Tag: on the farm

Sure, picking apples seems like a pretty easy thing to do. But there’s a little more to it than what most people think!

Did you know? There are hundreds of apple varieties and each one has its own harvest time. At Wills Family Orchard, we care for our apple trees all throughout the season in hopes of offering the best possible organic apples to our visitors. Apple picking in some Iowa orchards can start as early as late July and end at the tail-end of October!

It’s also important to pick the apple a certain way to not injure the fruit bud that will produce next year’s apple. Here’s the best way to pick an apple:

Lift the ripe apple up toward the sky and twist slightly instead of pulling it straight down toward the ground. A ripe apple will come off the tree pretty easily.

If you want to pick your own apples at Wills Family Orchard, you will pre-pay to receive a bag that will hold 10 pounds of apples. Trees with apples that are ready to be picked will be flagged so you know which apples are ripe. Take the apples home, wash them gently, and keep them refrigerated to extend their freshness. We’ll see you at our farm starting on Saturday, August 5th through October while supply lasts!