When you think about Labor Day, picking apples probably doesn't come to mind. This year's apple crop is one of the earliest on record in Connecticut thanks to a warm winter, a warm spring, and a warm summer.
"We're picking fall varieties of apples in summer which is kind of weird," said Donald Prelin, owner of Belltown Hill Orchards.
Prelin has owned his Glastonbury farm for 32 years and said he can't remember a year where everything, from strawberries to apples, was so
early.
One of the challenges is getting people to "pick-your-own" so early in the season.
"Once school's been back in session business really picked up," Prelin said.
Crops that bloomed early this spring had to survive an April frost. The amount of damage was limited, according to Prelin, and the weather has been nearly perfect since.
"This year has been a pretty good year," Agriculture Commissioner Steven Reviczky said, "While other parts of the country have been suffering drought, Connecticut has been relatively blessed."
Local
A good crop is good for the state. Agriculture is a $3.5 billion industry and employs more than 20,000 people in Connecticut, according to Reviczky.
