The Best Massachusetts Apple Orchard is a Secret One
I visited the best Massachusetts apple orchard this year. And I’ll likely never get to pick apples there again. Aside from swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, my all-time favorite New…
I mean, you gotta do the tractor photo op, right? Right?!
I visited the best Massachusetts apple orchard this year. And I'll likely never get to pick apples there again.
Aside from swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, my all-time favorite New England activity is apple picking. Strolling idly between rows of apple trees, picking and eating Macs and Baldwins and Empires on a sunny autumn day...that's my happy place. My kids roll their eyes and chuckle each October as we make our way to the local orchards. I'm like the stereotypical kid in a candy store.
Over the years, I've visited orchards all over the commonwealth. Hell, I've written songs about apple picking. My three faves are actually all within miles of each other. I love Bolton Spring Farm because it's massive and there are lots of hills and areas to explore and pick. Shelburne Farm is fab, too, with tons of varieties and a stocked apple shop. But Carver Hill Orchard is my favorite.
The Best Massachusetts Apple Orchard is a Secret One
Carver Hill is smaller than its neighbors, which I like. I took my youngest there recently for the first time in a few years and was excited to see so many people there. When we got to the front of the line to purchase our half-peck bag for picking, the clerk informed me that, due to the insane weather conditions earlier in the year, the orchard was only picking two varieties.
Then she slid me a slip of paper and blew my mind.
Carver Hill had another orchard. A secret orchard. Just miles up the road, not open to the public, with a half-dozen varieties to choose from. Because of the extenuating circumstances, they were opening the orchard for picking, but only for this season. A once-in-a-lifetime experience. I was beside myself with autumnal glee. My kiddo was rolling eyes and chuckling.
This is public knowledge, by the way. Carver Hill is spreading the word on their Facebook page. So pay them a visit this season and support a local orchard that got dealt a blow by Mother Nature. Like me, you'll get to brag for years to come that you got to pick apples in a secret orchard that was only open to the public for one season. And that's a pretty cool thing.
Carver Hill Orchard
This is the sign that greets you when you arrive at Carver Hill Orchard
Carver Hill Orchard's "Secret" Orchard
Here's the sign that greets you at Carver Hill's "secret" orchard.
You Pick 'Em
Carver Hill had five varieties to choose from: Macintosh, Baldwin, Gala, Macoun, and Cortland
An Apple
Look at that lovely apple, ripe for the picking.
The Kid Picks a Winner
We have a system: he chooses the apples to pick, I carry the bag with the apples we pick.
Enjoying An Apple
Apple orchard photo op. Feel free to steal my idea when you visit Carver Hill Orchard.
Biting An Apple
I mean, is it even a proper apple picking outing if you're not constantly munching on apples the entire time?
Tractor Man
I mean, you gotta do the tractor photo op, right? Right?!
