Peak of apple season brings people to the Timmins farmer's market for their favourite varieties

Timmins -

With occasions such as Thanksgiving and Halloween happening this month, pumpkins are typically top of mind, but those in the business of apples say that fruit is at its peak.

"They are in full harvest and they’re usually done in mid-November," said Marion Veens.

Veens grew up on an apple farm in Arkona, Ont., between London and Sarnia. She said her father bought the farm in 1956 after moving to Canada from Holland.

Her brother now owns the 150-acre farm that grows between 15 to 20 types of apple trees, among other vegetables. Veens owns Sunrise Orchards and Produce, a store in Smooth Rock Falls, and she loves travelling throughout northeastern Ontario to sell her favourite apples for eating and cooking.

"It’s very special. I love bringing the apples and my big thing is one of the apples I have here, my father developed and it’s called a Jerry Gold and it’s a cross between a Russet and a Golden Delicious," Veens said.

She described it as sweet and said it tastes more like the Delicious variety.

Veens said MacIntosh apples are a big hit with shoppers and one woman said she often will eat three in a row.

"I’m not a big baker and the MacIntosh are so delicious that they don’t hang around long enough to be baked into anything," said Christine Leduc, of Timmins.

Amanda Beamish, of Timmins, said her husband sent her to the market with a special list of things to bring back.

"He absolutely had to have his Honeycrisp apples ... They’re much bigger than all the rest of them ... and we love how farm-fresh they are.”

Officials said it's been a good year for the Mountjoy Farmers Market and with this being the last weekend for it, Rock Whissell said more than 500 other people came out to pick up locally farmed food or handcrafted goods.

Veens added she finds more people want to be aware of where their products are coming from.