Apple U-Pick Orchards in Western Kentucky in 2023, by county
Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for apples that we know of in this area. Not all areas of any state, nor even every 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!
Daviess County
- Reid's Orchard - apples, strawberries, peaches, horse and wagon rides, gift shop, concession stand (drinks, snacks and\\/or food), picnic area, pumpkins brought in from the field, Bouncy castle or moon bounce, petting zoo, birthday parties, weddings and wedding parties, tours of the operation, group tours
4812 Kentucky 144, Owensboro, KY 42303. Phone: (270) 685-2444. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard . . Kentucky Proud Mon - Sat 8 am to 7 pm Sun: 10 am to 5 pm . From Owensboro take Hwy 60E to Ky Hwy. 144 We are about 1 mile on 144. See their website for directions. (UPDATED: May 22, 2015, JBS) (UPDATED: August 10, 2013, by a visitor)A visitor writes on August 10, 2013: "Great - local people."
Warren County
- Jackson's Orchard and Nursery - U-Pick apples, peaches and pumpkins; Corn maze, straw castle, wagon rides.
1280 Slim Island Road, Bowling Green, KY 42101. Phone: (270) 781-5303. Open: Monday-Saturday mid-April through August and seven days a week September through November (8 am to 6 pm Mon. Directions: North on Route 185 out of Bowling Green. 2 miles from city, cross Barren River. 200 yards past river bridge, Jackson's sign on left. Follow signs. . Click here for a map and directions. . Open -Sat.,from 1 pm to 6 pm Sun.) Our customers can pick their own apples starting Labor Day weekend through mid-October. Restrooms available. Picnic area. Concessions with fried pies, apple cider slushes, ice cream, hot dogs, soft drinks, carmel apples. Credit cards accepted in gift shop. Cash only at concessions and fall activities. Fall corn maze, hay rides, petting farm, inflatables, straw castle, face painting. School tours: Sep & Oct.
Comments from a visitor on January 12, 2009: "It is very popular."
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!
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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
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