KEWAUNEE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Apple picking season in Northeast Wisconsin is just getting started, and along the Lakeshore, one orchard is expecting a very bountiful crop of fruit.
At Hillside Apples in Kewaunee County, trees are heavy with the season’s fruit.
“These are Cortlands that we’re looking at. We’re just starting to pick them. They’re colored nice. They’re red all the way around,” said Bill Roethle, Hillside Apples Owner.
Roethle says a dry start gave way to timely July rains, and he’s expecting a big harvest here.
“As far as volume of apples, it is way above the average. So, I would call it a bumper crop this year for sure.”
Roethle grows about 30 different varieties at a 25-acre orchard near Casco. He says Honeycrisp, McIntosh, and Cortland are the most popular.
“We do tell customers, sample apples before you fill a whole bagful. Make sure that you like them. They are at different stages of ripeness, each variety. They start out tart. As they ripen, and progress, they get sweeter, and sweeter.”
Larry Maccoux and his wife Karen Maccoux say they pick Cortland apples here every September.
“They’re nice, and red and juicy, and prime. I got to make sure they’re good, and they are,” said Karen Maccoux.
“They’re a lot tarter. The only time I like apples is when they’re just picked off the tree, I don’t like them when they get soft,” said Larry Maccoux.
And while favorite types of apples may vary, Bill Roethle says traditions and memories might begin, with a single trip to the orchard.
“I’ve had families, just this weekend, I had one who said, you know, we started coming out here when my son was born. And he’s 14 years old now. I’ve had people beyond that. We’ve been here, this would be our 26th or 27th crop, and I know of some people that have been here, since day one with us.”
Growers say the season for apple picking typically wraps up around Halloween.
