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Local News |
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| Apple harvest unharmed by drought |
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| By Carrie Ann Knauer, Times Staff Writer |
Monday, September 29, 2008 |
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Summer vegetables may have struggled to survive during the dry spell that lasted from July through August, but local orchard owners say the dry weather didn’t hurt this year’s apple production.
“It looks like a pretty good crop,” said Jim Unger of Unger’s Fruit Farm in Hampstead.
The year got off to a good start with no late frost or freeze that might have damaged the blossoms, he said, and the midsummer drought didn’t cause much damage either.
Peaches, however, did suffer from the drought, Unger said, but roots of the apple tree tend to go deeper, helping the trees find water even in dry periods. The late rain helped the apples catch up in size when they were finishing off, he said, though some harder apples, such as Winesaps, did show some splitting from growing too fast at the end.
The Ungers take their apples to farmers markets in Columbia, Rockville and Bowie, Unger said. With all the picking, packing and going to the markets, it’s a busy time of year, he said.
Luther Brothers of Carolyn Farm and Orchard in Gamber agreed that it is a good apple year, with the crop reaching 90 percent of its total potential, he said.
“They’ve got a good size,” Brothers said, and the actual number of apples on the trees seems to him to be the same as last year.
Brothers said many of the summer vegetables dropped off early this year because of the long dry spell, but the late summer fruit has kicked up business again.
In addition to selling apples at their stand on Md. 32, the Brotherses also sell homemade cider from their orchard. Brothers said he can make about 250 gallons each week, using a blend of five or six different apple varieties to create their special variation.
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Apple season in Carroll County runs from mid-August through mid-November. For a list of local farms offering apples, go to www.marylandsbest.net.
Reach staff writer Carrie Ann Knauer at 410-857-7874 or carrie.knauer@carrollcountytimes.com.
Local apples
Baugher’s Orchard: 1236 Baugher Road, Westminster
Black Rock Orchard:5400 Church St., Lineboro
Carolyn Farm & Orchard:3899 Sykesville Road, Finksburg
MacBride and Gill Falcon Ridge: 3811 Backwoods Road, Westminster
P&J’s Peaceful Valley Farm: 4248 Rupp Road, Manchester
Unger’s Fruit Farm: 2020 Albert Rill Road, Hampstead
Source: www.marylandsbest.net and Maryland Apple Promotion Board
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