No pick-your-own apples this year at Brookfield Orchards

Kinga Borondy, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Updated ·4 min read
The pick-your-own apple section of Brookfield Orchards in North Brookfield was hard-hit by the May freeze and there are no apples there.
The pick-your-own apple section of Brookfield Orchards in North Brookfield was hard-hit by the May freeze and there are no apples there.

Some Massachusetts orchards may be curtailing the pick-your-own option this season after the deep freeze in February and May-frost event damaged both peach and apple buds, limiting their harvest statewide.

“There is no pick-your-own apples this year at Brookfield Orchards,” said Martha Nydam, one of the family members who owns the business. However, the farm, located in North Brookfield, does have apples for sale in its farm store. Its own crop harvested from sections of its 44-acre orchard less affected by the freeze.

The plummeting temperatures, Nydam said, mainly affected the 10-acre stand of apple trees located on the farm’s lower elevations, the section of the farm that grows the apples usually offered to the pick-your-own crowd. Stands of trees located on higher elevations were less affected by the temperatures.

Commissioner Ashley Randle of the Department of Agricultural Resources said the freeze and frost events have cost Massachusetts farmers some $15 million so far. Massachusetts farmers lost another $15 million to July flooding events.

Commissioner of the state Department of Agricultural Resources Ashley Randle is confident that the taste and crunch of the state's apple harvest this year are exceptional, much like the tomato harvest. The commissioner was on hand to award trophies to farmers at the 38th tomato tasting held last month in Boston.
Commissioner of the state Department of Agricultural Resources Ashley Randle is confident that the taste and crunch of the state's apple harvest this year are exceptional, much like the tomato harvest. The commissioner was on hand to award trophies to farmers at the 38th tomato tasting held last month in Boston.

“Some orchards in the Berkshires are unable to offer pick-your-own due to complete crop loss,” Randle said, adding that some 15% to 50% of Massachusetts apples were adversely affected by the fluctuations in weather. Fruit growers in central and eastern parts of the state were luckier and have apples to offer for one of the state’s traditional beloved fall activities: Pick-your-own apples.

Brookfield Orchards in North Brookfield has apples from other sections that are available at the store.
Brookfield Orchards in North Brookfield has apples from other sections that are available at the store.

“One of the main concerns was whether the apples would be sweet,” Randle said, adding that all reports indicate that the flavor and crunch are there.

“We are advising consumers to look for quality over quantity,” Randle said. “The taste is robust.”

At Carlson Orchards Inc., in Harvard, it was the peach crop that was devastated by the freeze.

“We didn’t have any peaches. The freeze wiped out the stone fruit crop throughout the East Coast,” said Dylan Carlson, no relation, who is in charge of running the store. The orchard is offering ginger gold, royal gala and honeycrisp apple varieties for picking, and has red Paula apples for sale in the farm store.

While many of the varieties grown by Carlson were not affected, its crop of Fiji apples may be questionable.

“We had some reports that the buds at the base of the trees were affected, yet the ones at the top were not,” Carlson said.

Mother Nature spared the apple crop at Nashoba Valley Winery, Distillery, Brewery and Restaurant in Bolton where the orchard produces about 100 different varieties of apples. However, the farm did lose its peach crop and about 60% of the grapes it grows for wine.

“It’s been an OK season for the grapes, but we won’t know until we analyze the fruit after the full fall harvest,” said Rich Pelletier, one of the owners of the business. The orchard is open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for pick-your-own visitors.

Shelburne Farm in Stow, offering a pick-your-own option, managed to save its apple crop from the deep freeze through the use of wind machines and smudge pots.

“The temperatures reached -12 to -14 degrees fahrenheit. Without the wind machines, we would have lost the crop in the lower elevations,” said Ann Kinslow, manager of the farm store.

The smudge pots, oil burners placed strategically between trees, help ameliorate the impact of the plummeting temperature, Randle said. Some vineyards around the state ignited controlled fires to protect their grapes from the freeze. Other farmers used wind machines to help move the air.

Even without a self-pick option, orchards are welcoming visitors, enticing people to attend special events featuring music, food and fun.

The owners of Brookfield Orchards have events scheduled every weekend through Columbus Day, with a craft fair Saturday and Sunday and a special visit to the farm Sept. 16 of almost two dozen local authors.

The craft fair and author event both start at 10 a.m. and run through 4 p.m. The craft fair features two bands each day, as well as wagon rides and products from local eateries, breweries and wineries, all available for sale.

“We are thankful that our loyal customers understand that there are no apples out there and the ones that survived are not of high-enough quality to sell,” said Nydam.

One tree bears a single, rough looking apple in the pick-your-own apple section of the Brookfield Orchards.
One tree bears a single, rough looking apple in the pick-your-own apple section of the Brookfield Orchards.

Customers are welcome to pack their own bags of apples from those for sale in the store, as well as to take a wagon ride, and starting Sept. 23, to walk through the pumpkin patch to select the perfect gourd. The annual customer appreciation day in the form of a Halloween party is scheduled for Oct. 29.

The pick-your-own apple section of the Brookfield Orchards in North Brookfield was hard-hit by the May freeze and there are no apples there. The trees are located in a lower elevation section of the farm and hardest-hit by the weather. Other sections in higher elevations still have apples that will be available at the store.
The pick-your-own apple section of the Brookfield Orchards in North Brookfield was hard-hit by the May freeze and there are no apples there. The trees are located in a lower elevation section of the farm and hardest-hit by the weather. Other sections in higher elevations still have apples that will be available at the store.

And of course the store will have local favorites, from the famous Brookfield Orchards apple dumplings to apple pies, cider doughnuts and other products for sale.

“It’s a fun time,” said Diana Nydam, in charge of the farm store. “It’s a way to meet local farmers, see where food is grown and support the people who put their hearts and souls into producing the food we eat.”

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Freeze, frost, flood, impact Massachusetts apples, limit pick-your-own