A is for apples and Adams County, where the Adams County Fruit Belt grows so many apples that it is the sixth largest producer in the nation with 12 million bushels of apples produced a year. Thanks to a combination of fertile soil, the microclimate and the plentiful sunshine on the southeast slopes of South Mountain, apples grown here thrive and are sold around the world.
Commercial orchards in the region started with Noah Sheely’s 23-acre apple orchard that opened in 1878 near Cashtown, since identified with the Historic Round Barn in Biglerville. The first orchard farmers were following the advice of founding father William Penn, who is said to have told settlers to “first plant an orchard, then proceed with building your house.”
Today, Adams County ranks number one in apple production in Pennsylvania. It boasts 120 orchards on 20,000 acres of fertile land, some run by fourth to seventh generations of families. While processes have changed, and varieties grown have diversified, the industry remains vibrant, contributing $580 million to Adams County’s economy, according to a 2016 study. More farms produce fresh apples for direct or retail consumption (54%) than produce apples for processing (46%).
From orchards and markets to events and cideries, the following pages will give you plenty of ideas to plan an autumn apple adventure in Adams County.
Photo Courtesy Of Adams County Crop Hop
1. Adams County Crop Hop
Operating from May 1 through Dec. 31, the Crop Hop encourages visitors to sign up for a free digital passport that they can use to check in at participating locations for discounts and prizes.
The Adams County Crop Hop platform is available through adamscountycrophop.com and suggests 22 sites to visit. Many are farm and fruit markets, but other stops include Land of Little Horses Performing Animal Theme Park, Silvershire Farm Horse Carriage and Wagon Rides, Suds from the Bucket, The Farmstead Butcher, The Lion Potter, The Sagebrush Shack, and Thomason’s Olde Thyme Herb Farm and Gift Shop, among many others.
Along with the Crop Hop, Destination Gettysburg also offers an Adams County Blossom Belt, Adams County Pour Tour, and the Gettysburg Black History Trail as part of Gettysburg Experiences.
Photo Courtesy Of National Apple Museum
2. National Apple Museum
Opened in April 1990, the museum shows films about the region’s apple production, has artifacts and authentic historical displays of an 1880s kitchen and historic country store, and offers much more information about the history and heritage of apples in Adams County.
Located at 154 W Hanover St in Biglerville, the museum is open May through October from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Tours can be arranged by appointment by calling 717-677-4556. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.
Photo Courtesy Of Apple Harvest Festival
3. National Apple Harvest Festival
The National Apple Harvest Festival celebrates its 60th anniversary this year and takes place on October 5-6 and October 12-13 at the South Mountain Fairgrounds. This is the place to try everything apple. Tease the taste buds with apple dumplings, apple cider (hot or cold, alcoholic or nonalcoholic), candied apples, caramel apples, applesauce, apple grilled cheese, apple daiquiris, apple butter, apple pizza, apple crisp, apple fritters, apple sausage, apple crunch and plain old apple slices.
Photos Courtesy Of Apple Harvest Festival
Beyond good apple eats, entertainment at the festival includes music performances, puppet shows, Native American dancers, tastings, orchard bus tours, magic, chainsaw carving, a petting zoo and craft corner and much more each day. In addition, many local orchards, markets and businesses will be holding special events in conjunction with the festival. Visit appleharvest.com for other festival details.
Photos Courtesy Of Apple Harvest Festival
Proceeds benefit the Oakside Community Park, Upper Adams Jaycees, and local schools, churches, fire departments and other various community organizations and entities.
Recognizable Names
• Knouse Foods, headquartered in the northern Adams County town of Peach Glen, was formed in 1949 as a fruit growers alliance that worked together as a grower cooperative. Today it includes more than 100 family farms and is one of the largest manufacturers of private-label fruit products and ingredients with export sales to more than 36 countries. It is Adams County’s second largest employer with about 800 employees at three plants.
• Fresh fruit products are manufactured year-round thanks to controlled atmosphere storage. Offerings from Musselman’s and Lucky Leaf—both of which are sold retail and through food service channels—include applesauce, apple juice, cider, and fruit fillings and ingredients.
•Another company, Mott’s LLP, which is one of Adams County’s largest employers, is located in Aspers. It makes applesauce, soft-baked bars, juice and fruit-flavored snacks.
• Gardners is home to Rice Fruit Company, a processing and packing company that started in 1913 in Biglerville. Rice Fruit packs about 7 million bushels of apples from 40 local growers and its own farms a year.
• Look for the PA Preferred and Adams County Fresh labels to help identify locally grown produce.
Photos Courtesy Of Historic Round Barn & Farm Market
4. Fruit Farms & Markets
Photos Courtesy Of Historic Round Barn & Farm Market
Historic Round Barn & Farm Market
298 Cashtown Rd, Biglerville
This unique historical landmark is a must-see not only for its architecture, but also for its selection of fresh fruits and vegetables. Expect to find beans, sweet corn, pears, peppers, watermelon and, of course, apples in October. The barn, one of only three remaining truly round (barrel) barns left in Pennsylvania, is open 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. daily through October and also offers specialty foods and decorative and gift items. Owned since 1984 by the Knouse family (Knouse Fruitlands Inc.), it is also available for events and seasonal promotions.
Photo Courtesy Of Mcdannell’s Fruit Farm And Market
McDannell’s Fruit Farm and Market
332 N High St, Arendtsville
McDannell’s Fruit Farm and Market features homegrown fresh fruits and vegetables in season June through Thanksgiving. In addition to 30 varieties of apples, they offer 15 types of sweet corn and many other fruits and veggies as well as jams, jellies, sauces, pickles, relishes, baked goods and PA maple syrup and honey. Operated by Todd, Linda and Ed McDannell, the market will have stands in the fields for visitors to purchase products during the National Apple Harvest Festival.
Photo Courtesy Of Adams County Farmers Market
Adams County Farmers Market
Gettysburg Recreational Park, 545 Long Ln
Every Saturday between April 27 and Oct. 26, this market featuring 40 vendors with fresh produce, local goods, food trucks and Adams County specialties sets up at Gettysburg Recreational Park. A free Trick-or-Treat Trail for kids and families is scheduled for from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Oct. 12 at the park. Interested nonprofits and educational organizations can participate in the event. More information is available by emailing manager@acfarmersmarkets.org.
Photos Courtesy Of Sandoe's Fruit Market Inc.
Sandoe’s Fruit Market
304 Carlisle Rd, Biglerville
Photos Courtesy Of Sandoe's Fruit Market Inc.
Opened in 1953, Sandoe’s Fruit Market has been operated by Gary Kauffman since 1991. Now with his daughter, Courtney Kauffman, on board, this year-round market features apple cider, doughnuts, applesauces, pies and dumplings. Cider is made from their apples by Kime’s. Their orchards help to supply the National Apple Harvest Festival with apples and apple products.
5. Pick-Your-Own Apples
Photo Courtesy Of Boyer Nurseries And Orchards
Boyer Nurseries and Orchards
405 Boyer Nursery Rd, Biglerville
During “u-pick” apple season (Sept. 1-Oct. 31), apples can be picked by the half peck, peck or half bushel at this fifth-generation family-owned wholesale/retail garden center and farm market. Rows are labeled by variety, and no appointment is needed. Later varieties that should be available in the fall include Gold Rush, Fuji and Melrose. The orchard is also home to Boyer Cellars, which offers beautiful weekend views for sipping wines and hard ciders. The market offers baked goods with apples, as well as holiday fruit baskets for shipping. If meandering through the rows of apple trees isn’t enough to satisfy a wandering soul, Boyer also boasts a beautiful evergreen hedge maze that contains 620 arborvitae plants. Covering more than 1,850 feet of walkways, it is a rectangular adaptation of the Hampton Court Palace Maze in London, England, planted for William III in 1690. This spring, Boyer also opened a 1.1-mile trail around the premises.
Photo Courtesy Of Hollabaugh Bros. Inc.
Hollabaugh Bros. Inc.
545 Carlisle Rd, Biglerville
This family-owned farm and market on 500 acres has been operating since 1955 and is open year-round. In addition to apple picking, the farm offers baked goods (apple dumplings, apple cinnamon and apple raisin bread, apple muffins, apple pies), ice cream, meats and cheeses, gifts, tours, festivals, classes and events. Apple picking runs through October, and there’s no charge to enter, just pay for what you pick. Varieties include McIntosh, Jonagold, Fuji, Red Delicious, Granny Smith, and Gold Rush. Take a tour of the orchard, and make your own apple dumpling at the end. Other picking opportunities are offered throughout the year as well, including lavender and flowers starting in June, blueberries in July, and sometimes even pumpkins. Hollabaugh’s also has a community-supported agriculture share.
Photos Courtesy Of Thirsty Farmer Brew Works
7. Apples In The Drink
290 Cashtown Rd, Biglerville
Located across from the Historic Round Barn, and also owned by the Knouse family, the Thirsty Farmer brews its own beer and hard ciders from hops and apples grown by the family. The food menu includes small plates, build-your-own sandwiches featuring smoked meats and/or a variety of spreads and apple products, and apple cider doughnuts.
Ploughman Farm Cider
1606 Bendersvill-Wenksville Rd, Aspers
Located in Aspers, this cidery produces close to two dozen different ciders made from the apples provided by Three Springs Fruit Farm. The taproom on the historic Lincoln Square in Gettysburg serves a few small plates to complement the ciders, which are also shipped to 40 states.
Photo Courtesy Of Big Hill Ciderworks
Big Hill Ciderworks
338 Georgetown Rd, Gardners
This cidery offers its products in restaurants, beer distributors and bottle shops, as well at the cidery taphouse on weekends year-round. More than a dozen ciders are blended from a variety of apples and other fruits grown in their own Adams County orchards.
Photo Courtesy Of Hickory Bridge Farm
7. Spend The Night
Hickory Bridge Farm
96 Hickory Bridge Rd, Orrtanna
Owned by the Martin family for 46 years, this B&B and restaurant offers four guest rooms and two country cottages with a full country breakfast served Monday through Saturday and a basket breakfast featuring homemade sticky buns on Sundays. A restaurant with family-style dinners is open from 3:30 to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays. See hickorybridgefarm.com for more information.
Photo Courtesy Of Cashtown Inn
Cashtown Inn
1325 Old Route 30, Cashtown
If you want to stay with ghosts, this is the place. Built in 1797 as a stagecoach stop, it became a tavern, then, during the Civil War, headquarters for many Confederate officers and staff. The basement served as a field hospital. Stay in one of seven guest rooms and enjoy complimentary breakfast daily. Or, the restaurant is open to the public from 4 to 8 p.m., Wednesdays through Saturdays, and 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, see cashtowninn.com
Quaker Valley Orchards & Guest House
315 Quaker Valley Rd, Biglerville
There’s nothing quite like staying right on the grounds of the 100 acres of apple and peach orchards here. Stroll around the pond, relax on the porch as the sun sets, and enjoy the tranquility of the orchards. The guest house has a private patio with a gas grill, outdoor dining furniture and a pool available during summer months. Guests can pick apples, peaches, berries, tomatoes and more in season for their own use while staying on the property. For more information, go to quakervalleyorchards.com
