Fruit is at its freshest and most nutritious when you buy local— and it doesn’t get any fresher and more local than driving out to the farm and plucking apples right from the tree. Here’s where you can support local and pick your own apples in Delaware and beyond!

Updated for 2024

There’s nothing like the taste and texture of a nice, juicy apple. It’s the perfect snack all on its own: deliciously sweet or tart but nutritious and filling, all wrapped up in its own biodegradable packaging. I think a couple of sliced up apples served with cheese, peppers and crackers is an ideal, easy dinner during the last hot days of summer. And it lends itself so well to so many other dishes, from salads and salsa to pies and buckles.

The fact is, an apple that’s been harvested early and then ripened on its journey from New Zealand or another faraway place just isn’t as satisfying as one that’s been picked that day. It also doesn’t pack the same nutritious punch (vitamins start to degrade from the moment produce is picked). And it certainly doesn’t support local farms and bring money back into your local community and economy.

Here are five local farm favorites where you can pick your own apples in Delaware and the surrounding area, plus tips for when you go. Some farms have varieties that you won’t find anywhere else. Some are a great bargain. All are great fall experiences that you need to go try for yourself!

Pick Your Own Apples in Delaware
and Surrounding Areas

Fifer Orchards in Camden-Wyoming

Open for picking Fridays and Saturdays, $24.95 a bag. Follow their Facebook page for variety and time updates.

The pumpkin patch is also open for picking in October. Bring your own wagon!

Thousand Acre Farm in Middletown

Primarily a wedding and event menu, Thousand Acre Farm offers a good variety of apples grown on dwarf trees! $2 entry fee per person, $2.99 a lb. Watch their Facebook page for updates.

Open Wednesdays to Saturdays from 10am to 4pm and Sundays 10am from 4pm by appointment only.

Milburn Orchards in Elkton MD

Milburn is a very short drive outside of Newark. Their orchards are ripe for the apple picking Saturdays and Sundays, 9am to 5pm, through the end of October. There are by my count 30 varieties available over the course of the season, 10 in October. (They’re done for this year, but next year you have got to try the early Orange Honeys. Trust me.)

Reservations are required and there are minimums based on the number of adults in your picking party (starts at $12 for two people for 1/2 peck, holds 10-15 apples depending on size).

Keep up to date on the picking schedule on Milburn Orchards’ Facebook page.

Linvilla Orchards in Media, PA

Along with pick your own apples (Goldrush, Granny Smith, Mutsu and Stayman Winesap), Linvilla is offering “Pick and Learn Figs.” Attendees join Farmer Norm on a tractor ride through the orchard to learn about growing them successfully in Pennsylvania, and leave with a 1/2 pint of figs.

The fields open at 8 am and close at 4pm. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for updates.

Highland Orchards in West Chester, PA

Highland offers apple picking Tuesday through Friday from 9am to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday from 9 to 3:30. Everyone catch the shuttle at the Kiosk on the weekends, no walking or driving to the fields is allowed. Minimum is $15 for a green bag, which holds approximately 7 pounds of apples.

Get updates on on Highland Orchards’ Facebook page here.

Hill Creek Farm in Mullica Hill, NJ

Less than 30 minutes from the Delaware Memorial Bridge, Hill Creek Farm has apple picking until November 3rd. On Fridays, there is no admission fee; you only pay for what you pick. On Saturdays and Sundays, there is an admission fee of $20 per vehicle (when purchased online, $25 onsite) which includes a hayride for your party. There’s a free playground and a moon bounce and barrel train rides for an additional fee. There is no admission fee to visit the Market, Bakery, Wine Garden, or Loft Cafe.

The fields are open 8am to 5pm Friday to Sunday. U-pick apples are $2.25 a pound.

Some tips for pick your own apples in Delaware
… or anywhere

ALWAYS check before you go. Most farms and orchards have an email newsletter or a page on their website they make an effort to keep updated, but to get current intel on what varieties are available to be picked and possible closures due to weather, check their Facebook page or even better, call.

The fields get hot and kids get whiny. Bring water and snacks, wear hats and sunscreen.

Don’t eat apples in the field before paying for them! Look at the apples before you pick them; don’t discard ones you find imperfect. You’re taking money out of the farmers’ pockets and also attracting way more bugs to get in your way.

Remember that ugly fruit is just as delicious as seemingly perfect fruit.

Go with a plan. Decide if you need more tart apples for pies or relatively small ones for putting into lunchboxes. Mentally map out how many pounds of apples total you’re willing to buy and about how much that weighs, if you’re not paying by the bushel basket. You’d be shocked how easy it is for a family of four to pick over 20 pounds of apples… not that we’ve ever done that or anything.

That said, apples keep for quite a while in the fridge, so make some room in there ahead of time. You can also try my apple crisp recipe to get through a fair number of apples in one go.

Take lots of pictures and go every year! I love looking back at how my kids have grown.