CT Apple Crop Could Produce Record Harvest: Department of Agriculture

After a lackluster apple harvest last year, Connecticut growers said the crop is bouncing back in a big way.

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture said Thursday the state’s apple harvest could reach record numbers.

At Drazen Orchards in Cheshire, there is a variety of apples to choose from like Honeycrisp, McIntosh and Sun Fuji.

Last fall, the harvest was nowhere near as plentiful for two main reasons.

"The big, big part of it was a freeze that we got Valentine’s Day (2016)," owner Eli Drazen told NBC Connecticut. "Then several freezes afterward and the drought put the icing on the cake so to speak."

The orchards have been owned by Drazen’s family since 1951. He said business in 2016 was down by about 80 percent.

"It created a little bit of havoc for us because we didn’t have our pick your own customers and our wholesale customers," Drazen said.

This year the Drazen Orchards are recovering in a big way with Mother Nature being more generous.

"Maybe overly generous this year," Drazen said. "But we’re not going to complain about it, there was a lot of water."

"There’s nothing better than a Connecticut apple," said first-time customer Jane Kampf.

She came looking for Macoun apples, but the plan is to start picking them this weekend.

"I will definitely come back," she said. "But I will get some Honeycrisp while I’m here."

In addition to all the many apples that are ripe for the picking, Drazen said the peach crop is also blossoming.

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