Eckert’s U-Pick Apples

Pick Your Apple Season is now available. We encourage you to check our Crop Updates page before heading out to make sure the fresh produce you’re looking for is ready.

Bring the whole family to Eckert’s and make memories that will last a lifetime. Pick ripe, delicious apples right off the tree, indulge in a tasty treat and savor the change of seasons at any of our three locations in Illinois. It’s the perfect way to welcome fall while teaching your kids about where their food comes from.

Apples typically ripen in mid- to late-summer or early fall. We typically offer Pick-Your-Own Apples at all four of our farm locations — Belleville, Grafton and Millstadt, Illinois, and Versailles, Kentucky. We encourage you to check our Crop Updates page before heading out to make sure the fresh produce you’re looking for is ready at each location.

To make your apple picking experience the best it can be, we provide a tractor and wagon ride into the orchard. A field access pass is required to enter our picking areas and helps maintain our vehicles and property. The all-day field access pass allows you to enjoy fruit samples, unlimited rides to the picking areas and fresh farm air. Children under 2 can always join your apple-picking adventure for free, but even on holidays like Labor Day and Columbus Day (and anyone over 2 will incur regular fees on these dates).

Selecting apples is the same, Regardless of variety, —choose apples that that are free of bruises, are fragrant, and are firm to the touch and have no bruises.

When storing apples, keep in mind that apples ripen 6 to 10 times faster at room temperature than when refrigerated, so store them in the crisper drawer if you’re not going to eat them within a day or two of picking. Apples that will not be eaten in a day or two should be refrigerated in the crisper and stored by themselves (the fruit emits ethylene gas, which can cause other fruits and vegetables to decompose, so keep them separated). To prepare apples for freezing, slice them and place the slices on a cookie sheet. Once individual slices are completely frozen, transfer them to a plastic storage bag. Frozen apples may develop a softer texture over time, but they’re great for baking for up to a year.

Since ripening schedules and crop availability are not an exact science, always be sure to check the Eckert’s Crop Update to find out what crop(s) are available.

AVAILABLE AT:
Bellview
Grafton
Millstadt