Soggy June led to bumper crop of apples

“They’re big, they’re ripe, and they’re clean,’’ said Pat Kriksceonaitis, the farm manager at Brooksby Farm in Peabody. “Some of the crops had a tough year, but it’s probably the best apple crop in many years.’’

The rain that ruined this summer’s crops fattened this fall’s apples, farmers said.

Kelly Joseph, general manager of Marshall Farm in Fitchburg, said: “Apples have done the best by far . . . They’re definitely bigger - bigger and juicier. And we have so many more.’’

And for some growers, apples are saving their farms.

“We’d be sunk without a good apple crop,’’ Kriksceonaitis said. “No money was made on the field crops this summer, so we’re hoping that the apples will pull us through in good shape.’’

On Tuesday, Governor Deval Patrick requested federal loans for state farmers after a disastrous summer. But the state’s 369 apple farms may not need the help, some growers said.

“If we can do well enough on the apple crop, we don’t think we’ll be applying for any federal assistance,’’ said Bill Hennessey, a farmer at Highland Farm in Holliston who also grows corn, squash, broccoli, and other vegetables.

For farmers like Hennessey who grow both fruits and vegetables, the apple season could help compensate for their summer losses, said the state’s agricultural commissioner, Scott Soares. “It’s critical for our industry, particularly when we have such diverse farms.’’

Massachusetts ranks 12th in the country for apple production, and it raked in nearly $20 million in revenue from the fruit last year, according to the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

This year’s summer crops withered during the cloudy and soggy June. The month was the second gloomiest June since 1885 in the state, according to Blue Hill Observatory in Canton.

But the apples flourished, farmers said.

“Lots of rain makes the apples bigger,’’ said Miranda Russell, co-owner of Russell Orchards in Ipswich, which grows 25 varieties of apples in a 50-acre orchard. “The fruit itself absorbs more water . . . This is a big apple in comparison to past years.’’

Now, with the apples ripe, farmers said they are getting the orchard ladders ready for a busy apple-picking weekend, while keeping their farmers’ market baskets full.

“I’ve seen plenty of apples at the market, starting way back in July,’’ said Jeff Cole, executive director of the nonprofit Federation of Massachusetts Farmers Markets. “I haven’t seen any empty bins yet.’’

But the agreeable weather must continue for a real profitable fall, some farmers said.

“We need good weather every weekend through September and October for our apple-picking,’’ said Hennessey, who oversees about 9,000 apple trees at Highland Farm. “But who knows? If we get a hurricane . . . we could be applying for federal aid, too.’’

From noon to 6 p.m. today, apple lovers will get a chance to taste the prize crops for themselves at the Massachusetts Apple Festival in Dewey Square in Boston.