The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
A core issue
Apple crop bounces back after disappointing 2016 yield
If you are in the mood for an applepicking excursion on a crisp autumn afternoon, you are in luck.
After a drought and an untimely spring frost eliminated nearly half of the apple harvest statewide last year, growers say the 2017 crop has bounced back by the bushel in yield, color and flavor.
“It was a very poor crop last year, but this year we have a strong bloom, lots of flowers we call, ‘snowball blooms’ on the trees, great pollinating weather and plenty of rain in the springtime, so we have a large crop of apples this year,” said Brian Kelliher, president of the Connecticut Apple Marketing Board.
That fact was not lost on Sue Christiano of Prospect, who visited Lyman Orchards in Middlefield with her daughters, Kaela and Summer. She remembered the 2016 crop.
“There definitely seems to be an abundance of apples compared to last year,” she said.
Her girls were more interested in the taste.
“They’re really sweet and they’re all different,” said Kaela, 10. “They’re juicy and good,” said Summer, 8. As always, there was a variety. “We picked Empire, Cortland, McCowan and Red Delicious,” said Prospect resident Carrie Zimmitti. “I personally like the Cortland.”
Kelliher said 2016 was a challenging year. He said Easy Pickin’s Orchard in Enfield, which he runs, only had about 20 percent of its usual apple crop. And the low yield affected the
trickle-down economics that sustain any orchard.
“That kind of limits everything you do in your orchard because there’s a lot of other activities that go on, residual sales from the other things that you’re doing,” Kelliher said. “When you don’t have the big crowds coming in for the apples, it limits the amount of income that you get from that, too, so it’s kind of a double whammy because you’re not able to do all of that tourism stuff that you usually do.”
State Agriculture Commissioner Steven K. Reviczky said in a press release that apples are one of the state’s largest and most important agricultural crops, with an average yearly harvest of about a half-million bushels worth $12 million. However, apple season in Connecticut has evolved beyond just picking
fruit.
Many of the orchards have diversified their operations into tourist destinations that offer customers a rewarding agricultural experience, which includes a variety of activities, according to Reviczky’s statement.
John Bishop, one of the owners of Bishop’s Orchards in Guilford, said he remembers when people just bought “bags and bags and bags of apples” to make pies and sauces, but now, people are doing it more for what he described as the “total fall experience.”
Bishop said oftentimes when people are out, they’re looking to spend a day doing stuff at the farm. That includes the Little Red Barn and Pumpkin Patch, a sprawling corn maze and a kids’ maze made out of hay bales; and sampling cider, fresh pies, ice cream, breads, croissants, muffins, scones and, of course, apple cider doughnuts.
Lyman Orchards in Middlefield has a corn maze during September along with horse-drawn wagon rides and pony rides on weekends, according to John Lyman III, the orchard’s executive vice president.
“It’s a time of the year where people love to come out with their families,” he said. “It’s a beautiful time of the year with cooler temperatures and the foliage starts to turn. You kind of make it an annual outing.”
While the apple season goes from late August through the end of November, Lyman said now is “peak” picking time.
“September and October are usually the prime harvest for Connecticut apples, so we’re right in the middle of it right now and will be strong for the next four to five weeks,” he said.