It won’t be long now, SweeTango fans. Many of the growers with Next Big Thing, the cooperative that grows and markets SweeTango apples, are starting their harvest and getting ready to begin sending apples your way.
Out in Hart, Mich., our friends at Rennhack Orchards have begun harvesting their crop of SweeTango apples and are making them available at their market.
Owner Dave Rennhack said that despite an early bloom and spring freezes, he should have enough to keep his market stocked through October. The orchard will ship to apple lovers who can’t make the journey to their market and/or can’t find delicious SweeTango’s in their area. Visit the Rennhack Orchards Market website for details on buying SweeTango online.
For SweeTango fans in the area or looking for a fun apple trip, Rennhack will also be at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes Apple & BBQ Cook-off Festival on Saturday, Sept. 8 to slice up hundreds of apples for the crowd to sample.
“It’s very fun,” Dave’s wife and co-owner Joann Rennhack said, “because there are always people who reluctantly sample the SweeTango, saying ‘There’s no apple like Honeycrisp! That’s the best apple there is!’ and then you watch their faces light up as they munch into a SweeTango slice and say, ‘Wow! I think I have a new favorite!'”
At Wood Orchard in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., grower Steve Wood is tickled with how his SweeTango apples are coming along. They’ve started harvesting and plan to have apples available for sale in their orchard market beginning Tuesday.
Wood Orchard also plans to start shipping apples next week for packing and distribution.
“The SweeTangos are looking good, nice and clean with a good finish,” Wood said. “The size is good and flavor is typical SweeTango, which means excellent.”
Our growers in the Northwest are harvesting as well.
“We started harvesting over a week ago and will wrap up in the next week,” said Brianna Shales of Stemilt Growers in Wenatchee, Wash. “We will pack our first run of SweeTangos this week, so they will be in stores soon!”
Shales also said that even in the face of hail storms this summer, which have lowered the overall crop a bit, the apples are shaping up to achieve the superior quality SweeTango lovers have grown to cherish.
“I tasted a few apples that were still a week away from harvest and they already tasted fantastic,” she said. “The crunch, juice, and sweet-tart flavor that consumers love about SweeTango will definitely be there this year.”
SweeTango season is nearing full bloom, folks. We hope you’re all as excited as we are!
We’ll be keeping you updated with details about where you can find SweeTango as the harvest progresses.
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