2024 Market Report

Twenty twenty-four was not a typical harvest (and, is there even such of a thing?). ¶ 

But it wasn't a bad harvest either, and in any case illustrates the rhythms, the rise and fall, of agriculture (as expressed at my local markets). ¶ 

All of the apples for sale, by date, from July to the end of the outdoor markets in November of last year. It's from this spreadsheet.

Last year, the apples started in mid-July with Vista Bella, peaking in fat October with 25 apple varieties on a single day, and dwindling to the final 11 the day before Thanksgiving.

Farmers brought 43 kinds of apples to market.

Of course there is more to the story than this. Many more apples could be found at orchards and farm stands: one near Boston had 36 varieties on a single October day.

The universe of apples available in New England every week is far more vast.

It would be fascinating to report on that universe, but that is far beyond me.

For these market reports, I humbly confined myself to the produce of at most four vendors, dwindling to two after the suburban markets closed on Halloween. (Notice the drop-off in the graph.)

Data note

The above chart is rendered from a spreadsheet, in which the names of each variety are stacked over time, showing the seasonal growth and inevitable decline of choices.

(I'm afraid that if you read this on your phone, there may be no good way to view this chart.)

And the seasons they go round and round

Familiarly, the apple harvest here starts tentatively in July, builds up steam in August, hits its stride in September, and reaches a climax in October.

At which point the actually harvest is done, and we are living off the picked fruit until the day before Thanksgiving, when the whole circus leaves town.

That, broadly, is how it rolls year.

Mid July is but six months away.