2024 Northwest Montana Apple U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Apple U-Pick Orchards in Northwest Montana in 2024, by county

Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for apples that we know of in this area.

Not all areas of a 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.

New! As inflation remains high, see this page for reliable (tested) brands of generic canning lids at lower costs, and cost-saving measures for getting fruit and vegetables and home canning.
 If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days.

New! Road tripping and camping is a great way to have a fun, safe and inexpensive family trip. The national and state parks and monuments are open, and campgrounds usually cost between $10 and $40 per night. September to November is the best camping weather.  See our new website Road Tripping and Camping.com for tips, tricks, guides, checklists and info about parks, monuments and other places to visit.

New! We just went live with our latest website, FunFactoryTours.com - As they name implies, you can find a fun factory tour, including chocolate, automobiles, historical forts and sites, famous buildings, Active Federal facilities even fun geology: like fossils and volcanic areas

Lake County

• Fat Robin Orchard & Farm - Certified Organic, apples, cherries, U-pick and already picked, farm market
  34126 Finley Point Rd, Polson, MT 59860. Phone: 406-887-2869. Email: liserousseau@bresnan.net. Open: Friday to Sunday, from 8:30 am to 6 pm; other times by appointment; Call to confirm before traveling to the orchard; Visit our website for details. Directions: From Polson, take highway 35 north to Finley Point Road. Go approximately 1 mile to the T-junction of South Finley Point Road. Make a left. Take the first dirt road to the right just past the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers packing plant. Our orchard is at the top of the hill. Cherries: Late July through early August, Apples: Mid-October. We are certified organic for all . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, WIC Vouchers.
  Fat Robin Orchard & Farm Facebook page. Picking updates: Click here for picking updatescrops! Our beautiful certified organic farm has fabulous views of Flathead Lake and even better fruit. We offer you-pick, picked and packed, delivery, and shipping. Fruit is available at the farm, local CSAs, natural food markets, and is featured in local restaurants. Some fruit goes to Ten Spoon Winery for their outstanding "Flathead Cherry Dry" wine. Cherry varieties: Lambert, Lapin, Rainier, Van, Montmorency (Pie), Balaton. Apple varieties: Mac, Wealthy. Other products available: frozen and dried cherries, cherry-themed aprons, wool, lambs. Visit us soon!.
• Getman's Cherry Red Orchard - Uses natural growing practices, apples, cherries, pears, peaches, plums, raspberries (red), U-pick and already picked, porta-potties are available
  East Shore, Flathead Lake, Bigfork, MT 59911. Phone: 406-871-5499. Email: getman@me.com. Open: most of the time and easily available; We also have preserves and will ship cherries by mail; See our website; Black, sweet cherries are our main crop; During the fall, we have great apples and many other varied fruits and vegetables; We often have picked vegetables, like peas and greens, etc. Directions: Please call first. East side of Flathead Lake, between Polson and Bigfork, close to Yellow Bay. Near Mile marker 20. There is a sign and we are building, \The Orchard House. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only.
  Getman's Cherry Red Orchard Facebook page. . We arrange by appointment; Please call Dan's cell;; however, during July, August, September, October; we are open Picking updates: Click here for picking updatesPlease call first. East side of Flathead Lake, between Polson and Bigfork, close to Yellow Bay. Near Mile marker 20. There is a sign and we are building, "The Orchard House", a large construction project. This is easily seen from the road. Call. Do Not open gates, precautions for our pets and animalsOur cherries ripen at the end of July; U pick lasts during August, September, October. We use natural practices, but are not yet certified OrganicWe usually have a tasting table with various items. We can invoice with paypal or receive cash or check.

Missoula County

• Green Bench Orchard - Certified Organic, apples, raspberries (red), Honey from hives on the farm, events at your location (call for info)
  4701 South Avenue West, Missoula, MT 59804. Phone: (406) 549-9017. Email: fred@greenbenchorchard.com. Open: Hours vary considerably; please see our website or Facebook page for availability and hours; Typical opening season date for raspberries is July 1st Typical opening season date for apples is September 1st. Directions: Typical . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only.
  Green Bench Orchard Facebook page. . Hours vary considerably; please see our website or Facebook page for availability and hours; opening season date for raspberries is July 1st opening season date for apples is September 1stPicking updates: Click here for picking updatesopening season date for raspberries is July 1st opening season date for apples is September 1st. We are certified organic for all crops! (ADDED: February 05, 2020)

 

Apple

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!
• 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

New!As inflation remains high, see this page for reliable (tested) brands of generic canning lids at lower costs, and cost-saving measures for getting fruit and vegetables and home canning.
 If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days.

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

 

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