AS the saying goes. 'all good things must come to end'.

It's the time of year where some of our favourite produce from the winter season is waning and will soon leave our shelves.

I enjoy seeing the ebb and flow of our local produce as it marks the movement from one season to another.

One biggie we're about to loose is our local apples from Waterperry.

The growers there tell us we've just a few weeks left to enjoy their locally-grown fruit.

We’ve had loads of different varieties over the season and I've found it interesting to see the types of apples change as we move through the year.

Discovering how the UK apple season works is just one of the many things I've learnt about local produce since joining Cultivate.

The picking season generally runs from late summer to late autumn.

At Waterperry they start mid-August when Discovery and Arthur Turner become available, and go right through to early November with the final crops of Crispin and Sturmer.

It's important to note that picking and eating times aren't always the same.

For apples picked early in the UK season you're best enjoying them in the first few days or weeks after they have been picked.

They can store fairly well in cold temperatures for a couple weeks but don't keep very well for longer periods.

Many late season apples, like Braeburn and the Winter King or Winston, actually develop a fuller flavour after being stored and can be pretty unpalatable straight from the tree.

The team at Waterperry store their apples in a large refrigerator kept at about 2 degrees, they'll then rotate the apples regularly to avoid bruising.

Although this helps extend the eating season for a few months it can't guarantee year-round apples.

Luckily Waterperry also press their delicious apples into juice adding just a little vitamin C to help preserve it.

So although I'm sad I won’t be able to chomp my daily apple at least I know I'll be able to slurp some juice while I wait for the new season to begin.