2024 Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania Apple U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Apple U-Pick Orchards in Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania 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

Allegheny County

• Half Crown Hill Orchard - apples, Honey from hives on the farm, porta-potties are available, picnic area you may bring your own food, birthday parties, school tours, group reservations
  600 North Branch Road, McDonald, PA 15057. Phone: 412-913-4981. Email: apples@hchorchard.com. Open: See our website for current hours. Directions: From 279 take Route 22 West toward Weirton. Take the PA-978US-30 Exit toward Imperial. At Exit Turn Left on 978Bateman Road for 2 miles. Turn Right on North Branch Road. Follow North Branch Road 1.6 miles. Orchard is located on the Right just past the intersection of North Branch Road, Kelso Road and Finks Run Road. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.
  Half Crown Hill Orchard Facebook page. Picking updates: Click here for picking updatesFrom 279 take Route 22 West toward Weirton. Take the PA-978/US-30 Exit toward Imperial. At Exit Turn Left on 978/Bateman Road for 2 miles. Turn Right on North Branch Road. Follow North Branch Road 1.6 miles. Orchard is located on the Right just past the intersection of North Branch Road, Kelso Road and Finks Run Road
• Norman's Orchard - apples, blueberries, sweet cherries, pie or sour cherries, wine grapes, pears, Honey from hives on the farm, U-pick and already picked
  2318 Butler Logan Road (Frazer Township), Tarentum, PA 15084. Phone: (724) 224-9491. Email: normansorchard@gmail.com. Open: Cherries: Tuesday through Friday from 10 am to 6 pm; Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm; Sunday from 12 pm to 4 pm; in mid - June only; Blueberries on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10 am to 3 pm; in July; Apples, pears and grapes: Wednesday through Friday from 10 am to 6 pm; Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm; Sunday from 12 pm to 4 pm; late August to late October . Directions: Exit Route 28 at the Pittsburgh Mills exit #12A. \(Do NOT use exit #13.\) Go northwest on Butler Logan Road \(the road behind the mall\) for 2 miles. The orchard is on the left. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only.
  Norman's Orchard Facebook page. . Alternate Phone: (480) 220-8228 Exit Route 28 at the Pittsburgh Mills exit #12A. (Do NOT use exit #13.) Go northwest on Butler Logan Road (the road behind the mall) for 2 miles. The orchard is on the leftTypical crop harvest dates are:Cherries: mid to late June; Blueberries: late June or early July to third week of July; Apples: mid-July (Wealthy apples), late August through late October, depending upon variety; Grapes: late August to mid September; Pears: late August to mid September, depending upon variety apple butter and local honey are available all season. Apple cider is available in late September and throughout October, as long as supplies last. All fruit is grown at the orchard. Please call ahead or check our Facebook page to verify availability of fruit. You may pick your own fruit or we will pick for you (blueberries are PYO only). We specialize in heirloom apple varieties that are rarely found elsewhere. Our tart cherries, available in June only, make the best pies and cobblers. (UPDATED: May 23, 2023)
• Shenot Farm and Market - apples, blueberries, flowers and pumpkins
  3754 Wexford Run Rd, Wexford, PA 15090. Phone: 724-935-2542. Email: rlpshenot@gmail.com. Open: 10am-5pm daily. Click here for a map and directions.
  Shenot Farm and Market Facebook page. Their orchards have 25 varieties of apples, 15 varieties of peaches and nectarines with a few plums and pears. Apple harvest begins in early July and finishes in early November. Their website does not mention pick your own, but their Facebook page does. Blueberries are fairly predictable (see their Facebook page for dates), but the dates and hours for PYO apples changes frequently, based on how they are ripening, so you must call in advance or check the Facebook page. In 2022, they had PYO apples starting August 31st on Monday and Wednesdays from 11-3 at $10/peck (no outside bags or picking baskets/containers permitted) They also sell locally raised meats, cheese, dry goods from other local farms and homemade fudge(ADDED: April 25, 2023, JBS)
• Triple B Farms - apples, blackberries, peaches, pumpkins, raspberries (red), raspberries (black), strawberries, Honey from hives on the farm, Fresh eggs, gift shop, concessions or refreshment stand, porta-potties are available, Bouncy castle, petting zoo, farm animals, birthday parties, school tours
  823 Berry Lane, Monongahela, PA 15063. Phone: 724-258-3557. Email: info@triplebfarms.com. Open: Varies by crop, please call in advance of your visit. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, WIC Vouchers.
  Triple B Farms Facebook page. Fax: 724-258-7899 Picking updates: Click here for picking updatesStrawberries: end of May to mid-June Raspberries: end of June to mid-July Peaches: August Blackberries: August Apples: September and October Pumpkins: end of September to OctoberAlways call for the exact date of ripening. Strawberries are usually ready in late May. Customers may pick their own berries or buy berries pre-picked in the farm's Country Market and Gift Shop. Raspberries are next in June! Always call ahead for the exact picking dates, but usually, red raspberry Pick Your Own is available before black raspberryUpick. Triple B provides you with containers, so the berries maintain their beautiful shape all the way home. Please note, the local Southwestern PA raspberry season lasts for only about three weeks, so hurry on out before they're all gone! Peaches ripen in late July. Triple B tries to offer one weekend of Pick Your Own Peaches for your family, but this does not always come to pass. Pick-your-own Apples are ready around Labor Day!

Washington County

• Bedner's Farm and Greenhouse - apples, asparagus, broccoli, corn (sweet), eggplant, herbs or spices, peppers, pumpkins, summer squash, Tayberries, tomatoes, other vegetables, concessions or refreshment stand, restrooms, face painting
  315 Coleman Road, McDonald, PA 15057. Phone: (724) 926-2541. Email: holly@bednersgreenhouse.com. Open: Select weekends, July - October. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.
  Bedner's Farm and Greenhouse Facebook page. .Selectweekends,July-October.Clickhereforcurrentopenhours,daysanddates.Clickhereforamapanddirections.Payment:Cash,Check,Debitcards,Visa,MasterCard,Discover,AmEx.ClickhereforourFacebookpage.Takeahayrideouttoourproducefieldstopick-your-ownfreshvegetables.Thevegetablestobepickedeachdaywilldependoncropconditions.Reservationsarerecommended,asspaceislimited.CheckbackinJulytoregister!
• Simmons Farm - apples, flowers, peaches, pumpkins, strawberries, Honey from hives on the farm, U-pick and already picked, farm market, concessions or refreshment stand, porta-potties are available, restrooms, picnic area, petting zoo, farm animals, birthday parties, weddings and wedding parties, school tours
  17170 Simmons Rd, McMurray, PA 15317. Phone: 724-941-1490. Email: market@simmonsfarm.com. Open: Picking usually ends one hour before market closes. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, SFMNP Vouchers.
  Simmons Farm Facebook page. Picking updates: Click here for picking updatesStrawberries Late May Early June Flowers Early Summer to Mid Fall Peaches Summer Apples Summer to Fall Pumpkins Begins September 21stChristmas Trees in Winter.

 

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