It’s the Most Apple-tastic Time of Year!

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Can you feel the chill in the air? Have you started airing out wool sweaters? Have you noticed a few trees changing colors? Yup, fall is on its way and that (thankfully) means it’s apple season. Taking the family to a pick-your-own orchard is a great way to get outdoors and support a local grower.

Your local orchard has been preparing for this wonderful time of year for months. Not sure where to pick your own apples? Check out this list:

Gile’s Family Farm
139 Waterboro Road, Alfred

Libby & Son U-Picks
86 Sawyer Mountain Road, Limerick

McDougal Orchards
201 Hanson’s Ridge Road, Springvale

Note: The Sanford Regional Economic Growth Council interviewed Jack and Ellen McAdam, owners of McDougal Orchards. Check out the interview here.

Pine View Orchards
17 Sunset Lane, Berwick

Spiller Farm
85 Spiller Farm Lane, Wells

Kelly Orchards
1881 Route 109 and 82 Sanborn Road, Acton

Looking for an orchard elsewhere in Maine? The Maine State Pomological Society has a list of orchards throughout the state.

10 Awesome Apple Facts:

  1. More than 2,500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States, but only the crabapple is native to North America.
  2. Apples contain no fat, sodium or cholesterol and are a good source of fiber.
  3. Apple trees take four to five years to produce their first fruit.
  4. Apples ripen six to 10 times faster at room temperature than if they are refrigerated.
  5. Apple varieties range in size from a little larger than a cherry to as large as a grapefruit. The largest apple ever picked weighed 3 pounds.
  6. Apples harvested from an average tree can fill 20 boxes that weigh 42 pounds each.
  7. Apples are a member of the rose family.
  8. The top apple producers around the world are China, United States, Turkey, Poland and Italy. Apples account for 50 percent of international deciduous fruit tree production.
  9. A peck of apples weighs 10.5 pounds. A bushel of apples weighs about 42 pounds.
  10. It takes about 36 apples to create one gallon of apple cider.

(Thanks to farmflovor.com for this list.)

Related on 3rlt.org
10 Important Reasons to Buy Local Produce (Now!)
Small Farms Help Small Communities

photo of basket of apples via all-free-download.com