Himachal
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Top 10 DELICIOUS HIMACHAL APPLE FACTS
Did you know the first apple orchard of India was established in Kullu and not in Shimla as is popularly believed? Read on to know all the juicy and delicious Himachal apple facts….
Love apples? But how much do you really know about apples, especially the Himachal apples? Here are the most interesting Himachal apple facts for you to become a wise fruit lover. After reading this article next time you bite on that juicy Himachal apple, you will be chewing on something special.
1. Himachal is the second largest apple producer
Himachal Pradesh is the largest apple producer in India after Jammu and Kashmir. Apple, which is considered the most popular fruit in the world, is also the main cash crop of Himachal Pradesh accounting for around 85% of the state’s total fruit production.
Himachal produces an average 6 to 8 lakh metric tonnes of apples annually and the area under apple cultivation in the state has increased from a mere 400 hectares in 1950-51 to a whopping over 1,15,016 hectares in 2023-24. The state had produced highest 8.92 lakh metric tonnes of apples in the year 2010-11.
Apples in Himachal are grown primarily in districts of Kullu, Shimla, Kinnaur and in parts of Mandi, Chamba, Solan and Sirmaur districts. Apple is also being grown in the rather cold district of Lahaul Spiti but the production is still to pick there.
2. Over a dozen apple varieties
In the old days there used to be just three main apple varieties in Himachal Pradesh — Red Delicious, Royal Delicious and Golden Delicious. But these days, there are over a dozen types of apples that are grown and exported from Himachal Pradesh.
Some of the top varieties include Royal Delicious and its various variants including Jeromine, Super Chief and King Roat etc, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Gala and its various variants like Gale Gala, Redlum and Dark Baron etc.
3. Gala is the new apple king
Once Royal Delicious used to be the king of fruits in Himachal Pradesh. But in recent years, crispy, colourful and juicy Gala has been slowly replacing Royal Delicious to sit on the throne of Himachal’s fruit kingdom. The reason is simple. Gala apples can be grown in comparatively warmer areas unlike the classic Royal Delicious trees, which requires a minimum 1400 chilling hours of temperature less than 7 degrees Celsius in order to flower and bear fruits properly.
Moreover, the Gala variety is also less prone to various diseases and its trees start giving fruit within three years of planting.
According to Mr Tikam Ram Thakur, an innovative and a progressive apple grower from the Kullu valley, Gala has become fruit lovers’ first choice.
“More and more people are loving the Gala apples because of this fruit’s rich texture and flavour and its full red color and crispness. Most people also find Gala’s unique sweet taste better than most other varieties,” says Mr Thakur, who has apple orchards in Ghurdaur village of Kullu valley.
4. The best apple
Many believe that the apple produced in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh is the best apple of Himachal Pradesh due to many factors including taste, size, texture and color. Kinnaur apple also seems to take the cake because of the favourable climate conditions as the district is located in the upper Himalaya.
Most of the orchards in Kinnaur are located at a height of above 6000 feet where weather conditions are near perfect for producing good quality apples. The Kinnaur apple also takes more time to ripen and the harvesting season there starts after almost a month of Kullu and Shimla.
However, Mr Tikam Ram Thakur, who also trains budding horticulturists, believes otherwise. He says that the apples grown in the Kullu valley are the best.
“Many say that Shimla apples are better. But I believe that apple quality is better in a place where there is good water and the soil conditions are better. These two factors — water and soil — favour the Kullu valley. No doubt, Shimla apples are good but availability of water is an issue there. As far as the Kinnaur apples are concerned, they have the benefit of their location. Kinnaur is in the upper Himalayas and it’s good for varieties grown above 6000 feet,” says Mr Thakur.
5. Tastiest apple
It’s difficult to pinpoint at one apple variety as taste is purely subjective. If you want a truly sweet apple then Royal Delicious is the one for you. If you like sweet apples with a hint of tart then bite into the Gala. And if you like pleasantly sour taste then Granny Smith is the one for you.
6. Costliest apple
When it comes to the price tag on an apple, Kinnaur apples are ranked higher than Shimla and Kullu in the market place. Kinnaur apples fetch higher prices because they are considered to be of best quality. Also, apple harvesting in Kinnaur begins in September when elsewhere at most places in Himachal it’s almost being wrapped up and the supply is less in the market.
After Kinnaur, it’s Shimla and then Kullu apples which get higher rates respectively in the market.
7. The first apple orchard of India
There is a popular belief that the first apple in India was grown in the Shimla district by Samuel Evans Stokes, an American who had settled down in Kotgarh.
But it’s not true.
Actually, the first apple orchard of India was established in Kullu’s Bandrol village in 1870 by Captain R C Lee, almost 45 years before Shimla. Bandrol village is located around 12 kms from Kullu town on the Manali national highway. After retiring from his regiment, the Royal Sussex, Captain Lee had bought land in Bandrol village and settled down here in 1870.
Captain Lee started cultivating apples in Bandrol immediately after having built himself a house in the village. He brought apple tree saplings from his father’s farm in Devon and cultivated the land himself. According to Penelope Chetwode, a British author, Captain Lee’s example was followed by other British settlers in the Kullu valley and eventually by the locals.
On the other hand, Samuel Evans Stokes, who later converted to Hinduism and changed his name to Satyananda Stokes, had started cultivating apples in Kotgarh in 1916 after bringing apple tree saplings from Louisiana in America.
8. Chilling hours
Apples are grown in a cold climate. Apple trees require a certain cold temperature condition below 7 degrees Celsius for a particular length of time period, called chilling hours, for bearing quality fruit.
While the classic varieties like Royal Delicious require 1400 chilling hours, new varieties require comparatively much lesser 300-500 chilling hours. This is why farmers at altitudes lower than 6000 feet are preferring new apple variants and varieties like Gala.
9. Apple harvesting season
Apple harvesting season in Himachal kicks off in mid-July and continues till November, depending upon the apple variety and location of apple orchards. The first one to ripen and harvest is the Gala apple and its various variants. Gala harvesting season starts around mid-July every year and ends within a month or so by mid-August.
After Gala comes the Royal Delicious, whose harvesting starts in mid-August and continues up to October, depending upon the altitude of the orchards. Apples grown in higher altitudes at or above 6000 feet ripen comparatively late like in Kinnaur where apple season starts in September and continues up to even November. The apples of some other varieties like Granny Smith are plucked in October.
10. Apples and climate change
Last but not the least, apples have also not remained unaffected by the curse of global warming. While the classic old varieties like Royal Delicious are slowly facing extinction, new variants are being introduced to keep up with the changing climate.
Farmers in the apple-growing districts are also forced to shift their orchards to higher altitudes, where weather conditions are ideal for apple cultivation. As the average surface temperature has been rising, many apple bets in lower heights have also completely disappeared.
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