Aug 12, 2009 12:38 pm US/Eastern
Fruit Farmers Seeing Best Crop In Years
Apples Are Ready For Early Picking
NATICK (WBZ) ―
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John Burns says this apple is already 1/2 pound. If it stays on the tree it could grow up to a pound.
WBZ
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It's an early bumper crop at Belkin Family Lookout Farm in South Natick.
WBZ
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It's an early bumper crop at Belkin Family Lookout Farm in South Natick.
WBZ
All the rain we endured this summer may have cancelled plenty of outdoor events, but it will make a favorite fall activity that much better. Fruit growers say they are having one of their best seasons in years.
Find: Apple Picking Near You
"The apples, pears, our stone fruit, they're sizing beautifully," said John Burns, of Belkin Family Lookout Farm in South Natick. "They've got great color for this time of the year."
Burns manages the farm's 180 acres and 60,000 fruit trees - 20,000 of them apple trees. And those trees are bearing some remarkable fruit.
"This is the best crop that I've seen in the four years that I've been here," Burns said. "I think we're gonna be 20-25 percent better yield than we did a year ago."
The rainy, cooler than normal summer doesn't bode well for vegetable farmers, but the combination is a fruit farmer's dream. The rain soaked the fruit trees, and the cool nights helped to develop the fruit's cool colors and sugary flavor.
"Right now this is half a pound," Burns said pointing out a whopper of an apple. "But if we let this stay on the tree, this will be a ¾ to a one pound apple."
The red delicious apples typically ready in September are already ripe - 3 weeks early. In fact all eleven varieties at Belkin are weeks ahead of schedule so they already opened their U-Pick 'em season.
"The fruit was kinda ready and we're getting all kinds of calls, so we decided just to start it a couple of weeks early this year," Burns said.
Growers across the region are hoping an extended season and bigger, better tasting fruit draw bigger, better crowds.
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