Through variable weather, apple-picking season starting strong at pair of Belmont orchards

BELMONT — Apple-picking season is in full swing, and despite drought conditions causing small obstacles, family-owned orchard owners say the beautiful weather has brought customers out in droves.

“We’re doing well,” Stone Mountain Farm owner Joe Rolfe said Friday, stepping off a forklift transporting a massive box of apples. “The weather has been good, so we are selling everything at a pretty good clip.”

Stone Mountain is a family business in the truest form. When Nelson and Theresa Rolfe originally bought the farm in 1963, the main crop was hay, but in 2009, their son Joe and his wife Cindy purchased it and turned it into a high-density apple orchard. Theresa, now 92 years old and still at the farm, and Joe’s brother Scott, brother-in-law Jim, and son Jacob all work a variety of jobs there. His daughter, Samantha, is in charge of the vast offerings of pumpkins, mums and product displays.

The farm also sells pumpkins, gourds, a variety of flowers and corn. The orchard is also hosting a pie contest Saturday, Oct. 4, adding to the fall fun.

“We’re all about family here, and this is just a good family activity in general,” Joe said. “People can come have a cider donut, sit back, and enjoy this fall weather. You’ve got to have all the fall stuff here if you want to sell apples.”

The farm has 9,000 apple trees, with 60 different varieties sold. This includes “all the usual suspect” like Honeycrisp, the farm’s top seller that stands out due to the size.

“Some of the Honeycrisps get up to a pound,” Joe Rolfe said.

The farmers also have new strains available to them as members of the Midwestern Apple Improvement Association.

“We have one called Triumph, like the motorcycle, and Ludacrisp, like the rapper,” Rolfe said with a laugh.

Rolfe explained there are also breeding programs through different universities, as well as nurseries, which provide different varieties of seeds. He said new types aren’t too common in New Hampshire yet, as it takes three to five years for them to get ramped up into production.

There are different apples for all different reasons.

“Northern Spy is good for pie,” Rolfe said. “The old timers really like this one for pie. Cortland is our No. 1 pie apple, though.”

McIntosh right off the tree is tough to beat, Rolfe said, adding he also loves the Ruby McIntosh apples.

“My favorite changes by the week.”

Olivia Hebert of Meredith was at the farm Friday morning with her daughter Sloane, who is almost 2 years old. Sloane was enjoying a ride in a cart filled with pumpkins and apples, and getting a chance to see her family members who work at the orchard.

Hebert, who is the niece of Joe Rolfe, said the variety of the apples at the farm is “amazing,” and Stone Mountain has many types other that local farms don’t.

“The Ambrosias are delicious, and big,” Hebert said.

Wende Richter and her late husband Rob bought Smith Orchard in 1986, but the farm's story dates back to 1929, when Charlie Smith planted 800 trees. Some of those trees are still thriving and producing after nearly 100 years.

“It is truly amazing to me that they are producing at their age,” she said. “They are hearty and healthy, and will produce for many more years.”

Now she and her son Chad run the farm, which offers nine varieties of apples, as well as apple cider donuts, coffee and an extensive gift shop. Saturday, Oct. 11, the orchard has a hamburger and hot dog stand open, and on Sunday, Oct. 12, the Wicked Witches of the Lakes Region will perform. Each event goes from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Apple picking season at Smith Orchard is usually about six weeks, starting at the beginning of September and going through the end of October, but really depends when they run out.

The Honeycrisp and Ginger Gold apples have already sold out due to high demand. Richter said they plant more every year, and no matter the quantity, they are the first to go. Smith Orchard continues to offer McIntosh, Macoun, Cortland, Gala, Ida Red, and Red and Yellow Delicious.

Doug and Debbie Norton of Sanbornton took a stroll around the orchard with their 2-year-old grandson Cam, and friendly black lab Sophie, on Friday morning. While Sophie will eat just about any type of apple, Cam was chomping into a little one.

The Nortons love the traditional feeling they get when at Smith Orchard, and while the Macoun is a favorite, they said all the apples are top-notch.

“It is great for picking and walking around,” Doug said. “We come every year.”

While she said it isn’t necessarily sweater weather, Richter said she has had “great customer output,” and it’s been a great season so far.

“I’m very pleased with my crops this year,” Richter said. “There are a few varieties that have been small, but the rest are great. I think I lucked out a little bit. Other than the size for a couple varieties, it has been a perfect year for me.”

The ongoing drought has caused some snags in the growing process. Crystal Stiles, the acting regional drought coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said some orchards have had smaller apples because they haven't been able to irrigate. Rolfe agreed this affects size, and also said they are still irrigating at Stone Mountain to keep apples on the tree for customers to pick.

“If I don’t keep irrigating, the fruit will not stay on the tree,” Rolfe said. “These are all seeds, and if the tree gets stressed, they let the seeds go to the ground.”

Mary Stampone, state climatologist and associate professor of geography at the University of New Hampshire, said the apple orchards do a great job at managing crops.

“This isn’t their first drought,” Stampone said. “New England farmers are a resilient group. The weather is fantastic so get out there and pick some apples. Support your local farmers. They really need it right now.”