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Admin Office

2550 Borton Road
Yakima, WA 98903
509-966-3905

Borton Packing Center

2300 Ahtanum Rd.
Yakima, WA 98903

Frequently Asked Questions

We basically supply fruit all year around. It depends on the specific variety, but generally we will have new crop apples available starting in September and a good portion of the varieties we grow will be available into the early summer, with a select few apple varieties available well into August right up until we harvest our new crop.

Apples are an amazing nutritional food for your diet. They have been linked to a long list of great health benefits that include reducing cholesterol, preventing heart disease, promoting healthy lungs, stroke prevention, weight loss, colon cancer prevention and improved brain health. It's no wonder that eating apples everyday really does help keep the doctor away. Eating fresh apples is always good for you and in order to get the full nutritional benefits associated with eating apples you should eat at least one fresh apple every day. One apple has five grams of fiber, supplying 20 percent of the daily fiber recommendation!

In a recent article titled "Apples Work Magic on Bad Cholesterol" featured in the Chicago tribune it was stated that, "I consider apples a magic food," said Bahram H. Arjmandi, Ph.D., director for the Center for Advancing Exercise and Nutrition Research on Aging at Florida State University. "Apples are not my favorite food, but I buy a bag a week and try to eat two per day. I am convinced this is what I should do if I want to remain healthy."

Our products in addition to apples from state of Washington can be found throughout the United States as well as all over the world. Borton Fruit ships to most major retailers in the United States and has developed export programs to many of the major markets across the globe.

You can find Washington apples in pretty much any grocery store in the nation and Washington apples are recognized around the world as the finest apples found on the planet. The State of Washington is the largest apple producer in the United States. Washington grows approximately 110 million boxes of apples per year.

The best way to store apples is to keep them refrigerated at about 32 degrees Fahrenheit. This allows the apples to stay cool and fresh, slowing the aging process and retaining the apples firmness. Fruit bowls are beautiful, but your apples will not stay crispy or keep for very long on the countertop.

Browning of apples is caused by a process called Oxidation. In order to reduce browning, prepare apple dishes just before serving. You can protect cut apples from oxidation by dipping them into a solution of one part citrus juice and three parts water.

Apples stored correctly will keep very well, staying fresh and crisp for consumption for long periods of time. Apples can be stored in your refrigerator for up to 6 weeks. Avoid washing the apples before storing them as this will remove natural wax from the apples that helps to protect the skin and the apple from aging. Store apples in a plastic bag in the coolest part of your refrigerator (preferably the crisper) for best results.

No, not at all. In fact wax on apples is very beneficial to protecting the fruit and ensuring freshness. Freshly harvested apples have their own waxy coating that protects them from shriveling and weight loss. Apples are washed at our fruit packing facilities to remove dust and chemical residues, insuring sanitation and food safety. This washing removes about half of the original apple wax which is replaced by a natural coating that we apply. The natural wax added to protect our high quality apples is a carnauba or shellac wax. Both are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USDA) and have been used on a variety of foods for decades. These wax formulations are natural, non-petroleum based coatings that help protect the fruit and allow it to naturally stay fresh and look beautiful. Research has shown that apple waxing prevents moisture loss, enhances firmness retention and slows down the apple respiration rate.

In the most recent study conducted at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service Laboratory in Wenatchee, WA, Red Delicious apples from Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage were held at room temperature for eight days (duplicating how apples are treated in grocery stores). The unwaxed apples lost firmness faster than the waxed apples.

Some historians report wax has been used on produce since the early 1920s, but other experts say fruits and vegetables were waxed by housewives long before that to improve storage life. As little as one pound of waxy coating will cover approximately 160,000 pieces of fruit and vegetables, according to the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association. Only a drop or two of wax is needed to give a Washington apple a shiny, protective coating and help keep the crunch to the last bite.

If you have a question that was not answered by our FAQ's, please email us.

For job inquiries, please email [email protected] or View Current Job Openings

Visit our office at 2550 Borton Road in Yakima

Phone

509-966-3905

Office

2550 Borton Road
Yakima, WA 98903

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