‘Tis the season for apple picking in Central NY

“It was kind of scary to be there when there were a lot of people,” Natalie Muñoz said. Muñoz is a sophomore at Syracuse University who was visiting the orchard with her friends. “I wasn’t wary about going, but if I had really seen the way that things were organized, I probably would have been more wary—not necessarily enough to stop me from going, but I definitely would have considered it as a factor more.”

Even at only one-third capacity, Beak and Skiff can allow up to 2,000 customers on the property at one time. More people means more risk of exposure. Onondaga County health officials reported that five people who attended Beak and Skiff on Oct. 3 tested positive for the coronavirus on Oct. 6. The group wore masks for the majority of their stay, only taking them off to eat at the picnic tables. It is unknown whether other customers contracted the virus from them.

Burrell’s Navarino Orchard, a smaller orchard than Beak and Skiff, was more lax with coronavirus precautions. On a recent visit, some employees were not wearing masks, whether they were working in the orchard or selling apple fritters. This made customers like Tim Winters feel somewhat apprehensive.

“It is different, just being aware of the masks and when you’re too close to people,” Winters said. “When you do things, it’s not like it was before. You’d be more outgoing and people would be in a better mood and now, everyone is like, ‘Oh, how’s this going to go?’ because everything is different.”

While the usual spirit was dampened for some, on the surface, it looked like a normal weekend of apple picking. A mom roamed the orchards in a T-shirt that read, “Oh my gourd, I love fall,” and workers scolded kids for climbing the trees. Most customers were just happy to be outdoors.

“It’s such a beautiful fall day, we decided there’d really be nothing better to do than come pick a bag of apples,” said Central New York local Natasha Wilburs, who was there with her son, Michael. “It’s outside, so in combination with it being outside and having masks, I think it’s okay.”

Crystal Cole and her co-workers are more than familiar with the pandemic and mask-wearing because they work at a hospital, but that didn’t stop them from driving to Navarino Orchard.

“I feel like everything pretty much feels the same,” Cole said. “It’s actually busier this year than it was last year. It’s just a little hotter because you’re wearing a mask. My sunglasses fog up.”

For other customers, the COVID-19 regulations were not enough to continue their usual traditions. Even though they still went to the orchards, they took precaution into their own hands. Gary Mitchell, an elderly man who came with his friend, did not follow his typical apple picking routine. He bought an apple fritter and sat by his car in a folding chair, away from the crowd.

“This year, as a matter of fact, we didn’t do half the stuff we normally do because of all the business,” Mitchell said. “So we didn’t go out into the orchards, and we didn’t pick. I did pick up a couple of loose apples in the bins because it was easy and it was out in the open, and actually I went and paid out in the open as opposed to going into the enclosed area.”

Pandemic or no, this fall tradition remains sacred among families and friends.

“I actually called [Navarino Orchard],” Mitchell said. “I asked them what was going on, and they said, ‘It’s busy.’ So I said, ‘I wish you a lot of good health.’ Then I relayed it to my friend, and he said, ‘Oh, we’ll just go.’”