MISSOURI, ILLINOIS APPLE GROWERS BRING IN HARVEST

Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois apple producers are bringing in this year's crop and it appears to be a good and plentiful one.

The Missouri harvest is about a week behind the average, says a spokesman for the Department of Agriculture, but the year's apple crop is forecast to be in excess of a million bushels for the second year in a row.

Agriculture Department director John L. Saunders, says the crop is a good one. "A few growers have experienced more disease problems than normal and some growers report hail damage," said Saunders. "But, overall the apples look good."

Local growers agree.

David Diebold, who operates Diebold's Orchard in the Benton-Kelso area of Southeast Missouri, said the only negative he could find was that the crop was running late.

"We have an excellence crop of apples," he said. "But, we're still a week away from full maturity of the Jonathans, Golden and Red Delicious.

"We won't get into the peak of the season of these three varieties before next week," added Diebold. "In most years we would already be peaking at this time."

Diebold Orchards, which sells about 75 percent of its fruit at its retail facilities, does have apples available.

"We're picking a few of the Jonathans and Golden Delicious, and we have a variety of summer apples -- Gala, Ozark Golds, and Mollies Delicious -- on hand," added Diebold.

The fruit is beginning to get its color now, added Diebold. "The hot weather of early August didn't hurt the crop, but it needed the recent cool weather to take on the color. The apples are beginning to look great now."

Pioneer Orchard is already picking Jonathans, Golden and Red Delicious.

"We're also offering our annual `Pick Your Own' program," said LaDonia Beggs of Pioneer. "People can bring their own containers and pick their own fruit from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily."

Pioneer, like most orchards throughout the state, reports plenty of apples and good quality.

"We have a good crop of apples," said Beggs.

Pioneer Orchard, which sells retail and wholesale, has more than 350 acres of apples.

"We especially like to call attention to our pick-your-own program," said Beggs. "It's good family fun. People can ride out to the orchard on a wagon pulled either by an antique tractor, or even horses from time to time."

Along the orchard route, people can see a pumpkin patch, and ornamental gourd garden. Pumpkins and gourds will be available within a couple of weeks. Also available in the pick-your-own area are straw and jungle mazes for the youngsters.

Pioneer will hold its annual Harvest Festival Oct. 2, featuring games for kids, apple and pumpkin pie baking contests, an animal petting pen, soap-making, live music and crafts.

Another apple celebration is the annual Apple Festival, held at Murphysboro, Ill., each September. This year's event is under way and runs through Saturday, featuring a Saturday morning parade, an evening prince and princess contest and Miss Apple Festival Beauty Pageant.

The reigning Miss Apple Festival is Alana Adorjan of Murphysboro, a sophomore at Southeast Missouri State University at Cape Girardeau.

The festival will help celebrate a bountiful apple crop in Southern Illinois.

"We've had a good growing season and we have a good crop," says Bill Flamm, of Flamm Orchards near Cobden, Ill., which includes apples and peaches. "There are plenty of apples and the quality of the fruit is good."

"We're picking Red Jonathans and Golden Delicious now," said Flamm. "

Bill and Larry Flamm are partners in the 400-acre apple operation.

"We ship out a lot of our fruit wholesale," said Bill Flamm. "But, we always have a few for retail at the packing shed."

The Southern Illinois area produces 75 percent of the state's apple crop.

While many of the apples grown in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois are sold locally, many more of them are sold wholesale and eventually find their way into households, restaurants and bakeries across much of the United States.

Wholesalers sell locally grown apples to retailers in metropolitan markets like St. Louis, Chicago, Kansas City, Dallas-Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Memphis, Louisville, Houston and many other cities.

Consumers can find the state's leading apples varieties -- Jonathan, Golden and Red Delicious -- at most orchards throughout the area. Other varieties found in Missouri and Illinois include the winter varieties of Winesap, Rome Beauty, York and Granny Smith, which will be ready to pick in late September and early October.

Meanwhile, the peach-picking season is all but over.

"We're picking the last of our peaches today," said Diebold. "Normally by this time of year, all peaches have been picked, but they, too, were late this year."

Pears are also available.

"We have seven or eight varieties of pears," said Diebold. "During most times, we'll have at least three to four varieties available for sale here."