It’s getting to be a common thread for Yakima Valley agriculture in 2011. Like so many crops before it, the apple harvest is late, in some cases as much as two weeks. At Yakima Valley Orchards northeast of here, pickers just started making the first of what will be two passes of color-picking of Gala apples, selecting the reddest fruit now and leaving the remaining to gain color before the next round. Travis Allan, 35, president of Yakima Valley Orchards, which is affiliated with Allan Bros. Fruits of Naches, said although harvest is behind, at least it’s started. “We are getting into the full swing of harvest,” Allan said/David Lester, Yakima Herald-Republic. More here. (AP photo)

Question: Do you grow your own apples? Go to Green Bluff to pick apples? Or buy apples in a grocery?