Apple Picking Season Gets Into High Gear

WARWICK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- With the Jewish New Year just one week away, it is a very sweet time for local apple orchards and honey makers.

As CBS 2's Cindy Hsu reported, little apple pickers were in heaven at Masker Orchards in Warwick, Orange County.

"Apple picking -- eat all of it," said Zeida, 4.

While some families make an apple picking excursion every year, for Tristan Lewis and his grandmother, it is a sweet start.

"It's a first for both of us -- for myself and my grandson, so I'm enjoying it," said Jeri James. "He's a good kid, so I'm enjoying it."

Along with apple picking, many at Masker also enjoyed apple pie and apple cider donuts.

The orchard is also selling lots of local honey right now, especially with Rosh Hashanah just around the corner.

"At Rosh Hashanah, it was the custom to take a piece of apple and to dip it in honey," said George Vurno of Masker Orchards.

The idea is to celebrate a sweet, sweet New Year.

And when it comes picking the best apples, experts advise that you be sure to know what's ripe. Right now, go for McIntosh, Cortland, Jonagold, and Empire apple cultivars.

And color is key. A deep red means a ripe apple, according to Vurno.

"The best way to tell what's really ripe is to pick the apple" and test it out with your teeth, Vurno said.

Giuliana LaGreca is only 3 years old, but quite the expert with a colorful vocabulary.

"We picked the red ones that's more deliciouser," she said.

Apple picking season started over Labor Day weekend, and normally lasts until early November.

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