MacQueen Orchards

MacQueen Orchards at Holland, on the west side of Toledo, grows 16 varieties of apples and 10 of peaches and has been running its picking field the same way for years: you prepay, you take a ticket, and you pick at least half a bushel.

What You Can Pick

• Apples - "usually begins around September 12th, and continues through the 3rd week in October". Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Jonathan, Granny Smith and Ida Red
• Pumpkins - autumn

How Picking Works

In the farm's own words: "When you are ready to pick your own, see the attendant before entering the orchard. There is a minimum of 1/2 bushel to enter. You prepay, and are given bags according to how many you want to pick, along with a ticket. Prices are by the 1/2 bushel. On the way out you will be asked for your ticket and the amount of pumpkins picked."

What Else is Available

A farm market open all year with fruit, vegetables, pies and bakery, a large cider press, a packing plant, gift shops, a Christmas store, school tours, and an Apple Butter Festival.

Good to Know

The picking window shifts with the crop: "depending on crop and weather conditions. Please call to see what we are picking and when."

The farm's fresh apple season runs far wider than its picking season, "from as early as mid-July through the end of October", but the early apples are picked by the orchard.

Pro tip: half a bushel is around twenty pounds of apples, or forty to fifty of them. That is the smallest amount you are allowed to pick, so this is a trip for people who make sauce and pies rather than for a bag to eat in the car.