JULIAN, Calif. (KGTV) — At least one farm in Julian is combating the apple crop shortage with variety. Over the past few weeks, ABC 10News has spoken to several businesses in Julian about the problems they've faced with this year's apple crop.
We returned to the East County community Friday with a solution one local farm has.
"My dad always pushed for variety, so he said if you have a variety, if one crop failed, you have something else," Stacy Peyakov says.
10News reporter Dani Miskell looked into the technique this farm says goes back decades.
It's opening day at Julian apple farm Ranchita del Reo, which Peyakov runs.
The first family that came Friday was their initial customer of the apple picking season.
"So we were worried when we heard that Julian was apparently out of apples, but we asked around and got a few recommendations for here, and we're so happy," says Anna Tough, an apple picker.
"I can't wait to make some apple pie," says Derek Tough.
Peyakov's family has owned the farm since the 1940s, and they're in the business of producing late-blooming apples.
"So a lot of the newer people that have moved up have put in different varieties," she says. "Some of the modern varieties bloom at different times and they tend to get killed in the spring."
While some other businesses in Julian are struggling this season, Peyakov believes the family business will be OK this year.
Peyakov told ABC 10News that a short winter, combined with a longer spring season filled with humidity and bugs, killed certain varieties of apples in Julian.
This year, she has the following apple varieties: Arkansas, black, Northern Spy, black twigs, Golden Russets and Winesap. All of those bloom late in the season, so Ranchita del Reo has plenty of choices for picking.
"So, we tend to miss the early crowd, but it works good for the other orchards, because the ones that have early, they get the early crowd and we tend to get the late crowd," she says.
The orchard also spreads out reservations over apple picking season, which runs from August until November.
"There's a lot of apples. We cut it down so that we don't have just everybody at one time," Peyakov says.
Decades of ups and downs in Julian hopefully have position her farm to do fine this season.
"Old timers like us that are trying still to keep these old varieties and these old apples here... There are fewer old timers that want to keep this tradition and Julian going and keep it the way it's been through the heritage. We're really glad that we get to be a part of it," Peyakov says.
