If you love apple picking, you know that there’s nothing quite like that first bite of the first apple that you pick off of the tree.
Right now, it’s the best time of the year for the apple lovers among us, as we say hello to both the bounty of the harvest, and sweater weather.
Whatever kind of apple is your favorite, the SouthCoast — and beyond — has plenty of options to pick from (pun intended).
We’ve put together a short list of just some local orchards where you can spend a day apple picking, and enjoy the fruits of your labor, whether that’s enjoying an apple right off of the tree, or baking up a bunch of pies.
Plus, we’ve got some apple advice from a Westport orchard, about baking, snacking on, and picking apples.
Here are five apple orchards to check out around the SouthCoast, and just a bit beyond:
C.N. Smith Farm, East Bridgewater
325 South St.
C.N. Smith Farm has been family owned and operated for more than 100 years. Pick-your-own apples is open for the 2024 season Tuesdays to Sundays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather and crop permitting. If you’re craving donuts, they make them fresh on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Their farm stand also has other baked goods, fresh cider, marinated meats, chicken pot pies, fresh corn and more. Find them online at https://cnsmithfarminc.com/ or visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CNSmithFarm.
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Noquochoke Orchards, Westport
594 Drift Road
Although they don’t offer pick-your-own apples at this time, Noquochoke Orchards grows 90 varieties of apples, and their farm stand is open daily in season. They’ve got Honeycrisp and Macoun, they said in an email to The Herald News, the Gazette’s sister paper, as well as other varieties like Baldwin, Pippin and russet.
They offered some apple advice for readers:
If you’re including apples in baked goods, “When it comes to baking a good mix of variety is what we always recommend,” they said.
As far as snacks go, “When it comes to a sweet apple to eat, the Gala and Empire are favorites for the school age children when we sell to the local school,” they said.
And when it comes to picking advice, Noquochoke Orchards said “Even though we don’t offer pick your own, one thing we can recommend is to pick the apples the way the farm you go to tells you, so you don’t ruin the trees and the next year’s budding. Some farms have old trees that really will be destroyed from being climbed on. We have one from around 1860.”
Keep up with the latest at Noquochoke Orchards on their Facebook page, at https://www.facebook.com/noquochokeorchardsinc/.
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The Big Apple Farm, Wrentham
207 Arnold St.
The Big Apple Farm offers pick-your-own apples, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, in season. Their farm stand is open from the last week of June until Thanksgiving. The Big Apple Farm takes cash or check only. For the latest produce availability and picking conditions, call 508-384-3055. The farm stand also has a pickle cooler, with their very own dill and mustard pickles. Plus you can find fresh, cold apple cider, homemade old-fashioned donuts, candy apples, and pie. Find them online at https://www.thebigapplefarm.com/ or on Facebook at https://tinyurl.com/2wt32z72.
Young Family Farm, Little Compton, Rhode Island
260 W. Main Road
Apple picking is in full swing at Young Family Farm, a Little Compton staple since 1997. You can also pick your own bouquets, and explore a variety of offerings, both fresh and baked goods, at their farm stand. Plus, they’ve got an Apple Festival coming up on Saturday, Oct. 12, and Sunday, Oct. 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. There will be apple and pumpkin picking, live music, hay rides, a corn shucking contest, and more. For more information and the latest updates on the Apple Festival, follow along on Faceook at https://www.facebook.com/youngfamilyfarm. You can find Young Family Farm online at youngfamilyfarm.com.
Dartmouth Orchards, North Dartmouth
515 Old Westport Road
Get a full fall experience with apple picking at Dartmouth Orchards. Lifelong Dartmouth resident and Dartmouth Orchards owner Brian Medeiros, who has been fighting throat cancer since last year, is naturally branding apples this year to help raise cancer awareness and funds. He’s branding about 100 honeycrisp apples with a cancer awareness ribbon and 100% of the proceeds from the sales of those apples will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation.
