2023 Topeka and Northeastern Kansas Apple And Pumpkin U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Find a pick-your-own farm near you! Then learn to can and freeze! Since 2002! We update continuously; Beware the copycat websites!

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Apple And Pumpkin U-Pick Orchards in Topeka and Northeastern Kansas 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.

Franklin County

  • Pome On The Range Orchards and Winery - apples, asparagus, cherries, pears, pumpkins, Honey from hives on the farm, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, weddings and wedding parties, school tours
    2050 Idaho Road, Williamsburg, KS 66095. Phone: (785)746-5492. Email: info@pomeontherange.com. Open: Visit our website for details. Directions: Interstate 35 exit 176 7 miles south of Ottawa, KS Visit our website for a detailed map. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, SFMNP Vouchers. . Alternate Phone: (785)242-5511. Fax: (785)242-0452. We proudly open our doors to schools, civic organizations, tour busses, or anyone who wishes to visit our grounds. For large groups or special tours please call for a reservation. Special events are scheduled on various weekends especially during fall harvest. These events include: pick-your-own apples, horse-drawn wagon rides, the pumpkin patch, and much more. Come visit the orchard and bring your whole family! Shop our orchard market for fresh produce, cider donuts, wines, cider, pies, and other home goods. Free wine-tasting every day. U-pick cherries, apples, and pumpkins. (UPDATED: May 18, 2022, JBS)

Wyandotte County

  • Cider Hill Family Orchard - Apples, gourds, Pumpkins, restrooms, gift shop, concession stand (drinks, snacks and\\/or food), pumpkin patch in the field, weddings and wedding parties
    3341 N 139thst, Kansas City, KS . Phone: 913-721-2507. Email: ciderhillfamilyorchard@gmail.com. Open: Call for hours, apples in late July. Directions: Call for directions. Payment: Cash, Check. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check.
    Cider Hill Family Orchard Facebook page. . . As a U-Pick Orchard, our guests can choose either to pick their own or have us pick them. Our Apple Wagon will be available to take guest into the Orchard, which is a really special treat for our younger visitors. You are welcome to spend as much time as you would like exploring among the apple trees. Once you are finished picking apples, you are welcome to pick out your favorite pumpkin or see who can pull the biggest fish from one of our five ponds. The Orchard grounds are beautiful and vast. Please plan on packing a picnic lunch and relax under one of the big trees in the front or back yard.
    Comments from a visitor on June 11, 2012: "Like very much. 5 ponds, relaxing. paved parking. Fishing derby, event barn."

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:

Canning apples - fully illustrated, with step-by-step instructions

Recipes, illustrated with step by step instructions

Using fresh apples and miscellaneous

Pumpkin recipes

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

Looking for canning equipment and supplies?

Water bath canner with a jar rack

Electric pressure canner

Pressure canners for gas, electric and induction stoves: Presto 23Qt or T-fal 22Qt

Canning scoop (this one is PERFECT)

Ball Blue book (most recent version)

8oz canning jars for jams

Regular canning lids

Wide mouth canning lids

 


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