Most Charming Apple Orchards

Learn all about the best apple orchards I have visited throughout the country.

This was originally an episode from my podcast, Eat Shop Waste Not.

🎧 Listen to the episode now or continue and read through the transcript.

It's that time of year. Time to do one of my favorite things to do in the world, visit apple orchards. I have been to many different farms all over the country and I want to share with you my absolute favorites. Each one of these is worth including in a late summer or fall vacation.

🍎 Johnson Fruit Farm, Swanton, Ohio

Let's kick this off with an orchard that has been such a blast to visit on multiple occasions with family and friends, and that is Johnston Fruit Farm in Swanton, Ohio. It's located near Toledo, Ohio and not to far from I-80/I-90 The Ohio Turnpike.

There is just so much here for the food lover. Their selection of apples is the perfect mix of current favorites, heirloom varieties, and brand new varieties. Many varieties I tried there for the first time including Pixie Crunch, Rosalee, Sweet Zinger, Rubinette, and Brock. I also got the most amazing Gravenstein apples and Melrose apples there.

I have purchased apples already picked and I have picked my own a couple of times.

Then there is the donuts. Oh my goodness. Their donuts are really the best. They have a wide assortment of flavors and toppings but you can never go wrong with maple!

The apple cider is a must-have to go with your donuts, and they offer some unique blends. You can get a Honeycrisp apple cider, an heirloom mix, and one made with Wickson Crab apples, which is really unique.

There is an area where you can see a rabbit and goats which is fun for the kids. I can't forget to mention their amazing fall display every year with tons of different types of pumpkins. It's the perfect fall photo op. I really can't say enough good things about this orchard.

Make it a great weekend trip by visiting the nearby Oak Openings Metro Park that is breathtaking in the fall and a great place to ride bikes. And not too far away is one of my family's favorite zoos, the Toledo Zoo, which has a really nice aquarium.

🌽 Wilson's Orchard, Iowa City, Iowa

Back in 2016, my family took a long road trip from Michigan to California. The first day was a long day across I-80. Along the way, we found this gem of an orchard to stop at - Wilson's Orchard in Iowa City, Iowa.

I was able to try several different varieties of apples before I bought any. They also have a beautiful orchard filled with rolling green hills. What I really appreciated about this orchard is their signs. Probably the best signs for apple trees I have seen at any orchard. It was very clear what the apples were. You are not trying to look at some poorly drawn map to figure out where you need to go to get the apples you want.

I have only been here that one time, but it left an impression and I really would love to go back again someday

🔴 Scott Farm, Dummerston, VT

For our next orchard we are heading to Vermont to Scott Farm. I discovered this place on Instagram. I'm not even sure how I got to following them. When I was going to be in Vermont during September, I was beyond thrilled when I realized I was going to be camping so close to the orchard.

This place is all about the variety. They have so many different heirloom apples. And what I loved, is you could pick out whatever ones you wanted to try. They have stickers so that you can stick them on the apples to remember which apple variety you picked out. It was a kid in the candy store moment for me.

Beyond the apples themselves, they had two fruits I had been hoping to find for years - Green Gage plums and Indian Blood Peaches. These plums are like balls of sugars with incredible flavor. The blood peaches are red on the inside and made the most amazing peach cobbler I ever baked.

Then there was the cider. Get this, they actually grow their own ginger, and then put it into their apple cider. Mind blown!!!!!

Vermont in the fall is so beautiful, so I don't think you need me to say another word about why you should go to this orchard.

🍯 Hooper's Orchard, Monroe, Maine

Before I visited Scott Farm in Vermont, I was spending the entire month of August in Maine, one of my favorite places in this country. I got to pick some early varieties of apples at Hooper's Orchard in Monroe, Maine which is about 90 mins or so from the breathtaking Acadia National Park. Their Ginger Gold and Prima apples were the best I think we ever had of those varieties.

This was just a fun orchard to be at and it was the perfect size. I was sad that I wasn't there during the peak of apple season because they had so many apples I want to have that just weren't ready yet.

I also have to mention the Squash Flower Honey that I got there. I love my varietal honeys, so it was really fun to pick up a new one in their store. Oh, and they put bacon on their donuts. Mic drop!

🍑 Fruit Acres Farm, Coloma, Michigan

Next up I want to share about an orchard that I have been to many times and is in one of my favorite parts of the country - the west coast of Michigan. Located about 30 minutes from Warren Dunes State Park on Lake Michigan and about an hour from Indiana Dunes National Park is Fruit Acres Farm.

They have a farm stand right off of Interstate 94. Many years ago, my in-laws surprised my kids by meeting them there. They had travelled from southern California. There is a perfect weekend to go there each year when you can pick both apples and peaches at the same time. This is where my family began our love affair with the Blondee apple. This is a sweet yellow skinned apple with a great floral flavor. We had no problem eating a 1/2 bushel basket of them.

Every year I can, I try to time a visit there to pick Blondees and peaches. They have wagon rides that take you to where you can pick, which is super fun for the kids.

Fruit Acres Farm is one of the premier peach orchards and they are actually responsible for creating many different peach varieties that all have the word star in them - Rising Star, Coral Star, Autumn Star, and many others. I have seen these varieties at different orchards across the country, so they have made for themselves quite the legacy.

👨‍👩‍👧 Quarry Hills Orchard, Berlin Heights, Ohio

Let's head back to Ohio to talk about another orchard not to far from the Ohio Turnpike. Between Toledo, Ohio and Cleveland, Ohio lies Quarry Hills Orchard. They grow cherries, peaches, and apples.

Off the bat, I have to tell you that they are expert cider makers. Their cider is among the best I have had in the country.

I was introduced to several different apple varieties at this orchard including Suncrisp which has become one of my all-time favorites. It's a yellow apple with some red blush that is crisp and full of flavor. I also had Hampshire and Crimson Crisp apples for the first time from them.

This orchard is truly a family affair and the nicest people you are going to find. I just love seeing what they post on Instagram with their family and I love seeing their passion for their orchard and customers. They have fun events throughout the year as well, including an event where you can buy your own apple trees from them and they have educational tours where they will teach you how to pick peaches.

🧀 Door Creek Orchard, Cottage Grove, Wisconsin

Last but very far from being the least, I want to talk about Door Creek Orchard, just outside of Madison, Wisconsin. Madison is a great city to visit that has the biggest farmers market in the country on Saturday mornings. We have been many times and have had a blast each and every trip.

In the dreaded year of 2020, I got a personal tour of Door Creek Orchard from Liz, who is such a sweet person. She showed me all around the orchard and send me home with some of her favorite apples for me to try. Being 2020, we couldn't just sample them together right then and there.

For me, a great apple orchard has to have tons of different apple varieties and Door Creek does not disappoint. They have numerous heirloom varieties, the names of which I am not going to try to pronounce, because I will butcher them.

Liz keeps the Instagram up to date including sharing what they are putting into their cider. I am going to make it back there one of these years again.

📧 Reader Favorites

Before we wrap this up, I wanted to share that I had my apple club email subscribers share with me some of their favorite orchards.

If you are visiting Gettysburg, you need to check out Historic Round Barn & Farm Market and Boyers Orchard. In California, I heard good things about Volcan Apple Farm in Julian, which is a mountain town in San Diego County. Meckley’s Flavor Fruit Farm in Cement City, Michigan was recommended for it's atmosphere, apples, and baked goods and Downey's Apple Farm in Ontario beloved for offering great picking from end of August through October.

🛒 Before You Checkout

What you need to know before you checkout at the grocery store or market:

Just because an apple is picked off the tree doesn't mean that it's at peak of flavor. Some apples taste better after they are stored for a while. I did a post on my blog about How to Know When Apples are Best. Liz from Door Creek Orchard shared her thoughts on the subject for that post. She said:

The flavor of some apple varieties changes - and even improves! - with storage. I always encourage our customers in the late season to try this, especially when they are considering varieties like Winesap, Blushing