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Great Season for Apples in Susquehanna County

SILVER LAKE TOWNSHIP — Macintosh, Gala, Empire, Honeycrisp and more — apples are ripening throughout northeastern and central Pennsylvania. For many...
susq apples

SILVER LAKE TOWNSHIP -- Macintosh, Gala, Empire, Honeycrisp and more -- apples are ripening throughout northeastern and central Pennsylvania.

For many people, fall isn't complete without heading into the orchards to pick their own. We checked out this year's crop at an orchard in Susquehanna County.

The apples are ripe and ready for the picking at Russell Farms in Susquehanna County, and for some people, there's nothing quite like getting the fruit fresh from the tree.

"They're fresher, crispier, tastier," said Rosemarie Zeccola of Apalachin, New York.

This farm near Brackney, just south of the Pennsylvania/New York line has row after row of trees full of apples with all kinds of varieties.

It draws people from all over.

Cathy Dundon was there to pick a lot.

"I'm ready for it to be fall and I love apple season, and I can't wait to make apple pies and all that goes along with it."

This year, Mike Russell says a wet start to the season helped lead to a great crop. It was hard to turn him down when he offered us a taste of the Honeycrisps.

"They're wonderful," said Russell. "Just about every variety has a well-balanced crop which is kind of unusual. Most of the years there's something that didn't crop well."

At Russell's they invested in an irrigation system several years ago and this year that really saved the crop, first from a freeze back on Memorial Day weekend, then from the drought the past month or so.

"It saved us in the spring and it enabled us to put water on in a critical stage where we needed water also," Russell said.

While Russell Farms has apples galore, this place is also a celebration of the rest fall has to offer, even if all the pickers aren't quite ready for all that.

"I don't want it to be fall. I want it to be summer," said Zeccola.

But she and everyone here on a beautiful day like this are thrilled apple season is here.

"To have this in September, it's not cold, see how beautiful it is, we're pretty happy."

Russell Farms is open seven days a week for picking.

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