Apple Harvest 2026 in the home straight
Of the later varieties, Jazz is on 2nd pick, Braeburn 1st pick completed and growers waiting more red colour before for 2nd pick starts. Colder night will help trigger colour. Pink Lady harvest now under way!
National Apple Day takes place every year on 21 October, and in 2026 it continues its UK born tradition of celebrating apples, orchards, and local growers.
National Apple Day arrives every October 21, a day dedicated to celebrating one of the world's most beloved and versatile fruits. From crunchy snacks to comforting desserts, apples offer endless culinary possibilities. Pick your favourite variety, try a new recipe, and share your apple appreciation with friends and family.
According to industry body British Apples & Pears (BAPL), this year's apple and pear crop had the best eating quality in years, thanks to the summer's warm weather helping the fruit to develop excellent sweetness, colour and aroma.
Origin
The holiday began in 1990 in London's Covent Garden, created by the U.K. environmental charity Common Ground to promote orchard conservation and celebrate apple diversity. It later spread to the United States, where it appears on national food holiday calendars
Apple Day, 21 October, was launched in 1990 by Common Ground. The aspiration was to create a calendar custom, an autumn holiday. From the start, Apple Day was intended to be both a celebration and a demonstration of the variety we are in danger of losing, not simply in apples, but in the richness and diversity of landscape, ecology and culture too. It has also played a part in raising awareness in the provenance and traceability of food.
The first Apple Day celebrations, in the old Apple Market in London's Covent Garden, brought fruit to the market after 16 years' absence. Forty stalls were taken. Fruit growers and nurseries producing and selling a wide variety of apples and trees rubbed shoulders with juice-and cider-makers, as well as writers and illustrators with their apple books.
Apples are frequently mentioned as a healthy snack between meals.
A medium-sized apple with the peel contains about 95 calories, around 4.4 grams of dietary fibre, and nearly 195 milligrams of potassium.
2026/2027: A new season's sales are up and running!
Great news from BAPL as early season apple sales are available for September and once again ALDI and LIDL 'punch above their weight' compared to their Market Share total
Below:
September apple sales 2026: ALDI 1992 ton. LIDL 1761 ton. TESCO 1716 ton. SAINSBURY 1542 ton. WAITROSE 545 ton.
Below:
September percentage apple sales (black) v total of market share (red):
ALDI 22.3% v 19.6%. LIDL 19.7% v 8.7%. TESCO 19.2% v 27.8%. SAINSBURYS 17.3% v 15.2%. WAITROSE 6.1% v 4.5%.
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National Fruit Show 2026
The National Fruit Show 2026 will take place on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, at the Kent Showground in Detling, Maidstone, running from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with free entry for visitors.
Click on: NFS
That is all for this week
Take care
The English Apple Man