Aomori Prefecture is currently calling on apple growers in the prefecture to pick the middle-aged yellow apples, "Toki," at the right time.

On September 15th, the Aomori Prefecture "Aggressive Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries" Promotion Headquarters held a "Appropriate Leaf Removal/Appropriate Harvest Caravan for Producing High-Quality and Delicious Apples" in front of the Maesaka CA Refrigerator (Dokko Yamabe, Hirosaki City). He gathered people involved in the production and called for a timely harvest of ibis. In the prefecture, since 2018, a caravan team has been making rounds of apple-producing farmers to give guidance on the harvest season.

``Toki'' is also known as ``Thoroughbred of the apple world'' born from crossing ``Orin'' and ``Fuji'', and was registered as a variety in 2004 (Heisei 16). Ripe in early October. According to Mitsuki Ono of the Aomori Prefecture Apple Association, it was expected to be a medium-yellow variety that connects the early-maturing ``Kio'' and the late-maturing ``Orin'' because of its good appearance, taste, and texture. It is said that the value is sluggish.

“One of the big reasons is overseas demand,” says Mr. Ono. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, which takes place on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar in Taiwan and Hong Kong, yellow fruit that resembles the moon is popular as a gift, and Japanese pears are very popular. In recent years, it is said that Aomori apples "Toki" have been chosen as a substitute for pears. This year's Mid-Autumn Festival falls on September 10th.

Ono says, "The date of the Mid-Autumn Festival changes every year. In late September, you can get ibises that are close to harvest time. Harvested crested ibises were distributed domestically and internationally, and their reputation suffered."

Ono points out, ``Medieval apples are easily affected by typhoons and cannot be harvested at the right time, so some apple farmers harvest early to avoid damage.'' “Each apple farmer has their own circumstances, and they also have their own position in the distribution process.

Under the supervision of the Apple Research Institute of the Aomori Prefectural Industrial Technology Center, the association has created a "color chart" to determine the coloring and is calling for thorough "sukurimogi" harvesting at the ripe timing. An apple farmer who participated in the caravan said, "In order to deliver delicious apples to consumers, I want to know when to harvest them, not only by reading charts, but by actually eating them and measuring their sugar content."