Guide to apple and pumpkin picking
Now that autumn is officially here, it’s time for Kingstonist to take another look at one of the season’s best activities — apple and pumpkin picking! This activity is great for families, couples, or anyone who just wants a lot of fresh apples for a great price, or to find the perfect pumpkin! Knowing exactly where your produce come from, and supporting a family farm in the process, is really easy to do and is quite affordable. Plus, all of these farms have a little something extra, whether its pony rides, a corn maze, preserves, or a farm store. If you don’t have the time or ability to pick them yourself, you can still get fresh-picked apples or pumpkins from any of these farms.
We’ve done our best to stay within about a 45-minute drive of Kingston. So make some room in your cold cellar or freezer, dig out the old family apple pie recipe, and get ready to pick!
Note: We recommend calling ahead to any of these places before heading out, especially in inclement weather, but also to make sure they still have what you want.
A Good Farm (2017 Centreville Road, Centreville): This family farm offers a great variety of, well, varieties: Liberty, Freedom, Spartan, Macintosh, Empire and Cortland. They do not use any pesticides or herbicides!
Fruition Berry Farm (3208 Hughes Road): This is one of the closer farms to the city, but that also often makes it one of the busiest. Still, a day at Fruition can be quite fun and productive! They offer pick-your-own pumpkins (and squash!), hay rides, plus their legendary five-acre corn maze.
Hall’s Apple Market (2930 2nd Concession Road, Brockville): Hall’s offers nine apple varieties, plus pears! They also have a mouth-watering selection of pies and other baked goods, and a fully-stocked country store.
Loughborough Heritage Orchard (3371B Lakeside Road, Inverary): Their website lists 12 organic varieties, but cautions that all of them are not always available. They also have eggs, chickens, relishes, pickles, bread, syrups, and a lot more!
Spring Meadow Orchards (10143 Loyalist Parkway, Adolphoustown): If you regularly take the Glenora Ferry, you’ll recognize this farm as they’re just five minutes this side of the ferry dock. There you’ll find pony rides, pumpkins, apples, veggie stand, and apple cider donuts!
Waddell Apples (1345 Washburn Road): Waddell is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for picking, but you can buy apples from their farm store, which also boasts an incredible butter tart, made from real butter! None of this margarine tart nonsense here.
Wynn Farms (8191 Highway 33, Greater Napanee): A beautiful drive along the shore of Lake Ontario takes you to this popular orchard a little bit past Bath. On top apples and pumpkins, their corn maze is open during the day and at night!