It’s apple-picking season in Ohio, which usually means cider slushies, family photos, and the occasional panic about whether you picked too many Honeycrisps. But for some local orchards, this fall has brought something less wholesome: thieves.
Over the past few weeks, reports have stacked up from multiple central Ohio orchards about customers swiping hundreds of dollars’ worth of apples. Not the casual “oops, I ate one off the tree” kind of stealing (which is still not chill, by the way. Pay for your stuff, people.)
We’re talking people stuffing spare tire compartments, glove boxes, and even hiding bags under passengers to sneak fruit out the gate.
Lynd Fruit Farm in Licking County has reported several incidents since Labor Day, including one case where employees uncovered nearly $400 in hidden apples.
Over in Madison County, The Orchard and Company said they confronted three different groups in just half an hour who tried to make off with more than $200 worth of apples each. In another twist, employees have noticed people over-picking and then dumping excess fruit on the ground to avoid paying. Once an apple hits the ground, it can’t be sold, meaning those losses go straight to the farm.
Orchards say the financial hit stings.
Farming is already labor-intensive and expensive, and margins aren’t exactly cushy. Losing hundreds of dollars in a single day is more than a nuisance — it’s money that could be paying workers, maintaining trees, or keeping admission costs reasonable.
And it’s not just Ohio. Back in 2019, a Michigan orchard lost more than 22,000 apples to large-scale theft. That same year, an Indiana farm reported a similar problem. Apparently, some people see “U-pick” and read it as “U-pick, U-hide, U-steal.”
But local orchard owners are quick to point out that most visitors are respectful.
“Ninety-nine percent of our customers are perfect,” Alex Patton of Lynd Fruit Farm told NBC4. “We hate for the one percent to ruin things for everyone else.”
Picking apples is supposed to be fun, not a heist.
Pay for what you pick, keep the extras in your bag, and don’t even think about stashing fruit under your car seats. Orchards open their gates to give families a chance to make memories, not to play cat-and-mouse with amateur smugglers.
So this fall, let’s pick responsibly. The orchards want you to leave with apples, photos, and good vibes, not a criminal record.
