Find the right one for snacking, baking and more.
Browse varietiesFind the right one for snacking, baking and more.
Browse varietiesWhen is apple season?
When apples are picked, when they taste best and why they are in stores all year.
In the United States, apple season runs from late summer into fall. Most apples are harvested from August through early November, with the busiest stretch in September and October.
But apples are in stores all year. Here is why, and when each kind is at its best.
Typical US harvest times. Exact timing shifts with region and weather.
| When | What is happening | Apples to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Late July to August | The first early apples arrive | Ginger Gold, Rave, Zestar!, Paula Red |
| September | Peak harvest begins | Gala, Honeycrisp, SweeTango, McIntosh, Cortland, Empire |
| October | The busiest harvest month | Fuji, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Braeburn, Kiku, Piñata |
| Late October to November | Late apples finish the season | Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Winesap, Arkansas Black |
| Winter into spring | Stored apples and long keepers | Cosmic Crisp, EverCrisp, Lady Alice, RubyFrost, Pazazz, SugarBee |
Most apples you buy in spring and summer were picked the fall before. After harvest, apples are cooled quickly and kept in controlled atmosphere storage: cold, airtight rooms where oxygen is lowered and carbon dioxide is raised. This puts the apples into a kind of slow motion, so they stay crisp for 6 to 12 months.
Imports fill the rest of the gap. New Zealand and Chile harvest apples in our spring, so varieties like Jazz, Envy and Pacific Rose often arrive from the Southern Hemisphere in the off-season.
Early-season apples are best eaten soon after harvest, since they do not keep long. Many late-season apples are the opposite: varieties like Cosmic Crisp and Lady Alice actually taste better after a few weeks or months in storage, as their starches turn to sugar.
For the freshest apples of all, visit a local orchard or farm market in September or October.
