With the fall season in full swing, it’s not too late to get those last-minute Instagram photos at the apple orchard. Here are three places to check out if you’re looking to celebrate autumn with fall staples such as apple cider donuts, pumpkin patches and hayrides.

Molly Gibbs | Photo Editor

Abbott Farms

Location: 3275 Cold Springs Road, Baldwinsville, N.Y.
Hours: Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Abbott Farms, located 15 minutes away from campus, has been owned by the Abbott family since 1866. With U-Pick apple picking, pumpkin picking, farm animals and a large store, there are plenty of things to see and do at the farm.

“We always strive very, very hard to make it apparent that when you’re here you’re on a working farm, it’s not just here for show, and we think that’s a fairly special thing,” said Michael Blair, production manager at Abbott Farms.

Pumpkin picking prices range in size from $2 to $12, Blair said. U-Pick apple picking also ranges in price depending on bag size — Blair said the bag prices average out to about $1.10 a pound. The country store also offers pre-picked apples. Gala, Paula Red, Macoun, Ginger Gold, SnapDragon and Fuji apples are all sold in the store.

The store sells various apple products including cider, pie, cider donuts, caramel apples and applesauce. The store also offers homemade fudge, free-range beef, ice cream from Gifford’s Famous Ice Cream in Maine, popcorn and alcohol.

Blair said the homemade hard cider is made by fermenting a mixture of different apples and adding yeast — so far, they’ve made at least a dozen different blends of hard cider.

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“Every time we add something or change the process a little, it changes the end result, and we end up with a different blend of hard cider,” he said.

For Blair, the best part about their hard cider is they can use up all their apples when fermenting the cider to decrease their food waste. While this year is different, he said in the past the farm would stay open for as long as they could — once the apples started to get bad, they would open the farm to the public. They did this so people could help them pick all apples to donate to food pantries and take some home for themselves as well.

“We try our best not to waste as much as we can,” Blair said.

All season the farm has hosted their “Fall Fest” event which occurs every weekend in September and October and has activities such as wagon rides to the corn maze, apple cannons and slingshots and face painting. Wristbands for “Fall Fest” are $9 per person, but people can purchase individual tickets for activities for $3.50.

Molly Gibbs | Photo Editor

Adams Acres

Location: 7047 Sevier Road, Jamesville, N.Y.

Hours: Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday noon to 4 p.m.

All of the apples at Adams Acres are organic and farmed using sustainable practices. The price for U-Picking is $1.60 a pound. They grow a variety of apple types such as Honeycrisp, Liberty, Spartan, Dayton, Florina and Northern Spy. Not all are available at all times, but by checking their updated website and Facebook page, visitors can check which types are there before visiting.

Similarly to Abbott Farms, if apple picking isn’t for you, they have pre-picked apples for sale. They sell bushels of organic apples for $55 and those can be bought by pre-ordering the bushel online. Pre-ordering must be done the Friday before the bushels are to be picked up.

Adams Acres accepts both cash and credit cards when paying for apples.

In September, the orchard hosted their “Apple Fest,” which featured live music, activities for kids and organic apple picking.

Courtesy of Plumpton Farms

Plumpton Farms

Location: 3990 Coye Road, Jamesville, N.Y.

Hours: Daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Since 1980, this family-owned farm has opened its doors for pumpkin and gourd picking. Corn stalks, straw and hay are also sold in the fall. The farm also sells various flowers and vegetables in the spring and summer.

Pumpkin picking is very popular at the farm — pumpkins range in price, usually starting at a dollar for the smallest pumpkins, owner Cindy Plumpton said. She also said they have an assortment of gourds which are priced at two for a dollar. They also sell mini pumpkins and a smaller type of gourd called “munchkins.”

Plumpton Farms has a haunted house inside a barn silo. Plumpton said the silo has a lot of glow-in-the-dark things like witches and skeletons and eerie music. She also said that “it’s geared more towards younger children.” The haunted house is free, and the farm has no admission fee.

The farm is open for pumpkin picking until Halloween night, but Plumpton said by Halloween they usually don’t have a lot left. She said whatever pumpkins they have left at the end of the season they leave out for deer to “feast” on.

The farm only takes cash or check.

Published on October 17, 2018 at 3:12 am

Contact Sarah: srslavin@syr.edu