LAFAYETTE -- Freezing temperatures and frost last spring damaged early budding apple trees and wiped out more than half of many local farmers’ apple crop.
Despite the frost, Central New York apple grower Peter Flekenstein, of Beak & Skiff Apple Farm, says there still are plenty of apples ready to be picked.
"There are actually more than we thought in places. The place where we are right now [Lafayette] is loaded. A consumer coming up here to pick their own apples they probably can't tell the difference," he says.
While the overall number of apples is down this year, apple growers say there are still large pockets of apple trees in the orchards that survived the frost quite well. One difference apple pickers will definitely notice is that, thanks to the frost, this year’s apple picking season will be much shorter.
"The only thing they are going to notice is that we are going to be moving through varieties faster," says Flekenstein. "So the message is, if you are going to come out and pick apples, go now. Don't wait until November if you think you are going to pick them off the tree."
The peak of apple picking season starts this weekend and runs through Columbus Day.
