Northern Michigan Harvest: The numbers aren’t pretty: 3 million bushels of apples this year in Michigan compared to a typical annual harvest of 15 to 20 million bushels. But farmers like Bob Gregory of Cherry Bay Orchards in Suttons Bay are looking on the bright side, despite what Mother Nature has doled out. “In Northern Michigan, particularly in Leelanau County, we have a better apple crop than cherry crop by far, and we have certain varieties—Honey Crisp, Gala, Rome and several goldens—that have a real nice crop,” he says. This summer Governor Rick Snyder named Gregory to the Michigan Apple Committee. Along with eight other Michigan growers on the committee, Gregory is charged with helping promote Michigan apples and improving conditions for growers. “For the fall months, we need to keep a dialog going with the retailers in terms of the quality of Michigan apples, the flavorful-ness of the apples,” he says. Then, when a full crop returns in 2013, he says these stores “will be ready and willing to engage in marketing our apples.”
Find out what you can do with your Northern Michigan apples in the article "Northern Michigan Harvest-Time Recipes: All About the Apple."