09/01/2026
Local Apple Update: As we head into autumn, we know many of you are looking forward to the return of local apples and we wanted to share a quick update on what to expect this year.
This past April, our region experienced a challenging “late freeze” event shortly after an unseasonably warm spell. This weather pattern hit many of our longstanding orchard partners in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York. At first, we weren’t sure if we’d have any apples at all.
However, thanks to our dedicated sourcing team, we have been working to ensure you still have access to the best fruit available - and we want to be clear about what this means for you:
Availability: Apples will be available! By diversifying our reach, we are ensuring we can keep your deliveries stocked.
Appearance: In some instances, you might notice some cosmetic imperfections, interesting shapes or in other instances, because the fruit set later than usual because of the frost, smaller apples. This week’s Gala apples, for example, are smaller.
Flavor/texture: Our goal is to deliver the same outstanding flavor that you expect from local apples - and everything that we have tasted so far has been crisp, crunchy, juicy and delicious. Enjoy!
In closing, I want to emphasize that in the last 5-6 years, whether it was during covid or during countless food safety scares (in the global, industrial food system), our local farms have stepped up - and have been there for us - time and time again.
This Fall, let’s take every opportunity we get to support our local farms and orchards.
I was talking to one of our growers today and he emphasized, “It has been a challenging year for tree fruit growers. This is what supporting local agriculture is all about. There is risk and there is reward.”
Thank you so much for your continued support of local agriculture and we welcome your feedback through the Fall.
Yours in support of local food,
Mikey and the Zone 7 Team
