Apple orchards in New York state, with only a handful of weekends to sell this year’s crop, lure customers with pony rides, “bounce houses,” cider doughnuts, “wines and crafts, as well as weekend events that bear little connection to their agricultural heritage,” says the New York Times. “It has been decades since the apple harvest meant selling bushels of the fruit to neighbors who needed large quantities to can, store and bake with all winter. Now fruit farmers rely on pick-your-own operations, bakeries and gift shops. But finding creative ways to lure more people has become increasingly important as wholesale markets favor apples from large commercial growers around the world.”
In a visit to orchards near Albany in upstate New York, the Times says some growers organize harvest festivals that charge a fee to enter the grounds. “Any farm that isn’t commercial isn’t in business anymore,” Kevin Bowman told the Times. Bowman has food trucks at his orchard. Goold Orchards hired a marketing director and started a winery.