Milton's Prospect Hill Orchards Cancels Summer Picking Season

Though we had somewhat of a mild winter this year when it came to snowstorms, temperatures across the Hudson Valley fluctuated more than usual over the past several months. Some of the unexpected warm temps during early winter, plus a late frost and dropped temperatures have had a major impact on local farms.

Just a few weeks back we learned the sad news that an iconic local spot, noted as one of the oldest farms in the Hudson Valley, Dressel Farms, shared the news of frost damage to their crops after the temperature dropped below the freezing mark.

Facebook: Dressel Farm

The mood around here is pretty somber today. We saw 27° last night. Damage to the apples, strawberries, and peaches is inevitable but won't be evident for a while. But clearly our grapes for the year are gone.

Sadly, another local farm has just shared a similar update.

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Milton's Prospect Hill Orchards Cancels Summer Picking Season

Founded in 1817, and now with three locations in Milton, NY, Prospect Hill Orchards is another popular Hudson Valley destination for pick-your-own, but sadly, the severe weather fluctuations from this past winter damaged the crops.

It is with great sadness that we are letting you know that we do not anticipate opening Prospect Hill Orchards for Pick Your Own this summer.

In a note to their loyal patrons and friends both on social media, and their website, Prospect Hill Orchards shared the sad news that their crops of cherries, peaches, apricots and plums were damaged to the point they could not survive, causing them to sustain the worst crop failure the farm has experienced in 56 years.

In January, we had several days of 50-degree temperatures followed by freezing cold nights in February when temperatures plummeted to as low as -11 degrees. This crazy weather caused the buds to lose their winter hardiness and they could not survive.

Though the list of impacted crops is lengthy, Prospect Hill Orchards did share the promising news that the apples and pears were not affected (YAY!), and they do anticipate a great fall season at all three of their local locations.

Though the summer pick-your-own is off for 2023, they will still be selling their berries, jams and fresh baked goods at their usual NYC Greenmarkets. The staff encourages patrons to visit their website and social media pages for updated information, and they look forward to seeing everyone in September for apple season!

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