Ready for fall fun? Here are 2 farms where you can pick apples, pumpkins near Lexington

Picking your own apples and pumpkins to bake into a pie or carve into jack-o-lanterns is certainly more satisfying than grabbing them at the grocery store, with the added benefit of supporting a local business and making a family tradition.

However, if you’ve never been, you may not know what to expect, when the best time to go is or which orchards near Lexington are worth the drive.

In preparation for a fun fall, here are two Central Kentucky spots where you can pick your own apples and pumpkins. They’re just a 30-minute drive from Lexington, and you could check them out this weekend, which is shaping up to be a beautiful one.

Friday’s forecast from the National Weather Service is calling for sunny skies and highs in the upper 70s.

Evans Orchard and Cider Mill in Georgetown

Family-owned for five generations, this farm specialized in tobacco and cattle production until the 90s. Today, it primarily focuses on growing vegetables and apples in particular.

There’s a staggering variety of apples available from Evans Orchard and you can pick them throughout the fall.

According to Evans Orchard’s website, the apple-picking season opens in mid-September when its golden delicious apples ripen. The season continues in October, when popular varieties like cameo, Rome and Fuji apples become available. Finally, in early November, the season wraps up Arkansas black apples. This variety is very firm, tart and a bit spicy in flavor, making them great for baking and pies.

You can pick a peck of apples, which equates to 10 pounds, for $20 and bring up to 10 people with you. A half peck (5 pounds) is $12 for five people, according to the orchard’s website.

If you’re after pumpkins, the season begins the third week of September and continues to the end of October.

Evans Orchard is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Its weekend hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. The orchard and cider mill is located at 1783 Newtown Pike in Georgetown.

Eckert’s Orchard in Versailles

Eckert’s offers apple picking between mid-August through October, while pumpkins are available in late September through October. You can purchase an access pass online or at the gate, which allows you to pick apples for $2.49 a pound.

According to an Eckert’s representative reached by phone Thursday, it’s generally better to go during the week, when crowds are smaller and the price for admission is lower.

Access passes are $7 per person during the week and $13 per person on weekends, the Eckert’s representative said.

“When storing apples, keep in mind that apples ripen 6 to 10 times faster at room temperature than when refrigerated, so store them in the crisper drawer if you’re not going to eat them within a day or two of picking,” Eckert’s recommends. “Apples that will not be eaten in a day or two should be refrigerated in the crisper and stored by themselves (the fruit emits ethylene gas, which can cause other fruits and vegetables to decompose, so keep them separated).”

Eckert’s is open between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The farm is located at 1396 Pinckard Pike in Versailles.

How can you tell if an apple is ripe?

To tell if an apple is ripe, look at the characteristics of the individual fruit. A primer from the University of Wisconsin’s Extension service, recommends first appraising the apple’s color, particularly that of its skin.

Immature apples are green, and as they mature, change from green to light green to red or yellow. Still, color is not always a reliable indicator for some varieties, as they may turn red weeks before they actually mature.

Ground color can be another helpful indicator. Ground color is the color of the skin in the indentation made by the apple’s stem. As an apple matures, its ground color shifts from bright green to light green, then yellow. One exception is highly colored apple varieties, like red delicious.

Here are some other methods you can use to check that an apple is ripe:

• Give the apple a squeeze. A mature apple should be firm and crisp, but not hard. There should be at least some give when you squeeze the apple in your hand.

• Do a taste test. As apples mature, the starch they contain turns to sugar, making them sweet to the taste. If you don’t taste much starch after taking a bite and instead detect a sweet taste and fragrant smell, the apple is ripe.

How do I pick an apple?

The proper technique, again according to Wisconsin Extension, is to grasp the apple between your fingers and palm of your hand with your thumb near the stem.

Next, twist but do not pull the apple, and lift it upward as you do. Try not to squeeze too hard to avoid bruising, and avoid yanking it to keep other apples from falling before they’re ripe.

If you want to store the apples for use later, cool the apples and store them in the refrigerator between 34 degrees and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not allow the apples to freeze. Store them in a bag with small holes that allow the gases ripening apples produce to escape.

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