2024 Eastern Columbus Suburbs, Ohio Apple U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Apple U-Pick Orchards in Eastern Columbus Suburbs, Ohio 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

Licking County

• Branstool Orchards - Uses integrated pest management practices, apples, peaches, Cider mill (fresh apple cider made on the premises), U-pick and already picked, farm market, concessions or refreshment stand, porta-potties, picnic area
  5895 Johnstown-utica Road, Utica, OH 43080. Phone: (740) 892-3989. Email: Branstoolorchards@gmail.com. Open: seven days a week from 10 AM to 5 PM until November 26; All Pick Your Own ends one hour before closing. Directions: just 45 minutes northeast of Columbus, ; Route 62 northeast of Utica 1.2 miles. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.
  Branstool Orchards Facebook page. Peach season is typically mid-July through late September and apple season is typically late July though late October;. We use integrated pest management practicesOur farm market is stocked with our fruit, local honey, syrup, vegetables, cider, baking mixes, jams and jellies, and much more! We also sell herbs, mums, and other flowers. Pick your own sunflowers and zinnias too. We grow three varieties of pear trees, 26 varieties of peaches, and 37 different apple varieties. We wait to pick our peaches, apples, and pears until they are ripe, ensuring that our customers get the best fruit possible. We offer U-Pick peaches, apples and pumpkins here in Utica as well as an open-air market with fresh, local produce and pantry staples from nearby vendors. (UPDATED: April 01, 2020)
• Charlie's Apples at Windy Hill Apple Farm - Uses natural growing practices, apples, Cider mill (fresh apple cider made on the premises)
  1740 Sportsman Club Road, Newark, OH 43055. Phone: 740-587-3632. Email: charliefritsch@gmail.com. Open: The ONLY pyo crops apples offered are by appointment only, Preauthorized only. Directions: From Columbus, take Route 62 to Johnstown. Turn east on Sportsman Club Road for 7 miles. For a map, go to my website. We use natural practices, but are not yet certified Organic. Payment: Cash, Check. If cider is cited as available on my home page of the web site, please call for availability. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. . The ONLY pyo crops (apples) offered are by appointment only, Preauthorized onlyCharlies Apples Facebook page.
• Legend Hills Orchard - apples, peaches, pumpkins, strawberries, Honey from hives on the farm, Cider mill (fresh apple cider made on the premises), and prepicked produce, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms
  11335 Reynolds Road, Utica, OH 43080. Phone: 740-892-3832. Email: va_hatch1@yahoo.com. Open: Monday to Saturday 9 am to 5 pm Sunday - 9 am to 5 pm Extended hours in harvest season Strawberries: June 1 - June 25, Peaches: July 20 - September 5, Apples: August - November, Christmas Trees: November - December, Check out our new Online Store. Directions: Follow signs from the intersection of Ohio State Route 62 and Route 13. Also check website for specific directions. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard, Discover.
  Legend Hills Orchard Facebook page. Crops are usually available in June, July, August, September, October, November, December NOTE: in 20222, their website says "We will have a small patch of pick-your-own strawberries this year. Picking availability will be posted when ripe and ready " Be sure to CALL BEFORE YOU GO to ensure picking will be available. (UPDATED: June 10, 2022, JBS)
• Lynd Fruit Farm - apples, pumpkins, blackberries, red raspberries, black raspberries, , pears, pumpkins, U-pick and already picked, corn maze, farm market, concessions or refreshment stand, porta-potties are available, school tours
  9399 Morse Road SW, Pataskala, OH 43062. Phone: (740)927-7113. Email: andy@lyndfruitfarm.com. Open: Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in September and October from 9 am to 6 pm. Directions: Located at the inersection of Morse Road and State Route 310 in Pataskala, Ohio. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard.
  Lynd Fruit Farm Facebook page. Apple picking: The intersection of Morse Rd. and S.R. 310 is the area where customers should look for signage indicating where the apple picking for the day is taking place. Some days we are picking east of S.R. 310 on Morse Rd. and other days we will be west of S.R. 310 on Morse Rd. Look for directional signage at the intersection for the variety you plan to pickApple Picking Locations vary according to variety of apple being picked on any given day. There are 3 different orchard locations which are posted prior to the weekend on Facebook and also sent in our email newsletter for the weekend. Don't forget to sign up
  Comments from a visitor on September 16, 2010: "The Orchard is fantastic"

 

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