It’s a deceptively simple journey from orchard to lunchbox for the much-loved apple. In fact, each of the 100 varieties grown by Canadian farmers takes an incredible amount of time and hard work, and consumes energy and resources in the process.
The trees themselves can be finicky, requiring well-drained soil and balanced pH. It takes 5 to 6 years before an apple tree reaches full production.
Each season the fruit itself takes 6 to 8 months to mature. Throughout this time, there’s year-round care required: pruning, thinning, irrigating, fertilizing, trellising, monitoring for more than 75 pests and diseases – even bringing in beehives to support pollination. And that’s all before the multiple rounds of harvesting, much of which is done by hand to protect the delicate fruit.
Apple production needs other resources too. Taking care of them takes energy, which produces greenhouse gas emissions – although the trees do help remove carbon dioxide from the air. And fertilizer is needed to help them grow.
The message from apple growers across Canada? Make every bite count.
Our A-Z Food Storage Guide will help you make them stay fresher for longer.
*This information on the journey of five foods was collected as part of a research project prepared for Love Food Hate Waste Canada with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the federal Department of Environment and Climate Change.