Gravenstein Apples Are Coming!
- By Chris Mittelstaedt
- Reading Time: 2 mins.
Gravenstein apple season is one of my favorite times of the year. The harvest of this endangered Northern California heirloom apple is very short — only 2-3 weeks in August — and heralds the beginning of our country’s parade of apple harvests, from west to east.
Today we are taking pre-orders for our 17th annual Gravenstein Apple Box. Deliveries will be made the weeks of August 21st and 28th. I wanted to give a shout out to this special apple and how your purchase of our annual box supports some of the last California growers of this special apple.
Got Pie?
Many moons ago (way back in 2009) I was asked to judge the apple pie contest at the annual Gravenstein Apple Fair in Sebastopol, CA. I tasted some great pies in a shady grove as we all celebrated the majestic Grav.
Pie bakers across the country prize the Grav for its perfect baking texture and tartness. Order a box for the pie lover or apple aficionado in your circle or get a case to treat your staff. The growers receive a percentage of the proceeds from each box sold (in addition to our purchase of their apples).
Send this special apple as a seasonal treat to your staff: If you are a company that wants to send our mini box to your remote employees, just contact customer service and we are happy to set it up for you. You’ll give employees a unique tasting experience and support Gravenstein Apple farmers Stan Devoto and John Kolling, who will receive 16% of the proceeds of each box.
Celebrate the Gravenstein Apple & Support her Farmers
Since 2006, we have offered a Gravenstein Apple box to support the last few remaining commercial growers in Sonoma county with 16% of the proceeds of this program going directly to the farmers. Folks can have these apples shipped to them nationwide if they’d like to taste a bit of the terroir of Sonoma County’s special apples.
Gravenstein apples are an “endangered American food,” included in Slow Food USA’s Ark of Taste, a living collection of heritage foods in danger of extinction. Housing development, more profitable wine-grape production, and cheaper overseas imports for apple juice and sauce are among the factors that have greatly reduced the number of Gravenstein apple orchards around Sebastopol in Sonoma County. Only a handful of farmers continue to grow Gravensteins in the area.
Apple growers Stan Devoto and John Kolling are both longtime FruitGuys farm partners. The farmers set the price for the apples we purchase and then we give them back an additional 16% of the revenue from box sales in addition to what we pay for the apples.
I look forward to Grav season every year and I’m happy to be able to bring them to those who love them too. For all the other fruits we have to offer in your area, please visit our regional mix pages to see what’s in your box (mixes are updated every Sunday).
