Farmers battle U-pick theft and abuse

BRIDGET DEGNAN PHOTO
Ed Reilly of Riverhead helps his granddaughter Shannon, 9,
reach the high branches to pick peaches Friday at Davis Peach
Farm in Wading River. 

Even though it has become a mainstay of North Fork tourism, U-pick harvesting has been a cause for angst among farmers, who say there’s always someone looking for a free bunch of apples, peaches, strawberries or raspberries.
“People are slick,” said Patty DiVello, owner of Patty’s Berries in Mattituck. “They’ll come into the berry patch and just snack on the berries without paying