Whittier Fruit Farm

Whittier Fruit Farm has been run by the Russell family since 1974, and the first thing they did was cut the orchard down to size: "Ray and Judy Russell quickly replaced the very tall and old apple trees with smaller trees which are ideal for picking."

What You Can Pick

• Apples - 32 varieties, all in a fairly compact area
• Pumpkins - autumn
• Blueberries - mid-July to early September, at a separate field an hour away

The variety list runs Paula Red, Zestar, Sansa, Ginger Gold, Jonamac, SweeTango, CrimsonCrisp, Gala, Twenty Ounce, AutumnCrisp, McIntosh, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Sweet Sixteen, SnapDragon, Fireside, Empire, Fuji, Macoun, SnowSweet, Red Delicious, Fortune, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Topaz, Ida Red, Northern Spy, Crispin, RubyFrost, Suncrisp, Granny Smith and Cameo.

The Blueberries Are Not Here

In the farm's own words: "Our blueberries are located along Lake Ontario in Niagara County... To get to the blueberry field from the Rochester area, give yourself about an hour. Take Route 390 north to the Lake Ontario State Parkway and drive west until the parkway ends. Turn right (west) on Route 18 and continue for about 20 miles, half a mile beyond the power plant. Look for a sign on the right that says 'Russell's U-Pick Blueberries.'"

Good to Know

The store is open Monday to Friday 10am to 5.30pm and weekends 10am to 4.30pm. Picking runs separately.

Pro tip: thirty-two apple varieties on short trees in a compact block is about the best arrangement for picking with children anywhere in this region. And do not set off for blueberries without reading the directions: the patch is sixty miles west, in a different county, under a different name.