10 apple orchards where you can pick your own in North Carolina now through October

Hold off on the pumpkins, Linus; first comes apple-picking season.

You can pack lunches and bake pies with grocery-store apples that are waxed and polished like 1950s hood ornaments. But they won’t taste like adventure or fill your head with scenes of the North Carolina mountains turning red and gold in autumn.

Short of planting and nurturing apple trees in your backyard, picking your own in an orchard is one of the most direct lines you can draw from the farm to the table.

Why should I pick my own apples?

▪ For the experience. Farming and ranching families make up less than 2% of the U.S. population, meaning most people never see the places where their food comes from or appreciate the work it takes to cultivate it.

▪ It’s literally a field trip. Driving to an orchard, which may be three to four hours away, takes you out of the city and into the foothills or the mountains, where the leaves already are changing. Make a day — or a weekend — of it, incorporating a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway or an overnight stay in a hill town you’ve never visited.

▪ For the taste. Mike Parker, a tree fruit extension specialist and assistant professor at N.C. State University, says tree-ripened fruit has a better taste and texture than fruit that’s picked weeks in advance and stored until it’s sold.

When is apple-picking season in North Carolina?

The earliest varieties begin to ripen in July and the latest varieties come off the trees in November. But most apples are picked from mid-August to late October.

Growers produce more than four dozen apple varieties in the state, and they ripen at different times throughout the season.

Why are there so few pick-your-own orchards?

▪ There are significantly fewer N.C. apples this year because of late cold snaps that caused severe damage to trees in some places. As a result, some orchards don’t have enough apples to allow pick-your-own operations this season.

▪ It’s a liability issue. Though there are about 250 commercial apple growers from North Carolina’s mountains to the coast, only a relative handful can accommodate customers who want to pick their own. Parker attributes that in part to the inherent risk of having guests on a working farm, where they could turn an ankle on uneven ground or get otherwise hurt.

▪ Pickers can be hard on the crop. Parker says farmers can count on roughly 30% crop waste in U-Pick operations resulting from people knocking apples to the ground, throwing them like baseballs or dumping them out when they change their minds.

▪ Also, apple trees produce flowers one summer that will bear fruit the next, and Parker says inexperienced pickers often inadvertently damage the flowers, resulting in reduced fruit the following season.

Be a good guest and follow orchard rules.

Where can I pick in North Carolina?

Here are 10 orchards that welcome visitors to pick their own apples.

In Henderson County, south of Asheville, about 4 hours’ drive from the Triangle, where growers produce about 75% of the N.C. apple crop:

▪ Creasman Farms, Hendersonville, hosts pick-your-own customers on Sundays only, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in September and October, starting after Labor Day. No reservations required.

▪ Coston Farm and Apple House in Hendersonville operates its pick-your-own orchards Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. No reservations needed.

▪ Justus Orchard in Hendersonville, named by Yelp as one of the top 20 you-pick apple orchards in the country, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week for you-pick and pre-picked. Pick-your-own customers are asked to arrive before 4:30 p.m. No reservations needed.

▪ Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchard in Hendersonville, also a nationwide top-20 Yelp pick, is open seven days a week for pick-your-own and pre-picked sales, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. No reservations required.

▪ Jeter Mountain Farm in Hendersonville provides wagon rides to its pick-your-own orchards. The farm is open Thursday and Fridays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The last ride to the orchards for picking leaves at 3:30 p.m. No reservations needed.

▪ Grandad’s Apples in Hendersonville is open for pick-your-own on select weekends. Because of crop damage, the orchard won’t offer pick-your-own again until mid-October, and will post the dates on its Facebook page. The orchard continues to sell pre-picked apples.

▪ Sky Top Orchard in Zirconia is open every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for pick-your-own and pre-picked apple sales. Last entry to the orchard for picking is at 5:30. No reservation required.

In Morganton, about 3 hours’ drive from the Triangle:

▪ Apple Hill Orchard & Cider Mill requires the advance purchase of a $3 “picking pass” for each person and has a minimum pick-your-own purchase per group. The orchard releases passes each Sunday and limits their sale. Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

In Moravian Falls, just under 3 hours’ drive from the Triangle:

▪ Perry Lowe Orchards offers pick-your-own on Saturdays and Sundays in September and October from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reservations are required and admission is $2. The orchard offers other activities, including an apple cannon, for additional fees.

In Spruce Pine, accessible directly from the Blue Ridge Parkway near Mile Marker 328, just under 4 hours’ drive from Raleigh:

▪ Historic Orchard at Altapass, a century-old orchard now run as a non-profit. Open Wednesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for pick-your-own and pre-picked apple sales at the general store.

Before you go:

▪ Make a reservation at the orchard to plan to visit if that’s required.

▪ Check with the orchard’s website or social media page or call before you go to find out what days and times they allow people to pick, and what varieties are available for picking.

▪ See if the orchard has activities you might want to attend while you’re there, such as hayrides, farm tours or cider pressings.

▪ Find out if you need to take your own picking container or if one is provided at the orchard.

▪ The pick-your-own price for apples likely will be comparable to the price charged for pre-picked at the orchard’s market or farm stand, to offset the cost of hosting visitors.

▪ Some orchards are limiting the amount of apples that customers can pick themselves, to allow more people to enjoy the experience despite this year’s reduced crop production. Sales of pre-picked apples are not limited.

▪ Pets are not allowed in many pick-your-own orchards. Check first.

▪ Apples picked fresh from the tree should be refrigerated or stored in a cool, dark place and can last up to 90 days. The larger ones have the shortest shelf life; eat them first.

What’s the next best thing to picking?

Many North Carolina apple producers sell their just-picked fruit at their own produce stands or markets, or pick them just before peak ripeness for sale at farmers’ markets, including the one in Raleigh. Especially around Hendersonville, you can visit several orchards in one day and try different apple varieties coming to harvest.

▪ For a list of apple growers, search the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Got To Be NC database.