Apple Farm to Fruit Bowl Tour in Ontario

Apples are a fruit associated with autumn, but for growers in Ontario apple farming is a year-round job. We visited Norfolk County to learn how apples get from farm to table.

A beige crate of red apples in Norfolk, Ontario outdoors on a sunny day, with a hand reaching into the create to pick an apple.

Hosted by the Ontario Apple Growers, a group of foodies, nutritionists, and dieticians visited Norfolk County to learn about the process of apple farming from some apple growers in Ontario. We were there in late November and while the bulk of harvest was over for the year, there was still lots of work to be done to get apples and apple products to our tables.

About Ontario Apple Growers

Ontario Apple Growers is an organization working with over 200 grower-members with over 10 acres of apple orchards. Their work centres around promoting Ontario apples to consumers, supporting & fostering a thriving farming industry, and encouraging research & innovation.

As part of their mandate to promote Ontario apples they hosted a group of us for a delicious day filled with apple facts and bites.

Visit their website for some creative and delicious recipes using Ontario-grown apples.

Ireland Orchards

The harvest for the season was over and the trees were bare, but we learned a bit about the fruit trees in Ontario and the history of Ireland Orchards.

A group of apple trees after the harvest with no fruit on the trees and slightly wilted leaves.

A red apple with a bite taken out of it being held outside by a hand wearing a light grey glove.

It was a sunny and chilly day as we stood outside in the orchards while Murray from Ireland Orchards shared some informative facts about their operations:

Ireland Orchards has 865 acres of land
They used to grow 17 varieties of apples but pared it down to be a more manageable operation. Some of the trees they had were older-style that took more labour to prune & harvest.
Organic vs conventional pesticides. This question came up because it’s been said that apples are a highly sprayed crop, and it led to some interesting knowledge. They have used organic pesticides over the years but according to Murray, with organic pesticides it’s required to spray more often and the sulphur in the organic pesticides is toxic, which means that the workers have to stay out of the orchards for a longer period of time until it’s safe after spraying. What they do is monitor the fields on a weekly basis to see which bugs are in the orchards, determine the good vs the bad and adjust the balance of pesticides to ensure there are more good bugs left behind.
They aim to have 10 – 12 apples per tree which allows for consistency in the final product, which is what consumer want.

The Combine Restaurant

A food tour isn’t complete without some delicious food to eat, and our stop for lunch at The Combine hit the spot!

The chef at The Combine prepared a meal to showcase apples and products grown locally. They aim to build relationships with local farmers and have their own garden & greenhouse to ensure the freshest and best quality ingredients.

A glass of apple cider with a sugared rim on a table.

The menu: We started with a Warm Norfolk Apple Cider followed by an Apple Chestnut Soup. There was a choice for the main dish and I chose for the Harvest Salad with Shrimp, but all of the entrees looked amazing. The small bites of apple fritters with caramel was a delicious way to end the meal.

A close up of a white bowl with a mixed green salad and three grilled shimp with tails on.

A close up of a white plate with spaetzle topped with a crispy pork schnitzel with a dollop of apple sauce.

Norfolk Growers Association

The last stop of the day was the Norfolk Growers Association to see the final stages of the apple journey before it hits the stores for consumers to purchase.

With 9 apple growers in the association, this is where the apples get washed, processed, and packed for sale. They process about 750,000 apples per day!

A person showing only their hands putting a tray of apples into a box.

A woman with light brown skin wearing a dark coloured hair net, a black jacket and a name tag stands in front of boxes of apples.

Some of the apples are bagged or boxed for immediate sale, and a whole lot of apples are put into climate-controlled storage so they stay fresh and can be sold throughout the year – this is how we can have fresh apples all year round. Each storage room can hold about 550,000 lbs of apples.

A wooden door leading to an apple storage room

A metal door with a small window leading to an apple storage room

Just before we boarded the bus to head home to Toronto we stopped in at the store for the most delicious apple cider donuts.

A tray of freshly made apple cider donuts generously sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

A close up of an apple cider donut with a bite out of it being held over baskets of apples.

Overall, we learned quite a bit about the journey our apples take from farm to store to table. If you go to a pick-your-own it seems as though it’s just a matter of picking an apple, washing it and eating, but for the commercial sale there’s a lot more that goes into it and it certainly makes me appreciate all of the work that goes into getting food to consumers.