By Anietra Hamper
Posted On: Sep 12, 2021
As we stroll through the sprawling apple orchards at Lynd Fruit Farm in Pataskala, Kaylyn Stallings remarks that the smell of the orchard is nostalgic. Her father reminds her of the times they used to pick apples together when she was a child and that's likely why the scent is so familiar.
While the acres of orchards ripe with apples seem to be the perfect way to usher in the change of seasons, visitors walk away with more than just bags of Gala or Honeycrisp, they walk away with family memories.
The Lynd U-Pick orchard is comfortably busy as families with children, couples and even solo apple pickers. Everyone peruses the ripe selection of apples. More than 50 varieties of apples grow in Ohio, each with their own peak time for picking. So what's ripe this week, may be a different variety than what's ripe next week.
We're handed a bag and set off into the orchard. Though the varieties are marked with colored ribbons and explained when we first arrive, it's easy to forget as my eyes get lost in the sea of apple abundance. Fortunately, the farm allows and even encourages a little sampling along the way straight from the branches.
After picking apples, we head to the main section of the farm where a large market is bustling with people buying fresh Ohio produce, jams, peaches, popcorn, cider and beef jerky. As fall draws near, the farm will offer a corn maze and pumpkin picking in the fields.
There's something special about visiting an Ohio farm and taking part in the U-Pick experience. Even if your children are too young to remember the outing today, you can bet that someday - when they do it again - the fragrance of the orchard will bring warm memories of a family tradition and an iconic Ohio experience.
There are dozens of U-Pick orchards throughout Ohio. Remember to check with individual farms to see U-Pick schedules and find out what's in season before your trip. Here are some other apples farms you can visit to get your fall fix:
Central Ohio
- Arrowhead Orchard in Paris
- Branstool Orchards in Utica
- Cherry Hawk Farm in Marysville
- Fruit Full Acres in Marysville
- Hugus Fruit Farm in Rushville
- Lawrence Orchards in Marion
- Legend Hills Orchard in Utica
- The Orchard & Company in Plain City
Northeast Ohio
- A. B. Phillips & Sons Fruit Farm in Berlin Heights
- Apple Hill Orchards in Mansfield (and Fredericktown)
- Bauman Orchards in Rittman
- Beckwith Orchards in Kent
- Blue Jay Orchard in Hiram
- Brant's Apple Orchard in Ashtabula
- Cold Springs Orchard in Rock Creek
- Country Maid Ice Cream & Orchard in Richfield
- Dillon Fruit Farm in Lisbon
- Eddy Fruit Farm in Chesterland
- Geig's Orchard in Seville
- Grobe Fruit Farm in Elyria
- Hartford Orchards in Hartford
- Haus Orchard & Cider Mill in Canfield
- Hillcrest Orchards in Amherst
- Hillcrest Orchard in Walnut Creek
- Kiraly's Orchard in Ashtabula
- Mahnke Orchards in Napoleon
- Manfull Orchards in Augusta
- Mapleside Farms in Brunswick
- McDowell Orchards in Amherst
- Miller Orchards in Amherst
- Monroe's Orchard & Farm Market in Hiram
- Moreland Fruit Farm in Wooster
- Norkus Orchard in Salem
- Patterson Fruit Farm in Chesterland
- Peace Valley Orchards in Rogers
- Ransom Sage Farm in Chardon
- Rittman Orchards & Farm Market in Doylestown
- Stahl's Farm Market in Ravenna
- West Orchards Farm Market in Perry
- White House Fruit Farm in Canfield
Northwest Ohio
- Bergman Orchards in Lakeside and Port Clinton
- Burnham Orchards in Berlin Heights
- Eshleman Fruit Farm in Clyde
- Haslinger Orchards in Gibsonburg
- Hoen’s Orchard in Delta
- Johnston Fruit Farms in Swanton
- MacQueen Orchards Fruit Farm in Holland
- Malone Orchards in Berlin Heights
- Moore Orchards in Oak Harbor
- Quarry Hill Orchards in Berlin Heights
- Spring Hill Fruit Farm in Shiloh
Southeast Ohio
- Hidden Hills Orchard in Marietta
- Hirsch Fruit Farm in Chillicothe
- Reed Orchards in Freeport
Southwest Ohio
- A & M Farm Orchard in Midland
- Brumbaugh Fruit and Fun Farm in Arcanum
- Huffman Fruit Farm in Salem
- Peifer Orchards in Yellow Springs
- Wesler Orchards & Farm Market in New Paris
For more #FallinOhio fun, check out #OhioFindItHere at Ohio.org.
*Updated Sept. 2021 (this piece was originally published in Sept. 2017)