2023 El Dorado County, California Apple And Pumpkin U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Apple And Pumpkin U-Pick Orchards in El Dorado County, California in 2023, by county

Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for apples and pumpkins that we know of in this area. Not all areas of any state, nor even every state, have apples and pumpkins 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.

El Dorado County

• 24 Carrot Farm - CERTIFIED ORGANIC, apples, pumpkins, Honey from hives on the farm
  2731 Jacquier Road, Placerville, CA 95667. Phone: 510-828-6538. Email: 24carrotfarms@gmail.com. Open: Daily from 10 am to 5 pm. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx. . . We are certified organic for all crops! Formerly called Willow Pond Farm. (UPDATED: October 10, 2021 JBS) (ADDED: September 21, 2015)
• Apple Hill, High Hill Ranch - apples, pumpkins, Honey from hives on the farm, Cider mill fresh apple cider made on the premises, gift shop, concessions \\/ refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, face painting, train rides (train on a track), pony rides, farm animals, weddings and wedding parties, school tours, group reservations
  2901 High Hill Rd, Placerville, CA 95667. Phone: (530) 644-1973. Email: applehill@highhillranch.com. Open: Apple Hill Season August 18th to December 24th 7 Days a Week Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm; Saturday to Sunday 7am to 6pm. Directions: Take the Carson Road Exit off HWY50 Turn Left on Carson Road We are Located 1/2 mile up the Road on the Right. Turn Right on High Hill Road. August 18th through December 24th. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard.
  Apple Hill, High Hill Ranch Facebook page. . . Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. Visit Apple Hill Farm High Hill Ranch for Apple Pies, Apple Donuts, Crafts, & Kid's Activities. (UPDATED: July 01, 2019, JBS) (ADDED: July 05, 2018)
• Goyette's North Canyon Ranch - U-pick apples, pumpkins
  3825 N Canyon Road, Camino, CA 95709. Phone: (530) 622-9299. Email: lbgoyette@earthlink.net. Open: Weekends, mid September to end of Oct, 10 AM to 5 PM. Click here for a map and directions. Goyette's North Canyon Ranch . #21 on Apple Hill map - off Hwy 50 at Camino. 6 varieties of apples. Pumpkins, Indian corn and gourds. Also picnic and play areas, pumpkin patch. (UPDATED: April 28, 2015, JBS)
• Hangtown Kid Apple Orchard - apples, pears, cherries, chestnuts, persimmons, pumpkins, honey from hives on the farm, Christmas trees
  2598 Mace Road, Camino, CA 95709. Phone: 530-647-1810. Email: jpalmer42@att.net. Open: Call before you go. Click here for a map and directions.
  Hangtown Kid Apple Orchard Facebook page. . Hangtown Kid Apple Ranch Facebook page.
  Comments from a visitor on June 23, 2009: "great people, great fun, delicious fruit . Nice older couple, work their own small farm of 10 acres. a bit out of the more crowded areas associated with Apple Hill off Mace Rd. "
• Harris Family Farm - apples, blackberries, blueberries, marionberries, pears, pumpkins, rhubarb, Fresh eggs, picnic area, weddings and wedding parties, school tours
  2640 Blair Road, Pollock Pines, CA 95726. Phone: (530) 644-2194. Email: harristreefarm@hotmail.com. Open: Thursday to Sunday, from 9 am to 4:30 pm, June 1 to December 24. Directions: Driving directions: Travel on Highway 50 to Pollock Pines. Turn off at the Pollock Pines exit #57, turn left under the freeway. Turn right on Pony Express Trail, about one mile turn left on Blair Road. Travel one mile on Blair Road, the entrance is on the left. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover.
  Harris Family Farm Facebook page. . Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. Pies & Turnovers , Jam & Preserves. You pick blackberries beginning in July. Camp on our farm in the forest or Christmas trees. (ADDED: April 05, 2017)
• Pine'O'Mine - Uses integrated pest management practices, apples, blueberries, pumpkins, raspberries (Autumn, red), U-pick and already picked, porta-potties are available, picnic area
  2620 Carson Road, Placerville, CA 95667. Phone: 530-344-0288. Email: pineomine@comcast.net. Open: See our facebook page for current hours. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover. Pine'O'Mine . We use integrated pest management practices. is a former Christmas tree farm that is now planted with Blueberries, Raspberries, Apples, and Pumpkins. We wanted to have something for families, so we made our ranch u-pick. Now we have families coming year after year. NOTE: Their website is gone; but their unofficial facebook page shows recent activity. Does anyone have current information, are they still offering pick your own or are even open? If so, please write me. (UPDATED: May 06, 2018, JBS)
• Sun Mountain Farm - Uses integrated pest management practices, apples, blueberries, pumpkins, U-pick and already picked, picnic area
  3000 North Canyon Road, Camino, CA 95709. Phone: 530-621-3740. Email: Fruit@SunMountainFarm.com. Open: Saturday and Sunday, from 9 am to 4 pm; Monday to Friday by appointment. Directions: #28 on the Apple Hill Map. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. Sun Mountain Farm Alternate Phone: 530-919-7879. . Blueberries: June; Apples: September, October, Early November; Pumpkins: October. We offer the finest seasonal "You Pick" apples, blueberries and pumpkins. Wine grapes may be available to home winemakers by arrangement. We use integrated pest management practices. Fish Friendly Farming Environmental Certification.

Apple picking tips:

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!
• 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

Pumpkin recipes

• How to prepare cooked pumpkin from a fresh pumpkin (for use in all the recipes)
• Illustrated instructions to make a pumpkin pie from a fresh pumpkin - the best pumpkin pie you will ever taste! (metric version for the UK, Europe, Australia, Japan, etc.)
• How to home-can pumpkin (in a cooked, cubed form) and why you shouldn't home-can the pureed forms.
• Traditional Pumpkin Pie
• Chocolate pumpkin pie
• Pumpkin Spice Muffins
• Pumpkin muffins
• Pumpkin Bread
• Pumpkin Butter!
• Pumpkin cheesecake - INCREDIBLE!!! You have to try this one!
• Pumpkin Cookies
• Pumpkin soup - even if you normally aren't a soup lover; you will love this one.
• Butternut-Chestnut Panchetta-Bacon Soup - Pumpkin or Butternut squash combines with chestnuts and bacon, ham or panchetta in this great soup
• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
• No Sugar Pumpkin Pie
• Apple Cider Doughnut Recipe (with maple glaze or sugar glaze)

Other Local Farm Products (Honey, Horses, Milk, Meat, Eggs, Etc.)
(NOT pick-your-own, unless they are also listed above)

• Farm markets and roadside stands
• Local Honey Finder
• Local Meat, Milk and Eggs
• Venues: Farms, Wineries, Orchards for your event, wedding or party
• Easter egg hunts
• Children"s consignment sales
• Fruit and vegetable festivals
• Winery tours and wine tastings
• Horse rides, stables, lessons, trails
• Maple Syrup farms and sugarworks
• Bed & Breakfasts on Farms, Wineries, Ranches and Orchards
• Pumpkin patches
• Corn mazes
• Zombie Paintball venues
• Christmas Tree Farms & lots
• Environmental resources
• Consumer fraud information
• Wholesale food sources
• Resources for Farmers