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Diario Euskadi

Errezil's Ibarbi Apple Blossom Season Approaches, with a Delay

The first blossoms have appeared on the apple trees, and despite a delay, the village meadows will soon be adorned in white in the coming days.

Generic image of white apple blossoms, symbolizing the beginning of spring.
IA

Generic image of white apple blossoms, symbolizing the beginning of spring.

The blooming of Errezil's Ibarbi apple trees, a natural spring spectacle, is set to arrive with a delay this year, anticipated a week to ten days later than its usual third week of April schedule.

Aspiring to a renown similar to the Jerte cherry blossom, the flowering of Errezil's Ibarbi apple is poised to blanket the local landscape in white. New apple trees planted in recent years have transformed the surrounding meadows, but this year's bloom «comes with a delay, and we don't know exactly why», admits producer Iñaki Labaka. Although it usually occurs in the third week of April, «we anticipate it will be within seven to ten days», he explained to attendees of a guided tour organized by Iraurgi Berritzen this Sunday.
The initiative aimed to observe the Ibarbi apple blossom up close, as well as to promote knowledge of nature and local heritage. Visitors completed the Ibarbi Apple Route, a 3.5 km rural trail. They had the opportunity to see the first blossoms emerging on the apple trees, and local producers Iñaki Labaka and Luis Berrondo explained the characteristics of this fruit and its centuries-old importance to the village's economy.
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"It is a table apple, a very balanced fruit, sweet and sour and versatile, suitable for eating raw, but also highly valued in cooking."

Luis Berrondo · Producer
Among the many apple varieties produced in Gipuzkoa, the Ibarbi or Errezil apple stands out. Luis Berrondo recalled that it is a «table apple», «a very balanced fruit, sweet and sour and versatile, suitable for eating raw, but also highly valued in cooking». It is also used for cider, and he stated that in several farmhouses in the village, it is produced «with increasingly better quality».
The Ibarbi Apple is the most prized fruit produced by the people of Errezil, and several producers decided to highlight its value. Thus, in 2015, they formed a cultural association to genetically recover and commercialize it. Research was conducted to identify the best apple trees in the village, and new orchards were subsequently planted. In the last ten years, 5,000 new apple trees have been planted in Errezil. «There are around 16,000 apple trees in the village, and 65% are Ibarbi apples», Berrondo noted.
The project became a cooperative in 2022, comprising eight individuals. With the harvested apples, they produce juice, puree, jam, and apple preserves, which they sell under the Ibarbia brand. At the end of the guided tour, visitors had the opportunity to taste and enjoy these products.

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