Smolak Farms apple picking season is here! Along with crisp weather, snuggly sweaters, fire pits, a rainbow of foliage, and pumpkin spice everything. I love all things fall, and nothing beats this time of year at SMOLAK FARMS in North Andover, MA. There are lots of orchards in this area, but Smolak is the only one I know of with an ANTIQUE APPLE ORCHARD that includes 20 varieties of apples, many of which are no longer grown for commercial harvest. And the best part? The orchard is small enough that even little ones can easily walk around the whole thing and collect a sample (or two or three) of each type of apple.
My daughter and I visited the antique orchard last week, and had a blast picking each variety as we strolled the farm. Afterwards, we cut them up and tried bites of each! Some favorites were the “Sheep’s Nose,” “Pink Pearl,” “Winter Banana,” and “Sops of Wine.” Even the names are pretty fun!
The Antique orchard opens to the public on September 30 (we got early access as CSA members), so if you’re looking for a new apple picking experience, check it out for yourself! One tip: this place is so awesome that everyone loves visiting – especially on weekends. If you can make it there during the week, you’ll have the orchard to yourselves! Grab some food at the farmstead (a cider doughnut sundae, perhaps?) and make an evening of it!
Sarah Jordan is a lifestyle photographer based out of Boston, MA but often travels to Cape Cod, New York and Los Angeles for sessions.