I spent many of my tween and teen years at our family apple orchard in Colborne, Ontario, so fall is one of my favourite seasons! Fresh apples abound in southern Ontario. If you need a little fresh air, you can pick up or pick-your-own apples at a number of local apple orchards.
TIP
If you opt for pick-your-own, in order to preserve the tree, my tip to you is: "eye to the sky". The eye of the apple is the centre of the bottom. Just cup your hand around the apple (gently - some apples like McIntosh tend to bruise easily) and turn the eye to the sky. The apple should come off without the accompanying leaves and portions of the branch that it is on.
Greater Kingston Area Apple Orchards
View their websites/facebook pages for more information on visiting and pick-your-own opportunities.
Spring Meadow Orchard - 10143 Highway 33, Adolphustown
A Good Farm - 2017 Centreville Road, Centreville, 613-358-9363
Wynn Farms - 8191 Highway 33, Greater Napanee
Janssen Orchards - 668 County Road 4, Odessa
Waddell Apples - 1345 Washburn Road, Kingston
Loughborough Heritage Orchard - 3371B/C Lakeside Road, Inverary
Hall's Apple Market - 2930 2nd Concession Road, Brockville
Click to view the google map.
If you are in the Northumberland County, ON area: The orchard my family started, named after my jazz-loving father (Pieter) with a nod to Canadian jazz vibraphone player Peter Appleyard, is still open in Colborne: Pieter's Appleyard. A couple of years after he named the orchard, my dad introduced himself to Peter Appleyard at one of his concerts and they hit it off and remained good friends until they both passed in 2013.
Happy apple picking!
Lynn