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Apples ripen ahead of schedule, filling the trees at Wayne County orchard

Rittman Orchards is offering pick-your-own for Honeycrisp apples this weekend, with more varieties later in September.

DOYLESTOWN, Ohio — They say you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose. 

Well, you can take your friend to Rittman Orchards to pick some apples! The sun-drenched trees on this Wayne County hillside are full of Honeycrisps. 

Rittman Orchards is offering "pick-your-own" of these tart, juicy beauties. "The apple crop is looking good," says orchard co-owner Chris Vodraska. He noticed the season got here fast. "We're running a little early seasonally. I think we're almost a week early, ahead of the average."

So the folks at Rittman Orchards decided to do something special. 

"We're opening Honeycrisp for the first time for U-pick at our orchard so we're earlier than we ever U-picked before," Vodraska says.

It's a welcome boost to business. The orchard has had a tough year with stone fruits. Peaches, cherries, and plums weren't so great. But the apple crop is great. There are Honeycrisps high. There are Honeycrisps low. And there are Honeycrisps in their market if you don't want to pick your own. They're everywhere!

Vodraska has a gift for understatement.

"We grow a lot of Honeycrisp. Honeycrisp is far and away the top apple for us."

But as the season progresses in about three weeks, according to Chris, it's "all in to you pick apples, basically. We'll have a lot of stuff ripe all at once."

When Mother Nature is ready, she's ready. The folks at Rittman Orchards will be as ready as they can be for this early season boom.

"Fall's here whether we want it to be or not, so we'll be ready!," Vodraska sums it up, with his laughter echoing through the fruit laden trees on this beautiful Wayne County farm.

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