our readers on how to preserve apples at home when you do not have any specialized equipment?
“All you have to do is wrap your apples in newspaper and store them in a cool place. This is an ancient technique that has proven to be really effective which will allow you to keep your apples for a longer time.” A news that should light up the day of all the homemade apples crumbles on a snowy January afternoon lovers!