Fall’s vibrant colors are back! And besides its obligatory leaf peeping and cooler temps, the return of autumn also means prime apple picking season, folks. At least, for some of the country anyway.
Unfortunately for New Englanders, it seems our apple picking outlook is quite bleak. This past weekend, I (along with everyone else in Boston) headed out in search of an afternoon of apple picking. Donning my most obnoxious plaid attire, token riding boots and jeans, I was in full apple picking mode.
But unfortunately, what I found was a picked-over, barren apple orchard. After spending an hour (or more) scrounging for a few not-so-pretty Cortland apples, I eventually gave up and headed back to the main farm for cider and donuts.
Now I know why.
The Boston Globe reported that New England’s apple orchard harvests’ are way down this year. According to the article, Smolak Farms in North Andover even went so far as to “post a letter of explanation” on their website.
In the letter, Michael Smolak, owner of Smolak Farms, writes:
“…This has been a challenging year for all of us in the apple industry….Due to last year’s cold winter and cold, wet and late spring, the quality and quantity of our apples are not as good as last year. Of course, we keep our fingers crossed for the perfect crop every year, but it is not always within our control…WE WILL HAVE LIMITED PICKING THIS COMING WEEKEND. WE WILL ALSO HAVE 3 VARIETIES OF APPLES AVAILABLE FOR YOU TO BAG ON YOUR OWN…”
The Boston Globe also notes that because of recent weather issues, many of New England’s apple orchards “are having an off year and will end the picking season earlier than usual.”
And New England isn’t the only region of the country to experience an apple shortage this year. According to NBC, California is also experiencing a similar problem due to an ongoing drought. San Diego’s apple orchards, in particular, seem to be all dried up.
But despite facing an apple picking crisis, Bostonians will still brave traffic to capture that perfect #fall Instagram photo – and maybe (if they’re lucky) a half-filled bag of apples.
