We thought we were done with PYO, but with perfect weather and a decent amount of fruit on the late varieties, we are going to open up for one more weekend, Saturday and Sunday 11am-4pm. We will primarily feature Ida Red, Golden Delicious, Mutsu (aka Crispin), plus smaller quantities of Baldwin, Empire, Criterion, Yellow Newton Pippin, Granny Smith, Lady, and Winesap. We will also have cider for sale if we can finish pressing and bottling in time — the first batch sold out already but we plan to make more ASAP!
We’ll provide half-peck and peck bags (or bushel boxes if you need them) and some tips on picking. We are dropping our prices to move the fruit out of the orchard, as our walk-in coolers are overcrowded: $12 for a half peck, $22 for a peck, and $20 per peck if you buy at least two pecks. We take cash, check, credit card, digital wallet, and Venmo.
The foliage is gorgeous. Bring family, friends, and your camera, and feel free to pack a lunch and a picnic blanket, or use our picnic tables. You are also welcome to walk down the road in the middle of the farm to catch great views of the Mount Holyoke Range and see the gorgeous fall vegetables that Brookfield Farm is growing on fields we lease to them. Sorry, no pets in the orchard, no tree-climbing, and no public bathroom available.
Note that PYO parking is available from the farm entrance at approximately 495 Middle Street, about 100 yards north from the Bay Road intersection, not at the farmstand location on Bay Road.
We use 100% organic practices and materials, but are not certified organic. This is not an easy way to grow fruit in New England, but we are fortunate to have a high quality crop this year. The later varieties have time to develop sooty blotch, but these gray smudges are harmless, don’t affect flavor, and can be washed/rubbed off.
Our farmstand will continue to be open daily for at least anther month. We have over a dozen varieties of apples in cold storage and we aim to have apple and apple-pear cider through the rest of the season and for Thanksgiving as long as we can keep up with demand. Raspberries are taking a break after the heavy frost this week, but may be back in production next week with a little luck. We are generally open every day in season at least 9-5 but very often opening earlier and closing around dusk. We take cash, check, credit card, digital wallet, and Venmo. Please stop by when you see the OPEN sign up at 416 Bay Road in Amherst.
See you at the orchard!
