It may still be "summer" according to the calendars, but here on Dressel Farms we've officially announced that summer is OVER.
That's right, Autumn begins in August this year. Remember that mild winter and hot spring we had? Well those anomalies have made everything ripen almost 2 weeks early this year. We had strawberries in May for the first time ever, and now we're already picking McIntosh and it's not even September yet!
Pick-Your-Own will begin this Saturday, September 1st. Only the earliest varieties will be ready, though. These include McIntosh and Gala. You'll also find some Cortlands and maybe some Macouns, thanks to that early ripening. Honeycrisp are ready, however the young PYO trees will undoubtedly be picked over within hours of the first day. Not to fret, though! We have plenty of Honeycrisp available at the roadstand.
We will press our first batch of fresh apple cider this weekend as well. The cider will be available at the roadstand beginning on Saturday. This also means we can begin making DONUTS! That's right, the undeniably delectable Apple Cider Donuts that everyone knows and loves will be hot and fresh this weekend and every day following throughout the fall.
If you don't already, I highly suggest you follow us on facebook (www.facebook.com/dresselfarms) to get up-to-the-minute updates about everything going on around the farm.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Media Attention
The last weekend in April brought 3 consecutive nights of freezing temperatures- a no-win situation for many growers across the entire state. YNN, the local news channel, came by to ask Tim some questions about the impact this had. Here's the story:
http://hudsonvalley.ynn.com/content/top_stories/582740/apple-farmers-call-cold-weather--catastrophic--to-crop/
http://hudsonvalley.ynn.com/content/top_stories/582740/apple-farmers-call-cold-weather--catastrophic--to-crop/
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
The Warm Winter
A lot of people have been asking how this unbelievably warm winter is affecting us as growers. The short answer is there's an upside and a very big downside to the warmth.
The good news is that right now there have been no temperatures that would kill any of the over-winter plants or trees. There have been no ice storms to break any limbs. The lack of snow has made getting into the orchards to prune the trees incredibly easy. Working outside is easy and pleasant.
On the bad side, any stretch of spring-like temperatures (50s and above) can trigger the trees' response that winter is over and growing season has begun. In the fall, when temperatures are falling, trees begin pulling all of their fluids out of their extremities (limbs) and into their trunk and roots. Doing this puts them in a dormant state that prevents the more sensitive parts of the tree from freezing and dying during the cold winter. In the spring when it warms up, the trees begin pumping those fluids back out to their limbs and buds, assuming it's time to begin growing for the summer. The danger with this, especially during this time of year, is that there is still a threat of an extreme cold snap which will easily kill any buds that have water in them. This would cause wide-spread death and a massive loss for us.
The short version: trees should be asleep but the warmth is waking them up too early which could be bad if it gets really cold suddenly.
Ideally, we like lows overnight in the teens and twenties and highs during the day somewhere around 32. We even like cold temperatures throughout March to lessen the span of time we have to worry about frost. The earlier the spring, the more danger we face, unfortunately.
So while it's great to be outside on a sunny February day in just a sweater, a lot is riding on us keeping our trees asleep and, in turn, alive all winter. Enjoy the weather, but please don't wish for it to get any warmer. At least not until April!
The good news is that right now there have been no temperatures that would kill any of the over-winter plants or trees. There have been no ice storms to break any limbs. The lack of snow has made getting into the orchards to prune the trees incredibly easy. Working outside is easy and pleasant.
On the bad side, any stretch of spring-like temperatures (50s and above) can trigger the trees' response that winter is over and growing season has begun. In the fall, when temperatures are falling, trees begin pulling all of their fluids out of their extremities (limbs) and into their trunk and roots. Doing this puts them in a dormant state that prevents the more sensitive parts of the tree from freezing and dying during the cold winter. In the spring when it warms up, the trees begin pumping those fluids back out to their limbs and buds, assuming it's time to begin growing for the summer. The danger with this, especially during this time of year, is that there is still a threat of an extreme cold snap which will easily kill any buds that have water in them. This would cause wide-spread death and a massive loss for us.
The short version: trees should be asleep but the warmth is waking them up too early which could be bad if it gets really cold suddenly.
Ideally, we like lows overnight in the teens and twenties and highs during the day somewhere around 32. We even like cold temperatures throughout March to lessen the span of time we have to worry about frost. The earlier the spring, the more danger we face, unfortunately.
So while it's great to be outside on a sunny February day in just a sweater, a lot is riding on us keeping our trees asleep and, in turn, alive all winter. Enjoy the weather, but please don't wish for it to get any warmer. At least not until April!
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