I’ve made it my personal mission to do as many Fall Bucket List activities as possible — and apple picking was at the top of my list! Last year, we went to Irons Fruit Farm; and, as much as I love Irons (and wholeheartedly recommend them!), I wanted to explore somewhere new this year. Located in Midland, OH, A&M Farm Orchard is a definitely off the beaten path — the perfect place to have a little adventure.
From our home in Montgomery, it took about 45 minutes to get to A&M Orchard. We drove east of Milford, Goshen and Blanchester, through Clermont, Warren and Clinton Counties, rolling over miles and miles of golden farmland. It’s out of the way and a bit of a trek, but A&M Orchard is absolutely worth the trip.
We arrived at a bright red barn nestled among rows and rows of apple trees ripe with red, green and yellow fruit. The sky was bright blue and endless, and the sun had that perfect, warm fall glow. We were greeted by a friendly woman who handed us two buckets and directed us to the rows of ripe-for-the-picking apples. She told us how to identify ripe apples, and said we could pick as much as we could carry!
There is no fee for picking apples; you’ll simply pay $.88/pound. (Side note: where else can you get apples for $.88/pound? Not to mention locally grown, fresh-as-they-come, Ohio apples?) As we get into autumn, different varieties of apples are available at A&M. Last week, it was Galas. On our particular U-Pick day, we got to pick Jonathan and Grimes Golden apples.
We had a blast traipsing through the rows of apple trees. My kids adore apples, and the trees were just the right size for them to easily inspect and pluck the fruit — all by themselves! Lots of trees also means lots of shade, which is great as you’re searching for just the right apples.
There’s just something magical about being outdoors, connecting with the land and seeing where your food comes from. My kids love to dig in the dirt and interact with their environment — so apple picking is such a perfect activity for our family.
As we rounded the end of a row in search of more apples, something caught my eye that made me very, very excited:
In total, we picked 18 pounds of apples, and paid just $15. If you ask me, for an afternoon of low-key, quality family time, that’s a major bargain. My kids happily ate apples on the drive home, and have requested homemade pie and applesauce. So now, I’m off to make my family’s favorite apple pie and applesauce recipes.
A&M Farm Orchard is located at 22141 State Route 251, Midland, OH 45148. The U-Pick orchard is open Friday-Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. However, for the full scoop on orchard conditions and apple availability, be sure to call or check the farm’s Facebook page before you go.