2023 southwestern Iowa, Omaha area Apple And Pumpkin U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Apple And Pumpkin U-Pick Orchards in southwestern Iowa, Omaha area 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.

Pottawattamie County

• 3 Bee Farms - apples, pumpkins, Honey from hives on the farm, Cider mill fresh apple cider made on the premises, gift shop, concessions \\/ refreshment stand, porta-potties are available, picnic area, farm animals, birthday parties, school tours, events at your location (call for info)
  14922 535th Street, Griswold, IA 51535. Phone: 712-778-4256. Email: donna@3beefarms.com. Open: September through the end of October hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9 am until 5 pm; Sunday is 1 pm until 5 pm; We are Closed on Wednesdays. Directions: We are located one mile west of Griswold, IA on highway 92. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, WIC Vouchers, SFMNP Vouchers. . . Honey Fest September 15 and 16; Johnny Appleseed Fest September 22 and 23; Family Fun Fest September 29 and 30; Apple Days Ocotber 6 and 7; Harvest Festival October 20 and 21; Pumpkin Fest October 27 and 28. We also accept Snap (EBT)
• Ditmars Orchard - Apples, peaches, pumpkins, pumpkin patch-pick in the field, pumpkin patch- already gathered from the field, and prepicked produce, gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, tractor-pulled hay rides, wagon rides
  19475 225th Street, Council Bluffs, IA 51503. Phone: 712-256-7053. Email: LyleDitmars@hotmail.com. Open: Tuesday thru Satuday 10 to 5, Sunday noon to 5 Generally open August 1 thru December 15. Directions: Council Bluffs Exit 8 from I-80 then east on Highway 6 one half mile to Hunt Ave. North 1 and one half miles. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check.
  Ditmars Orchard Facebook page. . Fax: 712-388-0483. . Click here for a map to our farm. Crops are usually available in August, September, October, November. However, special events can scheduled. Cider made on site in season. Hot apple pie and fried apple pie with ice cream. Cider slushes. Hand poured candles and other items including gourmet sodas.
• Pioneer Trail Orchard & Pumpkin Patch - Apples, Pumpkins, hay rides, corn maze and much more.
  21534 Chestnut Road, Council Bluffs, IA 51503. Phone: 712-366-1505. Email: webmaster@ptapples.com. Open: The Pumpkin Patch and events will be open October 1st; Monday through Thursday from 5 pm to 9 pm, Friday from 5 pm to 10 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 10 pm, Sunday from Noon to 7 pm. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. . . Click here for a map! We currently have planted over 625 apple trees of 5 varieties for pick-your-own: Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Jonathan, Macintosh, Fuji Myra Red.

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