Apples are ready to pick in St. Lawrence County including at Parishville Center Orchard on State Highway 72. Photo by Gary Snell.

By MATT LINDSEY

Despite losing a good portion of their crop this year due to a late frost, many St. Lawrence County apple growers say the apples that did survive are very good quality as the season begins this year.

One orchard, Fobare’s Fruits, was hit so hard by the frost that they will not offer u-pick apples, but they will still sell them inside their store. The late frost did not affect all areas but growers in Massena, Winthrop, Rensselaer Falls, Canton, West Stockholm and Parishville, say they also battled Mother Nature, making orchard upkeep more physically taxing than usual.

Although several varieties of apples sell well, Honeycrisp edges out others for the favorite North Country apple.

Most orchards are one-man operations with family and friends chipping in when things get too busy. Although time consuming and hard labor, growers agreed that the work is worth it in the end.

Growers Battle Weather, Frost

“We were fine this year. No frost issues at all,” said Nancy Badlam of Kaneb Orchard in Massena.

Apple picking has started at Kaneb Orchards, which is home to over 1,000 trees, with plans to add more trees every year.

The dry weather in May did not affect Kaneb Orchards like it did other areas.

“We had plenty of water for the trees,” she said.

Steve Fobare of Fobare’s Fruits says he lost around 75 percent of his crop because of the May 23 frost.

“The frost stays low and affected lower hanging apples…so we are picking the apples that are higher up in the tree,” he said.

The picked apples will find their way to the on-site store that sells other fruit including berries which Fobare says had a “great year.”

The remaining low-hanging apples can be picked by families who visit Fobare’s for the day.

“The dry weather in May led to a slow start but once we started getting all the rain in June the growing kind of exploded,” Fobare said.

He says some varieties are loaded while others started to flower at the wrong stage.

In Winthrop, May frost damage lead to Brookdale Apple Orchard losing about half of their crop, primarily their Macintosh apples. But ninety-year old orchard owner Edward “Joe” Carr, who cares for nearly 800 trees alone, says his Cortland apple crop is “excellent.”

“The Cortland apples are larger when the crop is thin…Mother Nature does it by herself,” he said.

Even though he lost much of his crop from the frost, Carr says he will still have more than enough apples to supply his “core customers.”

“Overall the weather was pretty good. We definitely had sufficient rain which is good for the soil,” Carr said.

“It was a challenging year to grow…but overall I am happy with the condition of this year’s crop,” said Gary Snell, who runs Parishville Center Orchard. “The frost missed me but I know it hit others around the area,” he said.

Snell says he battled varying weather throughout spring and summer

“The weather was dry in May…we had too much rain in June and all the hot weather in July was not good for the apples,” Snell said.

The frost also missed Canton Apples, owner Joel Howie said.

“I think it was an elevation/landscape issue as to who was affected,” he said. “In the end you have no control over how Mother Nature deals with you.”

Rain was an issue for Howie who says the heavy storms that hit St. Lawrence County throughout summer caused scarring on apples and pumped some up causing them to crack open/

“We fared pretty well and will have a pretty good crop.” Howie said.

"It looked rough early on but we have a great crop," said Alan Goodwin of Goodwin's Orchard, 37 Needham Rd., West Stockholm.

The frost that hit many growers did hit in the orchard in West Stockholm but the bloom was so heave that the apples made it through, he said.

Goodwin said good pollination led to a successful crop this yea.

"If five percent of the blossoms actually get fruit then it is a viable crop, he said.

Hard Work

Kaneb Orchards is a no u-pick orchard. They are manned by a small crew that do the pruning and picking and sorts them for customer convenience at their fruit stand, Badlam said.

“The trees are too big and very tall…it is too dangerous for the public to pick,” Badlam said.

Carr has worked in his orchard since 1977 when he was 52 year old. He does nearly all of the work himself.

“The job is very labor intensive but I am in very good shape,” he said.

Now 90, he says “I feel like a 50-year old man in a 90-year old body.”

“I think I might make my 10¢ an hour this year,” he quipped.

Snell shares the responsibility of caring for his orchard with his father and children beginning in March but says he spends enough time working there to consider it a full-time job.

He says a lot of the work this year entailed mowing to keep the grass away from the bottom of the trees.

“With all the rain we had there was a lot of time spend keeping the orchard neat,” he said.

Howie tends to 215 trees which include 35 varieties of apples.

“This is more of a hobby for me…I get held as needed including from family,” he said.

Even though owning an orchard is time consuming and hard work, Howie says “people appreciate local products.”

“I am pretty much a one man show,” Fobare said.

He does most of the trimming, mowing and planting involved in owning an orchard.

“It’s hard when you go through all the motions…work hard all year…and Mother Nature can destroy all of that,” he said.

Goodwin says he spends 20 to 25 hours a week working on his orchard including in the winter months doing pruning. He also has a full time job.

He receives some help from his wife and other family members.

Apples to Apples

Kaneb Orchards sells a variety of apple products including their award-winning cider, slushies and donuts.

Cider can be purchased in several sizes and includes cranberry cider that is made with cranberries from Brasher Falls. Cranberries will be sold beginning in mid-September.

Badlam says they offer over 30 varieties and which apples are available depends on the week. Depending on the week they offer Cortland, Empire, Dudley, Viking and Niagra apples. Honeycrisp and Macintosh will be available later this month.

“Cider slushies are very popular...kids love them,” Badlam said. “We sold over 400 slushies during our opening weekend and over 8,000 donuts.”

Snell says the popular Honeycrisp apples tend to mature and taste the best (sweeter) near the middle of September.

Apples are sold in pecks, half pecks and bushels and cost around $1 per pound with Honeycrisp a little more expensive at around 50¢ more per pound, Snell says.

Carr says many of his customers like early apples because they are more tart.

“You’d be surprised how many people like them tart…they say the more tarter the better,” he said.

Fobare says he sees his customers choose a variety of apples including Macintosh, Honeycrisp, Zestar, Cortland and Empire.

He says his Early Gold and Ginger Gold green apples are available now and are a good tasting August apple.

Apple Education

“I don't let people pick apples that aren’t ripe…they usually turn pretty red when they are ready,” he said. “Some varieties take a certain amount of growing days to mature.”

“Many people, including myself, eat our apples straight from the tree without washing them. They could have the same dirt on them that any other object may have that has been outside for several months. However, according to the FDA, you should wash all produce under running water before you cut, cook or eat it…regardless of if you buy it at the supermarket, farmers market or grow it in your own backyard, Snell said.

For those looking to make pies which their apples, Carr says that apples that are more tart lead to a better tasting pie.

Canton Apples sells a lot of “old variety” apples that Howie says can have more uses than newer apples which are better eating apples.

“Liberty apples are great for sauces and ciders,” he said.

Cortland apples have been the best selling apple in recent years at Goodwin Orchards.

Where to get Apples

Kaneb Orchards, 182 Highland Rd., is open Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. They also sell bakery products, pears, cranberries and pumpkins.

Info: http://kaneborchards.com/home.html

Parishville Center Apple Orchard, 702 State Highway 72, plans to open Sept. 4 on weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment for large groups and organizations until apples are gone. The orchard has picnic tables and a pond with large trout in it that can be fed for free.

Info: www.facebook.com/ParishvilleCenterOrchardNY?fref=nf.

Fobare’s, 180 Johnson Rd. in Rensselaer Falls, will open 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. every day starting Sept. 7. They have a playground area, corn maze, gift shop, baked goods and other treats.

“For $5 families can enjoy the Fort Applewood playground and each member of the family can go into the orchard to pick one apple to each for free,” Fobare said.

“We did have a tremendous pumpkin yield this year,” he said.

Fobare’s grew between 10,000 and 15,000 pumpkins. They can be bought individually or at wholesale.

“I’ve heard that several roadside stands that sell pumpkins are having a hard time finding them and we have them available to buy,” he said.

Info: www.facebook.com/FobaresFruits?fref=ts or http://fobaresfruits.com/index.php.

Brookdale Apple Orchard, 1997 County Route 49, will open Sept. 5 with a roadside stand and u-pick apples. Info: 389-5840.

When picking apples at Goodwin's customers can purchase pumpkins and other fall decor.

"We had a good pumpkin crop," he said.

To contact Goodwin’s Orchard call 265-6161.

Other apple orchards in the area include:

• Merkley's U-Pick Apples - 4581 SH 68 - Dollar Road - Lisbon - Donald or Sara Merkley - 344-8880 or 528-0934

• Martin’s Farmstand, 11 Needham Rd., Potsdam, 265-1246, http://martinsfarmstand.locallygrown.net/.

• J&W Orchard, 737 County Route 38, Norfolk, 384-2080,

• Canton Apples, corner of County Route 25 and Barnes Road, u-pick on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. beginning Sept 12.

Info: www.cantonapples.com/ or www.facebook.com/pages/Canton-Apples/181974041910842