After a batch of tests, San Benito County Agriculture
Commissioner Paul Matulich released McIntosh apples for harvest on
Monday, but the apple season is just beginning.
Hollister – After a batch of tests, San Benito County Agriculture Commissioner Paul Matulich released McIntosh apples for harvest on Monday, but the apple season is just beginning.
Although only two farmers in the county grow the McIntosh variety, which are often used to make juice and sauce, San Benito County produces thousands of tons of apple varieties each year. Still, most of it ends up in a bottle.
“Here most people grow, harvest and ship to Martinelli,” Matulich said.
S. Martinelli & Company, started in the Pajaro Valley in 1868, buys many of the county’s apples (for anywhere from $200 to $300 a ton) to make apple juice, sparkling apple juice and sparkling cider.
Selling apples for eating requires packing, which drives up the cost of production and the risk, Matulich said. If the apples aren’t bought to sell fresh, then the grower has wasted money on packing.
Most of San Benito County’s apples come from the San Juan Bautista area because apples “like it a little cooler,” Matulich said, and the warmer temperatures near Hollister make for less ideal growing conditions.
Like many other local apple growers, Anthony Botelho sells most of his apples to Martinelli. Botelho doesn’t grow the McIntosh variety, but grows four others: Red Delicious, Newtown Pippens, Granny Smith and his personal favorite, Fuji. Botelho has sold Granny Smith apples for the ready-to-eat, market, but for the last few years he has been selling his apples to be processed.
“It’s much more profitable to grow apples for Martinelli,” Botelho said.
A single acre of apple trees can produce up to 25 tons per year, but Botelho said he usually averages between 15-20 tons. Botelho works with fellow grower Ken Perry to operate B & P Fruit Company and is an owner of a smaller, family company, Botelho Orchards.
Although San Benito County’s good climate and soil combine to create attractive conditions for apple growers, the landscape would be drastically different if not for Martinelli.
“Martinelli does a good job and supports many local farmers,” Botelho said. “If it weren’t for them, you wouldn’t see any apple trees.”
The release of McIntosh apples marks the beginning of harvest season, but many more varieties will be nearing harvest in the coming months.
The origin of the McIntosh variety can be traced back more than 200 years to John McIntosh and a single tree, near the St. Lawrence River in Dundela County, Ontario, Canada.
Unlike the popular Granny Smith variety, McIntosh apples are tested for pressure and sugar levels to determine when they can be released for harvest, Matulich said. Granny Smith apples are tested for starch content to determine maturity.
Brett Rowland covers education for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or br******@fr***********.com
