How Snow Apple is Harvested and Stored Under Snow

A new type of apple has recently been getting popular in Japan's mountainous and very snowy areas. In this video, we will be looking at how snow apple is harvested and stored under snow. But before we begin, make sure you like this video and hit the subscribe icon. Let's go.
It is evident that one of the most popular fruits in the world is Apple. Apples are produced in various countries and regions; of course, Japan is also one of them. It is safe to say that Japan has a variety of climates among the country. Tohoku, Northern Japan, gets cold weather and heavy snow, which brings out the uniqueness in apple production.

Snow apples, botanically classified as Malus Domestica, are an heirloom variety. This is the kind of apple that has been preserved over winter by burying the bagless Fuji apples in snow. This type of apple remains the best-tasting apple in Japan. Only a few apples from Asahi-machi apples become snow apples, and these apples account for less than 1% of the national shipment.

The snow apples are known to be even juicier, sweeter, and crisper after spending the winter under the snow. The process of making a snow apple is simple, and there are also other tasty produce you can bury in the snow.
Farmers usually harvest these snow apples from autumn to winter. However, in Akita, and Yuwa area, snow tends to cover apple trees before harvest season, which turns garden shiny and white. The snow brings about the reflection of the sun to these apples, which makes apples taste better through the fostering of photosynthesis. Most farmers in Japan keep apples under the snow during winter after these apples have been harvested. Apples get aged in the snow and wait for spring just like everyone else in snowy regions.

Apple pickers in Ueda City in Nagano began selling these snow apples over a decade ago. During this period, about 15,000 apples were harvested between late November and early December each year. These apples would be placed in crates in Plateau, Japan. Snow is capable of reaching as high as four meters on the plateau, and these crates of apples are buried underneath it until March. After this season, they will be dug out and sold as snow apples.

The local agricultural association in Japan says that the snow keeps the apples in humidity levels above 90% and in the most conducive refrigeration level at around zero degrees Celsius. This natural refrigerator gives the apples an extra juicy taste with a crisp bite. That's why we can't deny the fact that these apples have a much sweeter taste than regular apples.
Around 2014, the apple farmers put over 4,200 kg of fruit under snow and expected the harvest year to be their best. They sold them at local events and over the Internet. Several kinds of apples were buried, such as pink lady, fuji apples, and Nagano's famous varieties: Shinano Sweet and Shinano Gold.

However, apples aren't the only fruits being buried under snow. In the Minami-Aizu area of Fukushima Prefecture, farmers there started using the difficult climate to their advantage, especially where cold weather and heavy snowfalls are the norms. Instead of harvesting their crops in a hurry before the snow hits, farmers would leave the crops to grow as the snow falls and pick them up at the end of winter. This also happens to snow apples. Virtually all fruits and vegetables growing under the snow are known to be sweeter and have a richer taste than conventionally grown crops. That's why farmers have been growing carrots, Japanese radishes, cabbage, yams, and all sort of vegetables using this procedure lately, and produce lovers around Japan are beginning to pay rapt attention to it.
If you have ever had crops that were stored or grown under the snow, you will realize they are really that much better from their time spent under the snow.

When experiencing the apple snow harvest, visitors always try to pick at the garden and take some back home. Farmers will present them with a big box, and they will be allowed to take as many apples that fit in the box. This is always fun for the children. Some would enjoy apple picking, while others would try to stretch a bit higher or climb a ladder to find their favorite one. Don't joke with snow apples in Japan, as they're always large and sweet.

Snow apples have been tested to be a good source of vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps increase collagen production within the body and boosts the immune system. These apples also contain vitamin B6, riboflavin, vitamin K, and minerals such as copper, manganese, potassium, and magnesium.
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