An over-the-row raspberry harvester is tested for harvesting cider apples Geraldine Warner Cider apple growing overall requires fewer inputs than growing dessert fruit because superficial blemishes don’t detract from the quality of apples that go into cider. But cider apples are typically small—the size of a tennis ball or smaller—which makes them expensive to ­harvest. “It takes a long time to fill a bin,” said Drew Zimmerman, cider maker and former owner of Tulip Valley ­Vineyard and Orchard in Mount Vernon. “Really, the only way that this can practically be done is by mechanical harvesting. In order for the grower […]