Fall in Full Bloom

Alison Ritrosky

October 17^th, 2011

Fall in Full Bloom

A fall breeze quietly sweeps the crisp, colorful leaves, children and their parents carry round, plump, orange pumpkins around the pumpkin patch, and the sweet scent of apple cider lingers in the air. Fall: finally, it has arrived.

Apple harvests, pumpkin crops, and fall foliage have all been in full bloom this season, despite strange weather happenings compared to years past.  With all of the crazy weather during the end of summer and beginning of fall, such as Hurricane Irene and a whirlwind of weather patterns ranging from extreme heat, to rain, to cold, sheer luck has prevented pumpkin and apple harvest from having damages this season.

Mary Stampone, the New Hampshire State Climatologist, said that crops thrive best in dry weather. “Pumpkins get more damage from wetness than the apple crops,” Stampone said. “Since they are on the ground, the wet soil can rot them before they are able to be sold.” According to an article titled “Apple Crop Plentiful” in Foster’s Daily Democrat, farms have “dodged the bullet” this year in terms of failing crops. Although there was flooding from Hurricane Irene in late August, there was no significant impact on the growth of pumpkins or apples in this area of the United States.

Despite the weather conditions, Emery Farm, a locally owned and operated business in Durham, grows local sugar pumpkins and the supply has been plentiful this year, according to Bill Toule, a farmer. “The Indian corn had a little bit of a late start, but it’s normal now,” Toule said. Although the farm does not grow regular pumpkins on site, they receive them from surrounding farms during the fall.

“Harvests have been up this year,” Toule added. “And sales have been great.” Toule lifted a plump pumpkin and examined it. He put it on the ground, with all the other pumpkins on sale. Toule commented that the health of the pumpkins this year, as far as color and shape, has been better than in recent years past.

Apples taste juicier this season, too, according to some apple pickers. The apple crops at DeMeritt Hill Farm, an apple orchard in Lee, also flourished this season. The seemingly endless rows of trees at the farm contain sweet, juicy apples like Spencer, Macoun, Honey Crisp, and Cortland.

“These apples are my favorite,” MacKenzie Langsten said, as she bit into a fat Honey Crisp, the apple juice dribbling down her chin. MacKenzie is a junior at UNH who went to DeMeritt Hill Farm last Saturday to enjoy the fall weather with her roommates. “I don’t remember the apples tasting this good last year.”

Although the effects of the weather did not impact the harvests, the foliage this fall altered slightly. According to the State Climate Office website, the Seacoast Region experiences its peak fall foliage, meaning when the leaf colors are at their brightest, during mid-October. However, this year, Stampone expects the peak so be about two weeks late.

“This fall, the temperatures have been above average; that’s why the colors are lasting a little longer,” she said. “The best foliage occurs when we have rainy summers that start earlier, so there is moisture, followed by bright, clear, fall days.” During a dry summer, there generally is less brightness in the leaves the following fall.

With apples and pumpkins plentiful this October and trees on their way to the best shades of yellow, red, and orange, New Hampshire is the spot to enjoy the few autumn months.