TURNER, Maine — Labor Day weekend marks the start of apple season for dozens of orchards across the state.
Producers want to rebound from the 2023 season when they were battered by frost and storm damage. Thanks to a warm spring and summer and plenty of rainfall, a bumper crop of juicy fruit is expected through October.
September's crisp air ushers in the start of Maine's apple season, something that Hunter Hall, who is visiting from Florida, can't get enough of.
"This morning, it's in the 60s rather than 98 degrees; it's a big difference," Hall said.
Hall and his friends fill their bags with apples, blueberries, and grapes at Ricker Hill Orchards.
"It's a beautiful day off the mountain. You can eat nice, beautiful apples however you like," Dallas Foss, who lives in Norway, added.
Pick-your-own is underway at Ricker Hill, and some varieties, including ginger golds and sisters, are ready about a week early this year.
"There are lots of activities for kids, and we are ready to make apple pies," Samantha Roma of Lisbon said with a smile.
This season, from August to October, features bigger and juicer apples than last year. State agricultural officials say a crippling frost last May, hail, and storm damage knocked out about half of Maine's apple crop.
"We picked less than a third of the crop last year, and the problem is there is nothing to cover it," Jeff Timberlake, an eighth-generation farmer at Ricker Hill, said.
Timberlake says a warm spring and summer are helping producers rebound from one of the worst seasons in decades.
"We have had a warm summer and rain at night. If you couldn't grow a good crop of apples this summer, you were in trouble," Timberlake said.
Meanwhile, Hunter and his friends savor their harvest, a taste they say will keep them returning yearly.