You will not have to wait until Labor Day to get your first taste of fall from Door County apple orchards this year. Paula Reds, Zestars, and Rave apples are among the first to be picked this year with other varieties ripening in the coming weeks. It is about five days earlier than last year according to Wood Orchard owner Steve Wood thanks to the recent string of humid and warm days. The cooler weather that is expected to come into the area this week will bring more than just relief for the trees and the fruit according to Wood.

In a normal year, the bulk of Door County’s apple crop is ripe from mid-September to mid-October. Wood expects farm markets and pick-your-own fields to be filled with eager apple lovers in the next week or two.