Pick-Your-Own: It’s Apple Season in Connecticut!

There are 25 varieties of apples grown here. 17 varieties are available for “pick-your-own,” and we have other varieties, such as Baldwin, Honeycrisp and Zestar, which are smaller crops, so they are only offered for sale in the market.

We’ll have different varieties ready to pick in September and October. If you come a few times, you could see different varieties each time.

The apples grow in waves, so that every few weeks a new variety becomes ripe enough to pick. Our first wave of pick-your-own includes favorites like Gala, McIntosh and Cortland. In a few weeks, Macoun, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Fuji, Jonagold and Empire will be ready too. Later in October, you’ll find Braeburn, Ida Red, Mutsu, Stayman and Rome.

Every variety has an estimated time frame and window of when it should be ready.  Within that window of time, we’ll taste and examine first and then let the public know what varieties of apples are ready and in which orchard.  Flavor is the real indicator. 

As many as they can carry! Some people stock up for pies and other recipes. You pay by the pound. Just fill one (or more!) of three different sized bags, from 4 quarts to ½ a bushel. Then have it weighed at the end.

Families, groups of friends, school groups. We have a lot of generations coming together to pick apples. Grandparents with kids and grandkids sharing the experience and just really enjoying it together. And a lot of the grandparents came here when they were kids, so we love to hear their stories.

Yes, they should last in your refrigerator crisper drawer for up to three months when kept at a constant temperature of about 36 degrees

A lot of people say, “my grandmother’s pie recipe says only use McIntosh” or another variety. Personally, we think the best pies come from a mix of apples. We don’t recommend McIntosh apples as they are a softer apple and tend to get mushy when baked. But other apples have a tart taste or crunchier texture that makes amazing pies. Cortland, Stayman, Jonagold and Golden Delicious are all good for baking, it just depends on the taste and flavor you want for your pies.

This is our favorite apple pie recipe. You can find others on our website too.

• 8 apples
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 tablespoon(s) all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 pastry shell
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft. 

We have tractor wagon rides that take people up into the orchards, plus a corn maze, a pumpkin patch with a hay maze and donkey rides too. And we press and make our own apple cider here, making about 70,000 gallons of cider a year, throughout the season. We also sell apple cider donuts and other freshly baked fall goodies, as well as produce, our own wine and other Connecticut wines in our farm market.

Get directions to Bishop’s Orchards or find pick-your-own apples closer to home. You can also a comprehensive list of pick-your-own farms throughout Connecticut here.