Business

Photos: North Fork farmers welcome busy pumpkin picking weekend

KATHARINE SCHROEDER PHOTO | Seven-month-old Chyler Arel of Newburyport, Mass. and her mom Carinn picked pumpkins at Krupski's Saturday.

While heavy rain has damaged crops and slowed down weekend crowds in recent months, local farmers were able to smile this holiday weekend as families flocked to the North Fork to pick pumpkins.

David Harbes, of Harbes farm, said he’s hoping for a few more weekends of good weather to make up for all the wet weekends earlier this year.

“The weather is always out of our hands,” he said. “We had a very good weekend. The weather worked out in our favor and we’re hoping for more.”

Michelle Fink, owner of Fink’s Farm in Wading River, said she also experienced a lot of business this Columbus Day weekend, which is also the busiest time for pumpkin picking.

“We lost about 50 percent of our crop due to all the rain, but we’re doing good with what we have left,” she said. “We needed the good weather. Everybody needed it.”

Over at Gabrielsen’s Farm in Jamesport, owner George Gabrielsen said business was the greatest it’s been all year, and he expects more of the same on Monday as temperatures are expected to reach 80 degrees.

“Today looks like it’s going to be another great day,” he said.

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