Georgia
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Fr
ee
NOVEMBER 2013
North Georgia’s Agricultural Newspaper
Georgia apples fill supermarket shelves By Barbara Olejnik Georgia Ag News Staff bolejnik@poultrytimes.net
Photo by David B. Strickland
Autumn apples: The fall is the perfect time to enjoy locally grown, fresh, ripe and crisp apples; and many varieties are abundant.
GAINESVILLE — A trip into the produce section of a local supermarket reveals row upon row of a variety of apples — a great deal of these from North Georgia. Apples are a major product of Georgia’s economy and the 2013 harvest of those apples has now filled the supermarkets. The bulk of Georgia’s apple harvest is in the late summer and fall, although a few varieties ripen in early summer. The long season is due to the state’s north-south orientation, changes in elevation and the fact that the state grows almost four dozen varieties of apples. Georgia’s most popular variet-
ies include Ozark Gold, Paulard, Red and Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, Mutzu Crispin, Empire, Jonagold, Jonathan, Arkansas Black, Fuji, Granny Smith, Stayman Winesap and Yates. A large portion of North Georgia apples come from the mountain areas in and around Ellijay in Gilmer County. The cool mountain nights produce the best tasting, crispiest apples. A taste test held by the University of Georgia found that consumers overwhelmingly preferred Georgia apples over Washington state apples. Apples are also high in dietary fiber, low in sodium and contains no cholesterol. A medium-sized apple contains only 80 calories.
The apple saved North Georgia from the destruction caused by the boll weevil, which swept through the area in the 1920s, wiping out cotton, which was then the prevalent crop. North Georgia farmers had introduced the apple as a crop in the early 1900s and by the time of the boll weevil infestation, North Georgia had sufficient income from apples to offset at least part of the damage caused by the insect. The industry has grown from those early days. In 2008 Georgia produced 12 million pounds of apples with a value of $4.47 million, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. North Georgia celebrates the in-
See Apples, Page 16
Autumn arrives — fall leaves By David B. Strickland Georgia Ag News Staff
dstrickland@poultrytimes.net
GAINESVILLE — It’s a special time of year. It’s the time of year when trees in North Georgia are glowing with color. Georgia’s more than 250 species of trees produce fall leaf color ranging from dark red to bright yellow. These leaf color shades are dependent on several environmental factors, such as soil, weather and tree species. yy What types of trees produce what colors? If you’ve been driving through
North Georgia on a leaf watch trip, or just driving through town, and ever wondered what trees produce what shades of fall leaves; the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Georgia Forestry Commission are good sources of information. They note the following tree species, as just a few examples, of potential fall leaf colors:
Red White Oak, Scarlet Oak, Black Oak, Southern Red Oak, Black Gum, Sourwood, Sumac and Flowering Dogwood.
Yellow Green Ash, White Ash, American Beech, River Birch, Sweet Birch, Black Cherry, American Chestnut, American Elm, American Sycamore, Black Walnut, Black Willow, Slippery Elm, Winged Elm, Yellow Poplar, Buckeye, Georgia Oak, Laurel Oak, Chestnut Oak, Willow Oak, Red Mulberry, Yellow Poplar, Fraser Magnolia, Umbrella Magnolia, Georgia Hackberry, Bitternut Hickory, Carolina Hickory, Red Hickory, Shagbark Hickory and Shellbark Hickory.
See Leaves, Page 13
Photo by David B. Strickland
Fall leaf color: Late October and early November is usually peak leaf color time for North Georgia. The trees will be glowing with red, yellow and more — weather permitting.