The Economics of Pick-your-own Orchards

Well, I take his point, and it is worth making to the [paraphrasing] 'SUV driving graying hipsters who are, despite good intentions, going to Hefty (trash bag) 2/3 of their "haul" '. People shouldn't base their choices upon gross misunderstandings of e.g. economy and efficiency.

On the other hand, a couple of hours in an orchard is a highlight of my year. And I suspect it is for a good many kids, as well. For my part, I can't take the kind of crowd he describes; fortunately, I have a much more "basic", but peaceful and beautiful, orchard in the area. One run by local folks with help from their friends during harvest season.

Time there I find well worth the expense -- not just of the picking, but the driving, my time, etc. And it's not like I'm incurring that expense throughout the year for all my food. For many the kids I see, I can't help thinking it's an invaluable lesson to actually source their own food, for once; to see where it comes from and to be a part, even if a small one, of providing for themselves.

The choice he describes cuts both ways. People can get a bit hung up on apple varieties. On the other hand, the varieties presently commercially available represent a small fraction of what once found itself distributed throughout the country; so many of those "heritage" varieties have been squeezed out by large scale, commercial production. And so much of that commercial production ends up with flavor that is a pale shadow of what you can find in other varieties not harvested to optimize hardiness under mechanical manipulation, transportation, and storage.

At my local orchard, Golden Delicious is my preference. They have other varieties, but the trees, terroir, and whatever else make the Golden Delicious a terrific choice. Good eating, but I find they hold up admirably in a pie, as well. Variety need not create a tyranny (of choice). For me, the best thing in the neighborhood is Golden Delicious. And I find ways to work with that, rather than worrying about all that I might be missing.