Pick your own produce!

Recently I heard from Suzi about Apple Valley Orchard in Penrose (about 45 minutes south of the Springs on Highway 115:

We have always gone to Happy Apple Farm in the past, but when we looked them up on the web we noticed that they had a limited variety of apples.  We always enjoyed the atmosphere there, but I really wanted a better selection to make my apple pies.

My daughter just happened to scroll down on the “U PICK IT” website and came across the APPLE VALLEY ORCHARD.  They are also a family run farm and had a TERRIFIC variety of apples!!!  They are only about a half mile down the road from Happy Apple. :)  They have Cortlands, Braeburns, Jonathans, McIntosh, Rome, Gala, Johnagold, Granny, Winesay, etc.

The staff was so friendly and even gave us a tractor ride!!  I can’t say that the apples will be as cheap as you may find in the grocery stores when they are having their weekly sales, but they are SO FRESH and crunchy!  It also makes for a super fun family time and is worth the trip! :)

You can find contact information and more at PenroseApples.com.  Thanks for the recommendation, Suzi!

Another great “you pick” place is Miller Farms.  It’s north of Denver, but worth the trip if you attend their Fall Festival which is going on right now!  You can pay $15 (discount rates for families of 4+ available) and can pick from their field of potatoes, carrots, beets, onions, corn, squash, peppers, and more.  You’ll totally get way more than $15 of produce!

We went last year and it was a blast.  After picking pounds and pounds of potatoes, onions, corn, and the like, the kids played on the fire truck, bikes, playground, dirt pile, tractors, and more.

Insider tip: be prepared to get dirty!  You’ll be on your knees digging up potatoes, so wear gloves if you like.  Your kids will totally get dirty playing on the dirt pile and playground areas, so just be prepared for that and let them get dirty!  Also, it’s a good idea to bring some sort of tie or something to “tag” your bags of produce as your own so they don’t get mixed up with other people’s.

Any other good you-pick farms or orchards?