Apple harvest season starts early in Jyväskylä as growers prepare for processing

The apple harvest season this year has started exceptionally early, prompting many professional and hobbyist growers to consider processing their bountiful yields for winter use. Markku Kankaanperä, the owner of Pirttiahon garden in Korpilahti, Jyväskylä, notes that the harvest looks promising. “Huvitus, Valkea kuulas, and Pirja varieties are nearing maturity. There are a lot of immature fruits on the autumn and winter varieties,” Kankaanperä explains.

Esa Vilhunen, who operates a juice extraction facility in Keuruu, began his juicing season this Tuesday. Both Kankaanperä and Vilhunen advise bringing apples to the juicing station while they are still slightly unripe. Kankaanperä explains that the best juice comes from tart autumn and winter varieties. “If the apples are overripe and mealy, they won’t yield good juice,” Vilhunen adds.

Markku Kankaanperä also mentions that the quality of this year’s apples appears to be excellent. His orchard practices organic farming, which can lead to some minor worm damage on the fruit, but overall, the crop looks good at this stage. In contrast, Mikkeli-based farmer Matti Piispa shares that while significant amounts of water were needed during the summer, he faced no major difficulties. “It was surprising that there have been very few pests this year,” Piispa adds. He has about 1,000 apple trees and has already harvested the first apples of the season.