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Apple U-Pick Orchards in Northern Indiana 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.

Allen County

  • Cook's Orchard and Farm Market - apples, pears, Cider mill fresh apple cider made on the premises, Honey from hives on the farm, farm market, porta-potties are available, school tours, group reservations
    8724 Huguenard Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46818. Phone: 260-489-3940. Email: DickCook@frontier.com. Open: Click here for current open hours, days and dates. Directions: located West of Lima Road at the intersection of Huguenard Road and Wallen Road; . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. Cook's Orchard and Farm Market . Apples are available for U-pick on dwarf trees for easy picking. We also have already picked, brushed apples available inside our store for purchase, including Honeycrisp. Other products available at Cook's: fresh cider, apple butter, local honey, jams and jellies, vine ripe tomatoes, melons, pumpkins, squash, gourds, and sweet corn. In mid-August, we have already picked fresh Red Haven peaches for sale. In late August we have fresh pears available to pick.
    Comments from a visitor on August 28, 2010: "Large variety of apples available including: Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, Mutsu, Jonagold, Cortland, McIntosh, Jonathon, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Empire, Rome, Northern Spy, Granny Smith, Arkansas Black, Spartan, Gold Rush, Braeburn, Lura Red, Paula Red, Ida Red, Lustre Elstar, Stayman, and more!, ick your own apples or choose from a large variety of already picked apples on display in store room. Also have available: tomatoes, pumpkins, gourds and a large variety of jams and jellies. "

Huntington County

  • Phil's U-Pick-It - apples, pumpkins, porta-potties are available
    780n 500w, Huntington, IN 46750. Phone: 260 388-5061. Email: Walewtcher@yahoo.com. Open: 11 am to 6 pm daily. Directions: If you are driving south, get on 9 to 100 North and turn right. Go to next cross road, 500 West, and turn left. Go to the second driveway on the right and turn in there. You have arrived. If you are driving north, get on 9 to W. Division Road and turn left. Go to next cross road, 500 West, and turn right. Go past the house and the barn with a red roof, go to the next driveway on the left and turn in there. You have arrived. There are also signs you can follow. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. Phil's U-Pick-It .

Noble County

  • Bender's Orchard - apples, pears,
    3133w 300s Corner of Noble County roads 300S and 300W, Albion, IN 46701. Phone: 260-799-5772. Email: bender54@ligtel.com. Open: Generally open Saturday 8 am to 7 pm, Sundays 11 am to 7 pm, and most weekday evenings; This is a small two person operation; Calling ahead is recommended; Self serve stocked refrigerator in parking lot is always open; 2nds (slight skin defects) at a discount are available for baking, sauce or eating. Directions: From Churubusco or Fort Wayne: SR33 North, go 1 mile past SR9, then turn left (West) onto 400S, turn right (North) onto 300W, then left onto 300S. From Columbia City: SR109 North to Noble County 300S, turn right (East),go 3/4 mile past brick farm house to orchard parking lot. From North of the orchard: SR33 South, turn right (South) onto 300W, go 1.2 miles to 300S, turn right. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. Bender's Orchard . Crops are usually available in September, October, November. Asian Pears. U-Pick only on late Fall apples. 28 varieties of apples. Some are heirlooms.

 

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:

Canning apples - fully illustrated, with step-by-step instructions

Recipes, illustrated with step by step instructions

Using fresh apples and miscellaneous

 

Other Local Farm Products (Honey, Horses, Milk, Meat, Eggs, Etc.)
(NOT pick-your-own, unless they are also listed above)