2025 Cincinnati, Dayton and southwestern Ohio Apple U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Apple U-Pick Orchards in Cincinnati, Dayton and southwestern Ohio in 2025, 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

Greene County

• McBreezy Acres Fruit Farm - apples, plums, Honey from hives on the farm
  3470 Waynesville Jamestown, Xenia, OH 45385. Phone: 937-372-3549. Open: Mid to late July call ahead; but call ahead for hours and an appointment. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. . Also, prepicked peaches, pears, plums, Other: cider, jams and jellies. (UPDATED: May 23, 2025, JBS)
  Comments from a visitor on June 22, 2009: "Just got back from picking raspberries at Breezy Farms, what a great time we had! The proprietor Helen was super nice, walked us out to the raspberry bushes, and even showed us city folk how to pick raspberries. I called ahead since my son is disabled, the farm is wheelchair accessible, I LOVE THAT! "
• Peifer Orchards - pumpkins, apples, farm market,
  4590 U.S. 68 N, Yellow Springs, Yellow Springs, OH 45387. Phone: 937-767-2208. Open: July- December, Monday to Friday from 10 am to 7 pm; Saturday 9 am to 7 pm and Sunday 11 am to 5 pm. Click here for a map and directions. Petting zoo. Prepicked: apples, blackberries, eggplants, peaches, peppers, ,red raspberries, squash, sweet corn, tomatoes. Locally grown produce, 25 varieties of apples, baked goods, local honey, Ohio maple syrup, fresh pressed apple cider, Orchard House gift shop. We offer a variety of canned items including jams and preserves. We also have delicious local baked goods, local honey and Ohio maple syrup. Our Orchard House Gift Shop features unique gifts handcrafted by local artisans. Our fresh apple cider is a seasonal favorite. During the fall, cider is pressed twice a week to keep up with its demand. It is made with only the freshest apple varieties available at the time, making each batch unique.During u-pick apple season our orchard is open for u-pick on Saturdays and Sundays Only as supplies last​. U-Pick apples will take place on MOST weekends in September and October. Our orchard is a leisurely 10 minute walk from our Farm Market. Comfortable shoes recommended. No vehicles p..

Warren County

• Hidden Valley Orchards - apples, blueberries, raspberries (red), strawberries, gift shop, concessions or refreshment stand, restrooms, inflatables or bounce houses, birthday parties, weddings and wedding parties, school tours, group reservations, events at your location (call for info)
  5474 North State Route 48, Lebanon, OH 45036. Phone: (513) 932-1869. Email: info@hiddenvalleyorchards.com. Open: hours, days and dates. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.
  Hidden Valley Orchards Facebook page. Strawberry U-Pick is late May until mid June; Blueberry and Red Raspberry U-Pick is late June to July; Apple U-pick begins in September to October; Pumpkin U-Pick is in October; Strawberry Festival is typically first weekend in June, Berry Festival is typically first weekend in July, Peach Festival is typically first weekend in August, Apple Festival is in mid September, Cider Festival is in early October; Festival Schedule: Strawberry Festival is early June, Berry Festival in early July, Outdoor Market is July, Peach Festival is in early August, Grape Day is late August, Apple Festival is mid September, Cider Festival is October, Santa and Cider Weekend is early December ,. . Apples: Over 30 varieties of apples are available u-pick. They have lots of activities in the fall, and they have a nice deli-type area with a very well stocked store in an old barn. Apple Fest from September 9, 2021 to September 13, 2021HERBS are new U-pick in 2..

 

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