I'll stick my neck out and try to answer this. Some dry years will result in a heightening of the sugars and flavor, maybe because the tree is getting so much more sun. Some wet years you will get large but soft and flavorless apples, probably both because of all the water in the soil and because the tree is getting less sun (sunlight => sugar) than usual. However, if the year is too dry the trees might give up on the fruits before they have become fully developed with the result being tiny, dry, and not-very-good tasting fruit. With a very wet year fungus and disease pressure will be stronger than usual and those can hurt the health of the tree as well as the the flavor and appearance of the fruit. Muffy Barrett South Central WI
-- Sue Christensen wrote: My orchard is still in the infant stage, so I don't have any apples or pears yet so I can't answer this myself.
All this talk about how the microclimate or soil conditions in various state affects how fruit tastes has me wondering. What is the effect of a dry year on fruit quality versus a year that is overly rainy from the norm? ( I'm not sure I would know a "norm" if it hit me between the eyes.)
Sue in Adams County, PA
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