Apple U-Pick Orchards in Eastern Central California 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 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!
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.
Nevada County
- Beirwagen's Donner Trail Fruit - U-pick apples, Pumpkins on weekends in October, apple cider,
17437 Lower Colfax Rd, Chicago Park, CA . Phone: 530-477-5992. Open: weekends in October. Directions: Located next to the Happy Apple Kitchen in Chicago Park, CA at 18532 Hwy 174. Click here for a map and directions. . * horse-drawn wagon rides * a corn maze * children's play area * farm animals * antique farm implements * picnic area and snack shack. The restaurant has WONDERFUL homemade pies. We open up our farm during the month of October for you to enjoy with your whole family. Pumpkin Patch, Apple Picking, Farm animals, fresh cider and weekends we open up the Snack Shack for our famous Apple Fritter Nuggets! Our Farm Market is . We offer a variety of seasonal produce grown and produced locally in Nevada and Placer Counties. More Info please call 530-273-4005. The Bierwagen Farm is also located in Chicago Park at 17437 Lower Colfax Rd. The Farm is only open to Farm Tours and Special Events and during the month of October for our Pumpkin Patch and Harvest Festival. More Info please call. Snack shack is serving hamburgers hot dogs, cupcakes and cookies until about 2pm. *Pumpkin patch and you pick apples are open. *Free parking and free admission - Linda Grace's Place Farm - Uses natural growing practices, apples, blackberries, cucumbers, figs, herbs or spices, lavender, nectarines, pears, peaches, peppers, plums, pomegranates, raspberries (red), summer squash, winter squash, tomatoes, other vegetables, walnuts, Honey from hives on the farm, Fresh eggs, U-pick and already picked, farm animals, weddings and wedding parties
17458 Friendly Valley Place, Grass Valley, CA 95949. Phone: 530-272-5156. Email: linda.menge@hotmail.com. Open: Call for appointment, hours and days vary according to crops, generally weekends. Directions: Off McCourtney Road, Grass Valley, Ca. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. . . We use only our own Artesian well water for irrigation, absolutely NO treated water used here! :) Some canned goods may be available for sale, hopefully fresh pies in the future!. We use natural practices, but are not seeking organic certification. See Linda Grace's Place on Facebook for updated information! (UPDATED: July 02, 2020)
Placer County
- AnneBelle Farms - apples, apricots, beans, beets, blackberries, broad beans, carrots, corn (sweet), cucumbers, eggplant, grapes, herbs or spices, nectarines, onions, peppers, summer squash, winter squash, Fresh eggs, gift shop, picnic area, picnic area you may bring your own food
6540 Grass Valley Hwy, Auburn, CA 95602. Phone: (530) 269-1910. Email: info@Annebellefarms.com. Open: Monday to Friday, from 8 am to 7 pm; Saturday and Sunday, from 7 am to 5 pm, January 1 to December 31. Directions: Located off historic Highway 49. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. . .
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
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