Adams County Apples and Cider Near Gettysburg

Adams County apples are what the orchards around Gettysburg are known for: the Pennsylvania county is among the state's leading apple producers, and in autumn the roads fill with orchard stands, cider presses and baked goods. Visitors who come for history often leave with a bag of fruit.

What are Adams County apples like?

Crisp, local and varied. The region's hills and soil suit apple trees, and growers raise many varieties, from early summer apples to late-keeping ones. A farm market sells them by the peck or the bushel, alongside cider, pies and jams. Fruit picked a day ago tastes different from fruit trucked across the country, and the difference is the point of the visit. Many orchards are family businesses that have grown fruit for generations, and some sell directly from a barn or a roadside table. The landscape is part of the pleasure: rows of trees on rolling hills, bins stacked at the end of a lane and a smell of sweet fruit in the air at the end of a September afternoon.

When is apple season near Gettysburg?

From late summer into autumn, with different varieties ripening in turn. Early apples appear first, the main harvest follows and late varieties store into winter. Farm markets open for the season and close when the fruit and the weather end. Hours and dates change by farm, so check each one before you drive out.

Autumn is also the season of an annual apple harvest festival in the county, so ask a grower when this year's is.

Which varieties should you try?

Ask the grower. Common choices include Gala, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Jonathan, Rome, Stayman Winesap and Golden Delicious. Tart ones suit pies, sweet ones suit eating and firm ones suit baking. A farm market usually offers samples. Taste three side by side and pick your favorite. Many growers will tell you which variety suits which use: a tart apple for a pie, a firm one for baking, a juicy one for the lunch box. Ask when each variety was picked and how long it keeps, and store apples in a cool place, away from other produce, since apples give off a gas that ripens things nearby. A bag of mixed apples in the car is the best souvenir of the county.

Buy a few of each, and eat the soft ones first.

What is fresh cider?

Pressed apple juice, unfiltered and unpasteurized or pasteurized depending on the producer, sold by the jug or half gallon. Fresh cider is cloudy, sweet and tart, and it is at its best in autumn. Keep it cold and drink it within days. Ask whether the cider has been pasteurized, especially for children, older people and anyone pregnant. Hard cider is a separate, alcoholic product.

What about apple pie and dumplings?

A farm market bakery sells pies, turnovers, apple dumplings, fritters and doughnuts. Apple pie with a cheddar slice is a Pennsylvania habit. An apple dumpling, a whole peeled apple baked in pastry with sugar and cinnamon, is a regional treat. Cider doughnuts, warm and sugared, are a hallmark of orchard visits. Buy a pie to take home, and eat a doughnut while you wait. Farm market bakers often start before dawn, and the pies at the end of the day may be gone, so go in the morning if you want a choice. If the market makes its own applesauce or apple butter, buy a jar. Both keep well and make good gifts. A tart apple with a slice of sharp cheddar is a simple pleasure, and it costs almost nothing.

How do you visit a farm market well?

Go early on a weekday for fewer crowds. Bring cash, a bag and a cooler for cider. Ask questions: how the fruit was grown, which variety is best for what, and when the next batch is coming. Respect the rules about where to walk, and keep children and dogs close. Buy something from the farm even if you pick your own. If a farm offers a hayride, a corn maze or a pumpkin patch, children will enjoy them, but check ahead for hours and weather, which affect what is open. Some farms close the picking area after rain. Wear shoes you can get muddy, and bring a bag for your finds. At the end of the day, a stop at a roadside stand for cider is a fine way to finish.

How do tags help?

In the Mosey app, raters add tags when they rate a place, including Farm Producer, Market Stall, Bakery and Family Friendly, and diners look for them in the Find sheet. A tag is a note from someone who was there, so check the farm's opening dates before you go. Rate what you ate, such as a cider doughnut or an apple dumpling, so the next visitor knows what to try.

Where next near Gettysburg?

The historic district restaurants guide covers dinner, and the Hood River fruit season guide shows a similar orchard region on the other coast. The US food guides hold the rest of the country.

Eating your way across Pennsylvania? The Food in Pennsylvania page links every town we cover.

With a bag of apples in the car, open the Mosey app, rate the best thing you ate by the dish and start a list called Orchard stops that your family can add to.