2024 Brant, Hamilton and Haldimand Area of Ontario Apple U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Apple U-Pick Orchards in Brant, Hamilton and Haldimand Area of Ontario 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 province or region 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

Brant (Brant, Brantford, Bruce, Burtch, Cathcart, Hatchley, Paris)

• Brantview Apples and Cider - apples, Cider mill (fresh apple cider made on the premises), porta-potties are available, picnic area you may bring your own food, birthday parties, weddings and wedding parties, school tours
  225 Howell Road, St. George, ON N0E 1N0. Phone: 519-448-1323. Email: info@brantviewapples.ca. Open: September and October Monday through Friday; from 9 am to 5 Sunday:9 am to 5. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard.
  Brantview Apples and Cider Facebook page. Picking updates: Click here for picking updatesApples; September and October(ADDED: June 19, 2016)
• Brantwood Farm - apples, strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, peas, beans, raspberries, tomatoes, pumpkins
  RR#6, Brantford, ON N3T 5L8. Phone: 519-759-4383. Email: brantwoodfarm@brant.net. Open: 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Sat; Sunday - 11 am to 5 pm. Click here for a map and directions. Fax: 519-749-0679 Take 403 to Brantford, exit north on the Wayne Gretzky Pkwy to Powerline Rd. Turn right to the 2nd farm on left. Also prepicked apples. Typical Upick dates: Rhubarb in May-June; Strawberries in June-July; Peas in June-July; Beans in July-September; Raspberries in July; Tomatoes (Field) in August; Apples in September-October. (UPDATED: May 21, 2024 JBS)
• Orchard Home Farms - apples, pears
  235 Howell Road, St George, ON . Phone: . Email: apples@orchardhomefarm.com. Open: about mid August. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions.

Haldimand (Simcoe, Waterford)

• Wholesome Pickins - apples, asparagus, beans, blueberries, cherries, corn, peaches, pumpkins, raspberries, strawberries, farmstand
  500 Church St., Delhi, ON N4B1V3. Phone: :519 582-1114. Email: info@wholesomepickins.ca. Open: 10 am to 6 pm, 7 days a week from late May to October 31. Click here for a map and directions. From 403 take Hwy #24 South. Turn right on Vanessa Road #4 - follow signs - end at farm! From Hwy #3 - take Fertilizer Road - follow signs. We also have fresh picked apples, asparagus, beans, blueberries, cherries, corn, peaches, peppers, pumpkins, raspberries, strawberries. (ADDED: June 10, 2014X)

Hamilton (Alberton, Glanbrook, Hamilton, Hayesland, Kirkwall, Lynden,Sheffield, Renforth, Rockton)

• Carluke Orchards - Apples, Christmas trees, pumpkins
  2194 Shaver Road S., Ancaster, ON L9G 3L1. Phone: 905-648-2775. Email: cherie@carlukeorchards.ca. Open: All year. Directions: From Hamilton, take Hwy 403 west into Ancaster, follow the large blue tourism signs on the 403 right to the farm. Click here for a map and directions. Click here for a map. We are open Our hours are: Tues-Saturday 8-6, Sunday 11-5,Closed Monday our farm market is open year round with pick your own apples available in September and October, pumpkins in October and Christmas trees in December directions, year round specials, and special events updated often on our website.
• Frootogo Orchards - 2024 permanently closed,
  573 Parkside Drive, Waterdown, ON L0R 1H0. Email: frootogo@cogeco.ca. Open: UPDATE for 2024, A visitor tells me the farm is permanently closed. "Frootogo has closed ... no longer serving the public. Shame. "
• Luna Farms - apples, plums, porta-potties, picnic area you may bring your own food
  661 8th Road East, Stoney Creek, ON L8J2X4. Phone: (647) 237-2321. Open: Friday, Saturday, Sunday : 9am to 5pm Open August to October 31 Available May change due to weather; Check website or call for updates. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, ApplePay, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard. Pick your favourite apples right off the tree. Choose from over 25 varieties of your favourite, locally grown apples. (ADDED: August 19, 2021)
• Myers Apple Farm - U-pick apples
  #37 Highway 52, Hamilton, ON L0R 1J0. Phone: 905-627-0420. Email: m.myers@tvre.com. Open: August to November Daily from 9am to 6pm. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Fax: 905-627-8967 Click here for a map. Containers are supplied. They have 32 apple varieties, and many pre-picked crops: pears, plums, peaches, Pumpkins, squash, gourds, broccoli, tomatoes, potatoes, vegetables, Breads, Baked Goods, Local pies, Honey, Maple Syrup, Preserves: Sweet cider, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, honey, buckwheat honey, Fall December or, straw bales, corn stalks, glads, sunflowers. They have special apple varieties and Clydesdale draft horses, and a petting zoo.
  Comments from a visitor on March 25, 2009: "We loving going to pick apples as a family. Its educational and fun at the same time. The staff there is amazing. It is a family run business. They have a large selection of pumpkins to pick from."

 

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