ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Opal apple variety is back, with volume similar to a year ago.
Availability of the proprietary variety is expected into June, said Dennis Jackson, regional manager for Yakima, Wash.-based FirstFruits Marketing of Washington. That will be a slightly shorter season than a year ago, when supplies of Opal apples were sold into July, Jackson said.
This season, supplies of organic Opal apples are anticipated through the end of April, he said.
The company sampled Opals at its Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit booth and gave away an Opal-themed cookbook by Cynthia Sass called “Healthy to the Core.”
Jackson said the sweet tang and clean golden appearance of the apple boosts its appeal.
“We have found as the trees get older, the apples get cleaner,” he said.
According to the Washington Tree Fruit Acreage Survey from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Opal apple acreage in 2017 was 1,520 acres, up from no reported acreage in 2011. That compares with Kanzi acreage of 1,742 and braeburn acreage of 1,298 acres, according to the USDA.
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