Apple producers in France are upbeat about the current season, with the new Pink Lady crop showing exceptional colour as harvesting continues
The current apple season in France continues to look promising, according to Didier Crabos, general manager of Cofruid’Oc Méditerranée and president of the Pink Lady Europe association.
“We are really confident for the new Pink Lady season,” he told Fruitnet. “We are in the harvesting stage, and the colour is beautiful.”
“The new European Pink Lady apple harvest is off to a flying start,” proclaimed Pink Lady Europe on LinkedIn. “We’re delighted to announce the start of the new European Pink Lady apple harvest, the fruit of a year’s painstaking work, and therefore a key moment for our growers.”
Pink Lady is a late-harvesting apple, with picking starting at the end of October and beginning of November, following a whole seven months on the tree, allowing the fruit to develop its “aromatic richness”, according to the company.
“The temperature difference between sunny days and cool nights during the last few weeks on the tree allows the apples to take on their beautiful, distinctive colour,” the association revealed.
Each Pink Lady apple is picked by hand, it stated, and only when fully ripe. “This meticulous work is carried out over three to five weeks during regular visits to the orchards, and guarantees impeccable quality and optimum freshness for each fruit,” Pink Lady Europe stated.
The association also pointed out the benefits of Pink Lady apples when it comes to the commitments of its growers to more sustainable production according to the Pink Lady commitment charter.
