Northern Indiana South Bend-Elkhart Apple U-Pick Orchards in !

Find a local pick your own farm here!

Apple U-Pick Orchards in Northern Indiana South Bend-Elkhart 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

Elkhart County

Kercher's Sunrise Orchards Farm Market - apples, pumpkins, gourds, Cider mill fresh apple cider made on the premises, and prepicked produce, gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, school tours
19498 CR 38 , Goshen, IN 46526. Phone: 574-533-6311. Email: maureen.kercher@gmail.com. Open: Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:30 pm, Saturday 8:30am to 4pm, open Sundays in September and October 12pm to 5pm. Directions: 14 mile west of State Road 15 on CR 38$Kercher Rd$19498 CR 38, Goshen, IN 46526. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard. Fax: 574-533-1685 1/4 mile west of State Road 15 on CR 38(Kercher Rd)19498 CR 38, Goshen, IN 46526Crops are usually available in May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December Morel mushrooms are available in May. Sweet Cherries and tart cherries mid June to early July. U-Pick Apples- Late August to late October. U-Pick Pumpkins and Hayrides, every weekend from the last weekend of September through the last weekend in October. Harvest festival the first weekend in OctoberSpecializing in homemade and locally grown Indiana products, including fruits and vegetables. The best darn cider and apple butter anywhere..that's what all of our customers tell us anyway!!! Fruit baskets beautifully designed with the best of the years fruits topped off with nuts and candies, little jars of jam or apple butter cheese, fudge and caramel apple dip, wrapped in cellophane and topped off with a festive bow.

LaPorte County

Garwood Orchards & Farm Markets - apples, blackberries, cherries, pumpkins, raspberries, strawberries, Cider mill (fresh apple cider made on the premises), and prepicked produce, gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, pony rides, birthday parties, school tours
5911 W. 50 South, Laporte, IN 46350. Phone: 219-362-4385. Email: apples@garwoodorchard.com. Open: daily from April thru Christmas; Cherries available for UPick beginning in 2009. Directions: From I94 or I8090 take highway 421 South towards Westville Indiana, turn east on highway 2 towards LaPorte, Indiana. After about 6 miles, turn left at County Road 500 West. There will be a Gas Station on the corner and you will see a Garwood Sign. Continue on 500 West over the RR tracks to 50 South where you will see another Garwood sign, turn left to our Farm Market and UPick. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.
Garwood Orchards & Farm Markets Facebook page. Fax: 219-324-4803 Daily 8 am to 7 pm *CALL FIRST in November/December as closing time May be earlier. Strawberries: June, Blackberries and Raspberries (Red and Black): July and August, Apples, Pumpkins and Fall Raspberries: September and October; Market open click here for picking updatesFrom I94 or I80/90 take highway 421 South towards Westville Indiana, turn east on highway 2 towards LaPorte, Indiana. After about 6 miles, turn left at County Road 500 West. There will be a Gas Station on the corner and you will see a Garwood Sign. Continue on 500 West over the RR tracks to 50 South where you will see another Garwood sign, turn left to our Farm Market and UPick. Garwood Orchards Facebook page
Pavolka Fruit Farm - apples, sweet cherries, tart cherries, raspberries, pears, plums, grapes
1776 North Wozniak Road, Michigan City, IN . Phone: (219) 874-6056. Email: rsalat@comcast.net. Open: mid-June to October, 7 days a week 9 am to 5 pm. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Pavolka Fruit FarmSpecializing in over 30 varieties of old and new apples. We have ready-picked and u-pick apples, grapes and cider(UPDATED: June 25, 2021) A visitor writes on June 25, 2021: "I called their number and they give a clear message on what and when is available. Cherries were available!
Radke's Orchards - apples, and prepicked produce
8999 W. 200 N., Michigan City, IN 46360. Phone: 219-872-3140. Email: info@radkeorchards.com. Open: from 9 am to 6 pm mid-September through October. Directions: From I94: Take exit 34A $421 south$, turn left at the second intersection past the exit. This will be County road 200N. We are approximately 1 mile down this road. . Click here for a map and directions.
Radke's Orchards Facebook page. , Fax: 219-879-0411U-pick applesFrom I94: Take exit 34A (421 south), turn left at the second intersection past the exit. This will be County road 200N. We are approximately 1 mile down this road. click here for a map and more Mid-September through October. Radke Orchards Facebook page. Family owned and operated since 1894. Our mission is to provide the authentic orchard experience for you and your family. No admission fee, no parking fees. Pets are welcome. Pick as little or as much as you like. No petting zoo, no carnival, no water park - just great apples in a country atmosphere

St. Joseph County

The Apple Patch - apples,
65681 Sycamore Road, North Liberty, IN 46554. Phone: 574-656-3376. Email: bsapplepatch@embarqmail.com. Open: daily from 9 am to 6 pm during the apple season, September and October. Directions: One $1$ mile East of North Liberty, IN and 2 12 miles West of Potato Creek State Park to Sycamore Road. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. One (1) mile East of North Liberty, IN and 2 1/2 miles West of Potato Creek State Park to Sycamore Road

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:

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

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)

2024 Northern Indiana South Bend-Elkhart Apple U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Find a pick-your-own farm near you! Then learn to can and freeze! Since 2002! We update continuously; Beware the copycat websites!