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Bad apple or full of hot air?
A Connecticut orchard has gone scorched earth on a hot air balloon company it’s accused of swooping over its trees and serially swiping apples — but the blimp business claims it’s all a misunderstanding.
Woodstock Orchards LLC alleged in a seething Facebook post this week that a hot air balloon cruised above its orchard for riders to reach out and snatch apples from one of its carefully maintained trees, a bizarre scheme the owners claim happened once before.
“For the second time, this hot air balloon has come down into our orchard, with someone reaching out and taking apples from our trees,” Woodstock Orchards wrote alongside a photo of the colorful hot air balloon full of passengers flying near fall foliage.
“In the process, our apple trees have been struck and damaged,” said the nearly 70-year-old family-owned fruit and vegetable retail stand.
“Every apple on those trees represents time, money, and hard work. We welcome visitors who come to enjoy the beauty of the orchard, and we love seeing the balloons in the sky. But enjoying the view does not give anyone permission to damage our trees or take our crop,” the owners continued.
“To have this happen once is upsetting. To have it happen twice makes it even more disappointing. A business operating in our community should understand the importance of respecting the farms and small businesses that make this town special.”
The orchard added that they are not asking for anything “unreasonable” and simply want “respect for our livelihood that we show to the people who visit us every day.”
Photos posted by the farm showed the alleged klepto-balloon had branding for “CT Voyagers,” a hot-air balloon touring agency that claims on its website to be “one of the top five-star rated hot air ballooning companies in Connecticut and New England.”
A spokesperson for CT Voyagers told Boston.com that two apple-theft incidents were simply a “misunderstanding.”
When the balloon first traveled over the orchard several years ago, the hot air ballooning agency said that a “nice young lady” held a basket of apples and generously tossed them toward passengers, the spokesperson told the outlet.
“Our pilot discovered such a warm, friendly, kind, inclusive, and welcoming vibe,” the representative wrote. “We have always recommended visiting Woodstock Orchards to all of our customers.”
On Saturday, the reported second time the company’s balloons ever flew over the orchard, the spokesperson said it was a “vivid contrast” from their prior experience at the orchard.
“There was absolutely no damage to the trees, no fallen branches, not even a falling leaf,” the representative wrote.
The hot-air balloon company said the balloon remained above the treeline but encountered a 12-year-old customer who reached for an apple — prompting the pilot to drift down and pick one to give the child, the statement added.
After the gesture, a “very angry man” reportedly told the pilot never to do it again and asked the pilot to leave despite offering to pay for the apple and returning it.
“We acknowledge that seeking permission to pick even one apple is justified, although was not required on our last flyover several years ago,” the representative wrote in a statement. “For this, we do apologize for not seeking permission to pick one apple, and our pilot is now well aware of this (new) policy going forward.”
The CT Voyagers rep added that the workers at the orchard “verbally threatened” the balloon crew and said they would ruin the company’s “reputation.”
“We again apologize for any misunderstanding and hope we can all peacefully continue to find ways to rise by lifting others up,” the representative wrote.
In an updated statement, Woodstock Orchards said they “did not just run to social media as a first decision after this happened.”
“The balloon operator was spoken to. We were not asked for permission for the balloon to do this.”
CT Voyagers and Woodstock Orchards did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment.