Don't forget to call ahead before heading to a farm to check apple availability. Orchards may run out of certain varieties early on in the season or close suddenly due to weather or other reasons.

Terhune Orchards – Princeton
This beautiful farm and winery in the Princeton area celebrates fall in a big way, growing 30 apple varieties! A high percentage of its crops, though mostly the vegetables, are certified organic. Owner Pam Mount says the orchard works hard to ensure the apple trees open for family picking are grown using as few chemicals as possible. “People think either crops are 100% organic or else laden with pesticides, but there’s a gray area there," she told us. "Our farm has been using integrated pest management and low-spray methods for 37 years.” 

Visit in September for the annual Apple Day and enjoy wagon and pony rides, pumpkin painting, a corn stalk maze, and tractor rides to the apple picking fields. Kids will love the farm animals, too, which are there all year-round, eager to be fed by children who purchase the feed for sale by the quarter machines. If you can’t make it for Apple Day, get your fill of fall with live music, apples, and pumpkins galore, and delicious eats like apple fritters and homemade BBQ during Fall Family Fun Weekends. 

RELATED: 25 Things We Can't Wait to Do this Fall in NJ

Rows upon rows of apple trees ready for picking at Alstede Farms.

Alstede Farms – Chester
A Mommy Poppins favorite all year round, Alstede Farms was founded in 1982 and is still a family-run operation. Farm founder and NJ native Kurt Alstede is a big proponent of locally sourced produce. "Yes, we absolutely use sustainable practices including IPM and low-spray methods when growing our apples," he says. "But even more important than eating a fruit labeled organic, is to get to know a local farmer, one that uses trusted methods to cultivate their crops. Everything on our farm we feed to our families." Bring the gang for a fun-filled autumn day during the Fall Family Weekends. Romp through the corn maze, climb the hay stacks, visit the many barnyard animals (bunnies, sheep, cows, goats, chicken), snap pics of the kiddos on pony rides, and, of course, pick one of the many varieties of apples including Cortland, Fuji, and Golden Delicious. Walk the orchards or hop on a tractor ride to up the farm fun.

Giamarese Farm & Orchards – East Brunswick
Giamarese Farm & Orchards grows non-GMO apples that are ripe for picking from late August through Columbus Day weekend. Like many family-owned farms in our state, they have also implemented low-spray methods to reduce the amount of pesticides applied to the crops. Round up the gang and spend an afternoon on the farm with hay rides, face painting, pony rides, and a corn maze during Fall Harvest Weekends. The farm store is always stocked with seasonal fruits and vegetables including late-summer tomatoes, corn, watermelons, and cucumbers. 

Mackey's Orchard  – Belvidere
Looking for a relaxing day in the country? Visit Mackey's Orchard to pick apples in its beautiful fields. The family-owned and operated farm cultivates over 100 varieties of apples that grow between August and November and owner Holly Mackey says they pride themselves on responsible farming. "We work with Rutgers University's Integrated Pest Management program; their professionals come and scout our orchards on schedule and we only spray minimal amounts when we absolutely need to, using organic sprays whenever we can," Mackey told us. Families can hop aboard a 15 minute hayride to pick delicious varieties such as Empire and Honeycrisps. Don't leave without a stop at the orchards' bountiful farm store and bakery where you can pick up local honey, cider donuts, and mile-high apple pie.

Happy picking!

This article first published in 2012 but has since been updated.

All photos by Mommy Poppins.