Quebec apple harvest the most abundant in 15 years

Jean-Francois Lussier's bag of apples is 20 kilograms full.

The trees in his organic orchard are filled with fruit two weeks ahead of schedule.

"The apples are ready and they are delicious," said Lussier, who owns Trois Pommes Orchard in Rougemont.

He says a warmer winter and stormy summer created the perfect conditions for a historic harvest.

The Quebec Apple Grower's Federation predicts it'll be the earliest and most abundant in 15 years.

Families who flocked to the orchard told CTV News they were happy about the head start to the fall tradition.

"We picked the Lobo [apples], those are my favourites," said visitor Robert Saletti, showing off his McIntosh apples. "We have also the crispy gold." 

Fabienne Charles was visiting with her son and his partner.

"The orchard is rich in colour, and the experience of picking your own fruit to eat afterwards is extraordinary," she said.

Trois Pommes Orchard has 12 varieties of apples, but Honeycrisp is the most popular. They're hard to grow because it's not just humans who love them; insects and fungi do, too, making them a bit of a hot commodity.

"The customers are a little bit crazy," Lussier laughed. "They run and sometimes they push the other, 'it's my tree!'"

But there's enough for everyone, and Lussier is maintaining last year's prices - $15 for a big bag and $5 for a small one – in preparation for sweet success.