Pick Your Own Apples At Bowman Orchards
We spent the afternoon at Bowman Orchards. It is located a few minutes south of Saratoga Springs. Just take I-87 to exit 8A. This place is huge. It’s almost overwhelming.There are over 46 varieties of apples being grown. There were many I have never heard of before. In addition to apples, they also grow strawberries, raspberries, peaches, blackberries, and pumpkins.
Once you get there, stay in your car and follow the signs to the orchard. You will go up a small hill and arrive at a stand. Someone will greet you and give you a map of the orchard. If you need bags, get them here for 25 cents a piece.
We drove around the orchard stopping at every new section we encountered. They mark the apple trees with ribbons. Each ribbon is uniquely colored and corresponds to a different apple variety. This made them really easy to spot. I sampled well over a dozen types I have never had before. We ended up getting some Northern Spy, Empire, Radiant Runkle, and Mutsu(Crispin) apples. Jennifer chose the Northern Spy apples because of how well they keep during the winter. I picked a few of the Radiant Runkle apples because of their unique flavor and name. My Uncle really likes using the Mustu for sauce so we both decided to try these out, and we couldn’t leave the orchard without getting a few of the classic Empire apples. We ended up with nearly 30 pounds of apples and the total was just under $20!
After paying on the way out of the orchard, we parked the car and visited the gift shop and bakery. Then we went out to see some of the animals. They have horses, goats, sheep, pigs, and chickens. Be sure to bring a few quarters for the cracked corn dispencers so you can feed them.
