2024 Southern Connecticut Apple U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Apple U-Pick Orchards in Southern Connecticut in 2024, by county

Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for apples that we know of in this area.

Not all areas of a state have apples orchards that are open to the public. If you know of any others, please tell us using the add a farm form!

Remember to always check with the farm's own website or Facebook page before you go - or call or email them if they don't have a website or Facebook page. Conditions at the farms and crops can change literally overnight, so if you want to avoid a wasted trip out there - check with the farm directly before you go! If I cannot reach them, I DON'T GO!

PLEASE report closed farms, broken links and incorrect info using the "Report Corrections" form below.

New! As inflation remains high, see this page for reliable (tested) brands of generic canning lids at lower costs, and cost-saving measures for getting fruit and vegetables and home canning.
 If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days.

New! Road tripping and camping is a great way to have a fun, safe and inexpensive family trip. The national and state parks and monuments are open, and campgrounds usually cost between $10 and $40 per night. September to November is the best camping weather.  See our new website Road Tripping and Camping.com for tips, tricks, guides, checklists and info about parks, monuments and other places to visit.

New! We just went live with our latest website, FunFactoryTours.com - As they name implies, you can find a fun factory tour, including chocolate, automobiles, historical forts and sites, famous buildings, Active Federal facilities even fun geology: like fossils and volcanic areas

Middlesex County

• Gotta's Farm - strawberries, apples, peaches, pears
  661 Glastonbury Turnpike, Portland, CT 06480. Phone: (860) 342-1844. Email: rgottafarm@aol.com. Open: May 1st for the season with annual & perennial flowering plants. Directions: Located at 510 Main Street. Click here for a map and directions.
  Gotta's Farm Facebook page. Monday to Friday 8 am to 1 pm for strawberries, later for apples, etc, 6:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday 8 am to 6 pm; opens May 1st for the season with spring plants. PYO strawberries in June, peaches in Aug, apples in September and Octoberand Cider Mill Facebook page. Open Their strawberry fields are . Fresh fruits & vegetables available at farm stand from July to December. mid-April and continues to be open until December 24th each year. Throughout the year, Gotta's offers a variety of annuals and perennials, an array of produce grown and harvested on our farm. We offer mums and pumpkins in the fall, also Christmas trees and wreaths in the winter. We also have a satellite stand (QP) on Route 66 in Portland
  Comments from a visitor on July 21, 2009: "This has been our family's favorite for many, many years! The crops are amazing, prices great too! They have some of the best PYO apples around."
• Lyman Orchards - PYO strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, flowers, peaches, nectarines, pears, apples & pumpkins, Corn maze
  Jct. Routes 147 and 157, Middlefield, CT 06455. Phone: (860) 349-1793. Email: info@lymanorchards.com. Open: from 9AM-4:30PM. Click here for a map and directions.
  Lyman Orchards Facebook page. Fax: (860) 349-1424. . Enjoy 1100 acres of championship golf, championship pies, and Family Fun! CT's largest indoor Farm Market. Corn maze from September 6 - November 2Corn maze: Sept.-October. Great food at the Apple Barrel - home of CT's Best Apple Pie! 24 hour PYO hotline: 860-349-6015. It's simple to pick your own at. Before coming to pick, always call our 24-hour hotline for up-to-the-minute crop and field conditions, varieties, and current market prices. We update the message as often as necessary (especially in rainy or overcast weather) in order to help you make the best arrangements for your picking trip Facebook page. You can enjoy being a farmer for an afternoon and pick nearly 100 varieties of fruits from June through October. PYO Apples, Asian Pears, Regular Pears, Pumpkins, Squash Flowers, Summer Squash, and Raspberries are open Apple varieties are Honeycrisp, Macoun, McIntosh, Gala, Cortland, Empire, Spencer, Jonamac, and Gingergold. Asian Pear varieties are Shinseiki, Hosui, Twentieth Century, and Niitaka. Regular Pear varieties are Bosc and Magness.
  Comments from a visitor on July 07, 2011: "The farm is huge but you can drive close to the different u-pick sites and it's well-signed so they are easy to locate. You pay for what you pick at the location but they still take credit cards. You can bring your own containers if you want and they will pre-weigh them for you (so you don't pay for the weight of the container)."
• Scott's Connecticut Valley Orchards - blueberries, peaches, apples, pumpkins
  274 Kelsey Hill Road, Deep River, CT 06417. Phone: 860-526-9633. Open: call for hours; Pick-your-own starts in early July to September with blueberries, late July to mid September for peaches, late August through Halloween for apples, and late September on for pumpkins. Click here for a map and directions.
  Scott's Connecticut Valley Orchards Facebook page. Click here for a link to our Facebook page(UPDATED: December 06, 2016, JBS)

New Haven County

• Belinsky Family Farm - Apples, Choose and cut Christmas Trees, pretagging allowed
  132 Moose Hill Road, Oxford, CT 06478. Phone: 203-888-0322. Email: belinskysfarm@gmail.com. Open: weekends from 9 am to 5 pm; call for weekdays. Click here for a map and directions.
  Belinsky Family Farm Facebook page. You can choose and cut your own Christmas tree. Special prices on 6-7 foot Red Pine or Scotch Pine Christmas Trees: Pines Only $34.99! Belinsky's Farm Facebook page. We have apples of different kinds Macintosh, Cortland, Delicious, Rome, Greening, Empire, and Bosc pears. Only $8 (2021) per 1/2 peck. You may pick your own! We have pumpkins of all colors, shapes, and sizes. We have pumpkins with hulless seeds- great for toasting! We also have gourds and squash. Also freshly harvested peaches (they are not PYO).
• Bishop's Orchards location 1 - PYO Strawberries, winery, blueberries, peaches, pears, apples, raspberries and pumpkins
  1355 Boston Post Road (US Rte 1, I-95 Exit 57), Guilford, CT 06437. Phone: (203) 458-7425. Email: pyoinfo@bishopsorchards.com. Open: from June-October daily until 7pm. Click here for a map and directions.
  Bishop's Orchards location 1 Facebook page. Pick-your-own season starts in June with strawberries and goes through October with apples and pumpkins. In December we have cut-your-own Christmas trees. Bishop's Orchards Farm Market Facebook page. First crop will be our Strawberries! Remember the Farm Market & Creamery are open year round and our Summer Music Series at the Little Red Barn will be OPENING June 4th. Stay tuned for more information and we look forward to another fantastic year! At Bishop's Orchards we work hard and take pride in growing the highest quality fruits to enjoy year after year from our family to yours. All the fresh products are available either seasonally at our Pick-Your-Own (PYO) locations and/or annually at our farm market. The summer sun shining down on our orchards provides an ideal location to spend part of the day to enjoy the fun of picking your own quality fruit directly from the bushes or trees. Each year the Pick-Your-Own season may vary due to weather and crop abundance, yet generally runs from mid-June until the end of October. You can see the breakdown on our PYO Calendar. To ensure you have the most accurate information, we recommend calling ahead at our 24-hour information phone line of 203-458-PICK (7425). This phone line is also updated daily during the picking season to provide the latest information to all our valued customers. Since 1871, six generations of Bishop's have been serving Connecticut with farm products. The market is open all year till 7 pm (Sun till 6pm), featuring a bakery & kitchen specializing in pies & prepared meal solutions, produce from our 300 acre farm & around the world, meats, dairy products, flowers, and gift baskets. Bishop's Orchards Winery offers our own wine & CT wines 7 days a week. Visit our Llamas & Alpacas too! Northford Market should read Since 1871, five generations of Bishop's have been serving Connecticut with farm products. Open weekends 10-5 in September and October, Bishop's Northford Orchard has Pick Your Own Apples and Peaches, plus Farm Market products including pies, cider and apples and pumpkins. Our main farm in Guilford is open all year around. There is a blog article about them here.
• Blue Hills Orchard - apples, porta-potties, school tours, group reservations
  141 Blue Hills Road, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 269-3189. Email: eric@bluehillsorchard.com. Open: Saturday, from 10 am to 5 pm Sunday, from 11 am to 3 pm. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover.
  Blue Hills Orchard Facebook page. This year, we will be kicking off our apple growing season by offering Pick Your Own to our customers! The farm has worked hard to create a fun and safe, family-friendly experience for the members of our community to enjoy. Our Pick Your Own activities will be operating Saturdays 10 am to 5 pm and Sundays 11 am to 3 pm. Customers may arrive at any point through these time slots to take part in the picking. Once you arrive, you must check-in at the store to claim your spot on the wagon down to the designated picking area. (ADDED: August 12, 2020)
• Drazen Orchards - Uses integrated pest management practices, apples, pears, peaches, plums, farm market, picnic area
  251 Wallingford Road, Cheshire, CT 06410. Phone: 203-272-7985. Email: drazenorchards@gmail.com. Open: Monday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm Early August to October 31; Closed Tuesdays. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.
  Drazen Orchards Facebook page. Picking updates: Click here for picking updatesWe use integrated pest management practicesBlueberries: Late July to mid-SeptemberPeaches: August to mid-SeptemberYellow & White Nectarines: Mid-AugustBartlett & Bosc Pears: August and SeptemberQuince: October/ after first frostAsian Plums: AugustItalian Prune Plums : September 7 Apples, by variety:Ginger Gold - August 12Zestar - August 24Gala - September 7Honeycrisp - September 7MacIntosh - September 13Cortland - September 15Early Fuji - September 18Macoun - September 25Red Delicious - September 27Empire - October 4Jonagold - October 10Golden Delicious - October 11Baldwin - October 17Mutsu - October 18
• Emerald Green Farm and Gardens - Minimizes chemical and pesticide use, apples, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, nectarines, pears, peaches, plums, raspberries (red), raspberries (black), Fresh eggs, gift shop, restrooms
  84 Tankwood Road, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: 203 -949-0594. Open: Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 4 pm Saturday and Sunday, from 10 am to 3 pm Phone for holiday hours. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. emerald green farm@sbcglobal.net Blueberries: Late June through September peaches and plums : July through September Apples: Late July through November. We minimize use of pesticides and other chemicalsGreenhouses with a large selection of annual flowers and hanging baskets Country store and garden center gift shop.
• Hickory Hill Orchards - peaches, apples, pears, pumpkins, nectarines
  351 South Meriden Road, Cheshire, CT 06410. Phone: (203) 272-0181. Email: lynnkudish@gmail.com. Open: Weekends Only for PYO from 9 am to 5:30 pm, other non-pyo hours 9:30 am - 5:30 pm; from late August through December. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Hickory Hill Orchards Alternate phone: (203) 272-3824 Fax: (203) 272-3824 Country store, gift baskets, dried & silk flowers, cider, pies, donuts. Weekend hayrides, school groups welcome. Facebook page. There are over 33 acres with twenty varieties of apples, peaches, pears, plums, and nectarines and an artisanal country store with homegrown produce and gourds, jams, honeys, locally baked apple cider donuts, gourmet foods, seasonal decorative items, and more. Bosc Pears, Peaches, Macintosh, Gala, Sanza, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Macoun and more. (UPDATED: October 17, 2022, JBS)
• High Hill Orchard - Uses natural growing practices, Apples, apple cider, peaches, pears, blueberries, pumpkins, chestnuts, vegetables.
  170 Fleming Road, Meriden, CT 06450. Phone: (203) 294-0276. Open: Their sign says Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm, Tuesday to Friday from 12 pm to 6 pm and closed on Mondays. Click here for a map and directions. High Hill Orchard Their farm gets good reviews online, but it appears that they no longer have anything online, no website, Facebook page, etc. The Facebook pages online are all "unofficial"High Hill is one of the few places you can still get unpasteurized apple cider in Connecticut! (UPDATED: September 11, 2023, JBS) A visitor writes on September 11, 2023: "High Hill is wonderful! They also have pyo peaches, which are delicious. It's not pyo but they do sell paw paw, which is hard to find, and sell apple and pear cider."
• Norton Brothers Fruit Farm - blueberries, raspberries, apples, pears, peaches, Pumpkins, PYO apples, pears & peaches, Christmas trees, Hay rides.
  450-466 Academy Road, Cheshire, CT 06410. Phone: (203) 272-8418. Email: nbfinfo@nortonbrothersfruitfarm.com. Click here for a map and directions.
  Norton Brothers Fruit Farm Facebook page. emy Road, Cheshire, CT 06410 . PYO apples, pears, plums, peaches. Retail fresh produce, gifts, pumpkins. Open mid-spring through the winter, the farm has native strawberries as soon as they're ready; blueberries and raspberries for pick-your-own starting in June; peaches soon after for picking, six varieties of pears, and from August through October over 34 varieties of apples to pick. Hay rides, pumpkins, scarecrows, and Christmas trees and decorations keep everyone busy during the seasons. September and October are the busiest times for area schools to have educational and fun tours throughout the farm. Birthday and other parties can use the farm facilities also(UPDATED: December 06, 2016, JBS)
  Comments from a visitor on September 27, 2011: "Hi! First of all, I want to thank you for running such an amazing, comprehensive site! I always turn here first for canning info and to find local farms. I especially liked Norton Brother's Farm in Cheshire, CT. It's a great family-run place, with tons of apples and raspberries, and without the crowds and overwhelming size of some of the larger places. They even had a couple of old tractors near the parking lot for kids to climb on, which was a bigger hit than the fruit for my 4-year-old! "
  Comments from a visitor on July 07, 2011: "Not as busy as bigger farms. The walk from the farm stand to the picking site might be far (i.e. blueberries). More expensive than other farms. "
• Old Bishop Farms of Cheshire CT - apples, blueberries, peaches gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, petting zoo, birthday parties, school tours, pumpkin patch- already gathered from the field, tractor-pulled hay rides, ,
  500 Sooth Meriden Road, Cheshire, CT 06410. Phone: 203-439-0783. Email: bishopfarmscheshire@gmail.com. Open: Weds-Sun 8 am to 8 pm, Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Directions: Route 84 to 691 exit 3 south on route 10 left onto route 70 1.5 miles on right. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa/MasterCard, Discover.
  Old Bishop Farms of Cheshire CT Facebook page. Christmas hours Monday thru Sunday 9am to 7 pm. Starts day after thanksgiving Crops are usually available in August, September, October, November, Decemberfacebook page.
• Rose Orchards - apples, pears, raspberries, strawberries, prepicked produce, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, farm animals, school tours
  33 Route 139, North Branford, CT 06471. Phone: 203-488-7996. Email: info@roseorchardsfarm.com. Open: Hours vary by season, please call us for more information; The farm market is open from 9 am to 6 pm seven days a week; The Creamery is now open for the season 9 am to 9 pm. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard, AmEx.
  Rose Orchards Facebook page. Crops are usually available in May, June, July, August, September, OctoberThe Rose Farm is committed to providing good family fun in a beautiful outdoor setting complete with farm animals for the children to feed, a hay maze for children to play in, and a scenic hayride tour through a covered bridge and the woods. Pick Your Own is available for strawberries, apples, pears, and raspberries. We have a large variety of fresh baked pies and baked goods, including bread, muffins, cookies, and biscuits. The Creamery serves old fashioned frozen custart and frozen yogurt. We have sundaes, pie a la mode, and a variety of other confections

 

Apple

Apple Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

Apples ripen from the outside of the tree towards the center, so the apples out the outside of the tree will ripen first.  Once they are picked, they stop ripening. Picking apples directly from a tree is easy. Roll the apple upwards off the branch and give a little twist; don't pull straight away from the tree. If two apples are joined together at the top, both will come away at the same time. Don't shake the trees or branches.  If the apple you are trying to pick drops, (or others on the tree) go ahead and pick it up. They're perfectly fine! But do wash them before you eat them! More info: How to tell when apples are ripe

• Once picked, don't throw the apples into the baskets, place them in gently, or they will bruise and go bad more quickly.
• Don't wash apples until just before using to prevent spoilage.
• For an explanation of why apple slices turn brown and how to stop it, see this page!
• Keep apples cool after picking to increase shelf life.  A cool basement is ideal, but the fruit/vegetable drawer of a refrigerator will work, too.  A refrigerator is fine for small quantities of apples. Boxed apples need to be kept in a cool, dark spot where they won't freeze. Freezing ruptures all of an apple's cells, turning it into one large bruise overnight. The usual solution is to store apples in a root cellar. But root cellars often have potatoes in them: apples and potatoes should never be stored in the same room because, as they age, potatoes release an otherwise ethylene gas, which makes apples spoil faster. If you can keep the gas away from your apples, they will keep just fine. Just don't store them right next to potatoes.
  Prevent contact between apples stored for the winter by wrapping them individually in sheets of newspaper. The easiest way to do this is to unfold a section of newspaper all the way and tear it into quarters. Then stack the wrapped apples. See more here: How to store apples at home
• Apples don't improve or "ripen" after being picked - this is an urban myth - see this page for the truth - with references!

Which apple variety is best?

There are tens of thousands of varieties of apples, developed over centuries. They vary in sugar, acoidity, flavors, storing, crispness and many other attributes. See our guides to apple varieties:

• Summary table of many apple varieties and their characteristics
• Detailed descriptions of each apple variety with detailed characteristics
• Apple varieties, sorted by the order in which they typically ripe
• Apple varieties that don't turn brown when they are cut
• Why are some apples brown or spotted inside when you first cut them open?

Canning apples - fully illustrated, with step-by-step instructions

• How to make applesauce
• How to make apple butter 
• How to make apple jelly
• How to make apple pie filling (canned)
• How to can apples
• Home canned apple juice

New!As inflation remains high, see this page for reliable (tested) brands of generic canning lids at lower costs, and cost-saving measures for getting fruit and vegetables and home canning.
 If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days.

Recipes, illustrated with step by step instructions

• Apple pie recipe and directions and illustrated! I can say, with, ahem, no bias at all, that this is the best apple pie recipe in the world! (Alright, I did have an apple strudel in Vienna once at that place listed in Fodors that was REALLY good, but that wasn't a pie, was it? And since this was the recipe my grandmother used, it must be great!)
• How to make applesauce for a single meal (not canning it) with NO special equipment
• Apple cobbler
• Apple crunch - best of all! Moist, low sugar and using oats!
• Apple crisp - ever-popular, low sugar and using oats!
• Apple, blackberry, cherry, and/or peach cobbler
• Apple-blackberry, crumble - a English favorite (or favourite)

Using fresh apples and miscellaneous

• How to stop cut apples from browning
• Apple festivals - find one near you!
• Apple facts
• Apple seeds and cyanide

 

Other Local Farm Products (Honey, Horses, Milk, Meat, Eggs, Etc.)
(NOT pick-your-own, unless they are also listed above)

• Farm markets and roadside stands
• Local Honey Finder
• Local Meat, Milk and Eggs
• Venues: Farms, Wineries, Orchards for your event, wedding or party
• Easter egg hunts
• Children"s consignment sales
• Fruit and vegetable festivals
• Winery tours and wine tastings
• Horse rides, stables, lessons, trails
• Maple Syrup farms and sugarworks
• Bed & Breakfasts on Farms, Wineries, Ranches and Orchards
• Pumpkin patches
• Corn mazes
• Zombie Paintball venues
• Christmas Tree Farms & lots
• Environmental resources
• Consumer fraud information
• Wholesale food sources
• Resources for Farmers