Fall is harvest time and there’s nothing quite like picking your own fresh fruit on a beautiful autumn day. Apple trees are abundant here in the Berkshires and a variety of producers, like nearby Bartlett’s Orchard in Richmond, MA offer pick your own opportunities every autumn.
There are many ways to get out and enjoy the Berkshires while they’re bedecked in their ever-changing autumn coat of colors. Fall foliage drives, harvest festivals, hikes, paddling, and more. One local favorite is visiting an area farm to pick your own apples.
If you always had to harvest your own fruits and vegetables, then pick-your-own opportunities would hardly seem an entertaining pastime. As it sits, however, most of us rarely have the opportunity to visit a working orchard, much less pick our own fruit there.
If you’ve never had this experience, you may be surprised how fun and satisfying it is. Seeing where your food comes from, being close to nature, pulling that ripe delicious fruit from the healthy, green leaved tree and taking a bite: simple but pure magic.
The Berkshires are home to many such opportunities but one of the closest to our Stockbridge inn is Bartlett’s Orchard.
Bartlett’s Orchard
The Bartlett family has been producing a great variety of apples in the Berkshires since 1947. Their 24 acres of orchards produce an average of 11,000 bushels of apples every year. Varieties grown at the farm include Paula Red, Jona-Mac, McIntosh, Cortland, Gala, Macoun, Empire, Mutsu, Liberty, Ida Red, Jona-Gold, Red Delicious, and Golden Delicious.
The ‘Pick Your Own” season at the orchard typically runs from Labor Day weekend to Columbus Day Weekend every year. Visitors need no reservations to pick. Simply arrive at the orchard and sign up to pick up to half a bushel (22 lbs/9.9 kg) of apples.
The on-site farm store is also well worth your attention. Inside you’ll find local foods, fun gifts, and a wide variety of apple breeds, pre-picked and bagged for your convenience. The market also offers apple muffins, turnovers, pies, cookies, to-die-for cider donuts, and fresh apple cider. What a treat!
Bartlett’s Apple Orchard and Farm Market is located at 575 Swamp Road in Richmond, MA. Visit the orchard website for more information. You can also find them on Facebook.
Bartlet’s is just a pleasant ,20 minute drive from the door of our Berkshires bed and breakfast, The Inn at Stockbridge. Visit the orchard, pick some fresh fruit, have a yummy snack, and take in all the lovely fall foliage during your drive. A perfect autumn day in the Berkshires!
Also In the Area
Richmond, MA is a small, rural community, located just south of Pittsfield, on the New York border. The area is home to several orchards, farms, and wineries.
While you’re in the area, consider a stop by Furnace Brook Winery at Hilltop Orchards, located at 508 Canaan Road in Richmond.
Hilltop Orchards has been growing apples for more than a hundred years, including several heirloom varieties. Visitors can enjoy a hike, pick their own fruit, and enjoy some wine or hard cider at the on-site Furnace Brook Winery.
Richmond is also home to Balderdash Cellars, located at 81 State Road.
Balderdash has been producing ultra-premium wines using world-class California grapes since 2011. Stop by for a tour and a taste or just sit back and enjoy the view with a glass of their wine, a pint of locally brewed beer, and offerings from the rotating food trucks.