Apple picking season doesn’t necessarily end with Halloween weekend.
While Virginia’s apple season begins in July and the majority of the fruit is harvested in September and October, some orchards continue harvesting through early November.
“October is usually the biggest month,” noted John Marker, a partner in the family-owned Marker-Miller Orchards LLC in Frederick County, “but we’ll likely be open the first weekend in November too.”
He said that although this year’s crop suffered from drought conditions earlier in the season, he’s still experiencing a “decent yield” of apples.
“We had hail during last year’s growing season, so we were hoping for a much better year,” noted Marker, who serves on the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Apple Advisory Committee, “but you’re at the mercy of the weather.”
Marker said that even though the season started out dry, seven of the last eight weekends that have been open for pick-your-own apples have experienced at least one rainy day.
“That’s been a...