Apple U-Pick Orchards in North-Central Washington State 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.
Chelan County
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Chelan Ranch
- Certified Organic, apples, blueberries, sweet cherries, lavender, concessions or refreshment stand, picnic area, picnic area
you may bring your own food, porta-potties, Cell service cell phones work here
90 Chelan Ranch Road, Chelan, WA 98816. Phone: (509) 881-7137. Alternate Phone: (509) 888-7823. Email: support@chelanranch.com. Open: Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm, and Saturday from 9 am to 12 pm, from July 1 to October 15.Click here for current open hours, days and dates. Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. Directions: We are about 10 minutes from both downtown Chelan and Manson on the north side of Lake Chelan. When traveling along WA-150/West Manson Rd, you will turn onto Boyd Road, turn onto NF-8010/Purtteman Gulch Road, and then turn right onto Chelan Ranch Road. We are the first right driveway on Chelan Ranch Road. Strawberry season is typically end of June to end of July; Cherry season is typically mid-July to early August; Blueberry season is typically mid July through early September; Apple season is typically end of August to end of November, but we have apples available year-round; Peach season is typically around the end of August; Tomato season is typically mid-August to October; Gift boxes are popular from November to January, but are available year round; Frozen and freeze-dried fruits are available year-round; PYO fruit season is typically early July to end of September; The Venue season is typically from the start of spring to the end of fall; Farm Stay camping season is typically from the start of spring to end of fall;. We are certified organic for all crops! Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx, AndroidPay, ApplePay, CashApp, PayPal, Venmo.
Click here for our Facebook page.
Click here for our Instagram page.
USDA and WSDA Certified Organic, Salmon-Safe Certified Farm, Cascadia Conservation District, Global Gap, SQF-Certified, Women-Owned Business, Non-GMO, Pesticide-free.
(ADDED: September 15, 2023) -
Stutzman Ranch - Uses integrated pest management practices, apples, cherries, grapes, nectarines,
pears, peaches, pluots, Fresh eggs, U-pick and already picked, porta-potties are available, farm
animals
2226 Easy Street, Wenatchee, WA 98801. Phone: 509-667-1664. Alternate Phone: 509-669-3276. Email: fstutzman@thestutzmanranch.com. Open: Click here for current open hours, days and dates. Directions: Go one mile from highway 2 on Easy street at Monitor. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. Click here for our Facebook page. We have an orchard full of fruit. We want people to pick lots and lots of fruit. There is a minimum u-pick purchase required to enter the Stutzman Ranch orchards. All persons 12 years and over entering the orchard will be charged the $5.00 u-pick minimum. A group of four people 12 and over will be expected to pick $20.00 worth of fruit to cover the minimum. But please pick more. Pick enough fruit each to cover the five dollar minimum. ie. Approximately 2 pounds of Rainiers @ $2.75/lb. or about 8 pounds of apples @ $.65/lb for each person age 12 and over. It is really easy to do. Payment is t<strongaken at the end of the orchard visit when the fruit is weighed. If the fruit picked does not add up to $5.00 per person 12 and over then it's just a straight 5 bucks each. the Red cherries usually start in late June and the Rainier cherries one week later.
Prices (as of 6/28/2023 - subject to change - see their website for current info)
Bing Cherries $2.50/lb
Rainier Cherries $3.50/lb
Peaches $0.95/lb.
Nectarines $0.95/lb
Apples $0.85/lb
Pears $0.85/lb
Table Grapes $1.75/lb.
Asian Pears & Pluots $1.75/lb.
Typical Fruit availability typical start dates
It varies daily depending on weather, fruit load on the tree and how many people come and pick.so these are just general, usual, expected dates:
Cherries --- Late June - Early July
Regular Red Haven Peach --- August 15th
Red Globe Peaches --- August 31st
Elberta Peaches --- September 9TH
Elegant Lady Peach --- September 9TH
Hale Peach --- September 12th
Red Gold Nectarines --- Late August
Bartlett Pears --- SEPTEMBER 3RD
Gala apples --- SEPTEMBER 3RD
Angelus (big) peaches --- Septemer 16th
Seedless Table Grapes --- September 14th
Asian Pears --- September 14th
Pluots --- Dapple Dandy September 14th
Flavor Grenade -
Fuji & Golden Delicious Apples --- September 21st
(UPDATED: June 28, 2023, JBS)
A visitor writes on June 28, 2023:
"This farm was fantastic"
Kittitas County
- Hilltop Orchard - strawberries, apples, raspberries, pears
1260 Orchard Rd, Ellensburg, WA 98926. Phone: (509) 929-6088. Click here for a map and directions. . 6 pm to dark; But if during the day suits you better just text message me to make sure I'm here. This is a small family owned and operated orchard and berry farm. We grow Bartlett pears, Gala apples and thornless raspberries. This is a small family owned and operated orchard and berry farm, growing Bartlett and Anjou pears, Gala apples and thornless raspberries. Strawberries will be ready in 2021!2020 Raspberries were 3.50/lb for u-pick. & $5 for we-pick2020 U-pick Gala apples $12/ fruit box or 5 gallon bucket or $100/bin.2020 Bartlett pears U-pick price was $12/ fruit box. Already picked is $15/box. Each box is roughly 20-25 lbs. Please bring your own boxes if picking your own.
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