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Apple U-Pick Orchards in Northeastern South Dakota 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 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.

Grant County

  • Rocky Gardens - apples, blueberries, grapes, raspberries (red), strawberries,
    Koopman Drive, Milbank, SD 57252. Phone: 605 432 4871. Email: lgkoopman@yahoo.com. Open: Please call or email for picking seasons and hours. Directions: 3 miles north-east of Milbank on highway 12, and 14 mile south. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. 3 miles north-east of Milbank on highway 12, and 1/4 mile south

Hamlin County

  • Grampa D's Orchard - Minimizes chemical and pesticide use, apples, crabapples, table grapes with seeds, wine grapes, winter squash, Cider mill (fresh apple cider made on the premises), Cell service cell phones work here
    44842 187th St, Hayti, SD 57241. Phone: (605) 881-0975. Email: dalekopman@gmail.com. Open: for Apple juice and picked apples when available year around; Honor system money slot in the sales room wall or Square cash. Directions: From Hayti West on 188th street 2 miles north on 448th Avenue 1 mile East on 187th street 12 mile. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, CashApp. . Alternate Phone: (605) 881-9434 From Hayti West on 188th street 2 miles north on 448th Avenue 1 mile East on 187th street 1/2 mile August 20 through frost for u-pick. We minimize use of pesticides and other chemicals(ADDED: September 15, 2023)
  • Prairie Blush Orchards - apples,
    19393 449th avenue, Lake Norden, SD 57248. Phone: 605-785-2161. Email: pborchards@gmail.com. Open: Tuesday to Saturday; Twelve pm to six thirty pm. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. . Alternate Phone: 605-520-2932 (ADDED: July 22, 2015)

 

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:

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)