Apple U-Pick Orchards in San Antonio area of Texas in 2023, by county
Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for apples that we know of in this area. Not all areas of any state, nor even every 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.
Bandera County
- Love Creek Orchards - apples, blackberries, figs, peaches, persimmons, Cider mill fresh apple cider made on the premises, U-pick and already picked, gift shop, concessions \\/ refreshment stand, porta-potties are available, picnic area, face painting, pony rides, petting zoo, farm animals, birthday parties, school tours, events at your location (call for info)
14024 State highway 16 North, Medina, TX 78055. Phone: 830-529-2202. Email: hutzler@lovecreekorchards.com. Open: Monday through Saturday from 9:30 TO 4:30 and Sunday 10:30 to 4:30 during picking season. Directions: 13 miles north of Bandera Texas on highway 16 North. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover.
Love Creek Orchards Facebook page. . Alternate Phone: 210-215-1995. Fax: 830-589-2880. . Pick your own Apples begin in July through September Pick your own Blackberries begin in June through July Pick your own Figs begin in August through September; Persimmons Late Sept, Oct; Pick Your own Peaches begin in June Great Hill Country Pumpkin Patch is open to the public every Saturday, Sunday and Monday in October and open for school tours on every Thursday and Friday in October. opens seasonally for pick your own fruit. Usually we begin in April and May with fresh blackberries. July we offer fresh tree-ripened apples and in August we offer some of the sweetest figs in Texas. We also offer a great selection of persimmons in October. Check the web site for picking dates and times. As with all fresh fruit, we are dependent on Mother Nature. The best time to pick is when fruit is at their peak of ripeness. When you come to pick, we provide the containers for picking. Prices are generally based on current market prices at the time of picking. We have a picnic area near the orchard for you to enjoy a picnic lunch if you want to bring one or visit the Apple Store just up the road from the orchard and eat at the Patio Cafe The Patio cafe was listed among the Top 40 best Small Town Restaurants in Texas by Texas Monthly Magazine. No Entrance or Parking Fees! Pay for what you Pick!
Medina County
- Love Creek Orchards - Apples, Blackberries, Grapes, Peaches, Seasonal Vegetables, Figs, Persimmons
13558 Hwy 16 N, Bandera, TX . Phone: 830-589-2588. Email: adamsapples@lovecreekorchards.com. Open: pick your own blackberries anticipated to be mid to late May. Directions: Highway 16 between Bandera and Kerrville. . Click here for a map and directions. . Alternate phone: 800-449-0882. . Please call before coming. opens seasonally for pick your own fruit. Usually we begin in April and May with fresh blackberries. July we offer fresh tree-ripened apples and in August we offer some of the sweetest figs in Texas. We also offer a great selection of persimmons in September and October. Check the web site during for picking dates and times. As with all fresh fruit, we are dependent on Mother Nature. The best time to pick is when fruit is at their peak of ripeness. We will post picking times on the web site or you can call our orchard.
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!
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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:
- Summary table of many apple varieties and their characteristics
- Detailed descriptions of each apple variety with detailed characteristics
- Apple varieties, sorted by the order in which they typically ripe
- Apple varieties that don't turn brown when they are cut
- Why are some apples brown or spotted inside when you first cut them open?
Canning apples - fully illustrated, with step-by-step instructions
- How to make applesauce
- How to make apple butter
- How to make apple jelly
- How to make apple pie filling (canned)
- How to can apples
- Home canned apple juice
Recipes, illustrated with step by step instructions
- Apple pie recipe and directions and illustrated! I can say, with, ahem, no bias at all, that this is the best apple pie recipe in the world! (Alright, I did have an apple strudel in Vienna once at that place listed in Fodors that was REALLY good, but that wasn't a pie, was it? And since this was the recipe my grandmother used, it must be great!)
- How to make applesauce for a single meal (not canning it) with NO special equipment
- Apple cobbler
- Apple crunch - best of all! Moist, low sugar and using oats!
- Apple crisp - ever-popular, low sugar and using oats!
- Apple, blackberry, cherry, and/or peach cobbler
- Apple-blackberry, crumble - a English favorite (or favourite)
Using fresh apples and miscellaneous
- How to stop cut apples from browning
- Apple festivals - find one near you!
- Apple facts
- Apple seeds and cyanide