Tart cherries are harvested in a rather short timespan in early summer, peaches from late July or early August to early September and blueberries usually from approximately the Fourth of July until about Labor Day. Apples are available in fresh form longer than any other Michigan fruit. Nearly the entire tart cherry crop is processed, while peaches and blueberries do not adapt well to long-term storage. Apples are more versatile than other fruits. Fresh apples, besides being ideal for eating out of hand, can be baked, put into pies, cooked for sauce and pressed into cider and juice.
Commercial processors use Michigan apples for pie slices, sauce, juice and baby food.
Michigan is the nation's leading supplier of apple slices for makers of frozen apple pies and pie filling. Apples are the main draw at farm markets throughout Michigan. Apples and cider are the fresh items most closely associated with the positive feelings of the fall harvest that attract people to rural markets. More apples are grown by farm market operators than any other fruit. More Michigan festivals are organized around apples than around any other theme, agricultural or non-agricultural.