Bailey’s Orchard in Whitefield, Maine — If you live in Maine and haven’t been to Whitefield before {or are thinking about moving to Maine and want to move inland… but not too far inland} it’s an absolutely lovely town.
There’s a small Amish settlement, the Sheepscot General Store, an apple orchard, other farms and various small businesses and everytime we drive through Whitefield we’re always saying what a great place it would be to live.
If you like the countryside… you should check it out. We love it there.
Yesterday for date day the HH and I went to Bailey’s Orchard in Whitefield to pick apples.
Specifically for some Rhode Island greening apples. Which we were told are New England’s answer to the Granny Smith apple which due to the short growing season here, and are hard to grow here in Maine.
Bailey’s Orchard has been owned and operated by the same family for over 60 years. They have over 50 different varieties of apples to choose from too!
They also have tons of beautiful pumpkins to choose from too.
While they offer a few of the more popular apple varieties in the barn for sale, we were there specifically for the Rhode Island Greening apples {which were available via U-Pick} so after checking in at the barn and getting a bag, we headed out to the orchard.
And the trees were HUGE!
And the apples {I think this one was a macintosh} were gorgeous.
All the trees have tags on them so after going down a row or two we were able to find the one we were looking for.
The HH got up on a ladder. He found some softball sized ones up high and it didn’t take long to fill our bag with 20 pounds of apples. I could have stayed there all day picking apples! Seriously, if you haven’t been apple picking before, you’ve got to add it to your list.
Especially if you have kids or grandkids. Or just really like apples… or homemade applesauce or PIE.
The whole time we were there, all I could do was think about the movie Baby Boom. 🙂 I LOVE that movie. And I also think it would be fun to have a giant apple orchard too.
We later found out, the tree we were picking from was 65 years old!
Old barns… they’re the stuff of dreams.
Next year I think I’m going to try and make some crabapple jelly. {I’ve always wanted to try it.}
Bailey’s Orchard in Whitefield, Maine… It’s just another reason to visit this great state.
We had such a good time, we’re already looking forward to going back next year. 🙂
~Mavis
Bailey’s Orchard
255 N Hunts Meadow Road
Whitefield, ME 04353
Mel says
We live for apple picking! There are no orchards this far south, so we have to drive 5 hours round trip, but we go every fall. My husband went without me this year since our baby isn’t ready for long drives, and he’s considering making another trip since we’ve already used the first batch of 90 lbs. Crimson Crisps and Stayman are our favorites.
Sam says
We will be hitting the orchards as soon as honey crisp are ready for picking.
Cathrin says
Crabapple jelly is the best.
Brianna says
I miss my old apple tree at our last house. It was in such need of care and I babied it and it became such a prolific producer. No idea on the variety and some years they were sweet and others were tart. Someday, maybe I will have another apple tree. We do live within an hour of a few orchards, so maybe I can get my fix next year that way. I’ve been earmarking them for strawberries and blueberries and apples for next year. All of my canning and dehydrating stuff and the deep freeze are in storage, so until then I will just keep dreaming.
Sue D says
I miss picking apples, which we did every year when our sons were young. The trade-off is the orchard we go to have a number of old and heirloom varieties that they pick for you. I always get on the list for Wolf River and Cox’s Orange Pippins. This year, the Wolf Rivers were available about a month early. I’ll be making pies this weekend.
sandyf says
Baby Boom! Love that movie.
My Dad was an apple broker. Yep-there is such a thing. We loved the east coast apples-being from CA.
Apples were very important in our home. My Grandmother made us enough apple pies to last a year when he would deliver a “lug” of apples to her each year.
Great post today, thank you
Christine says
You can get Graventstein there though- such a wonderful apple!
Mary Neathway says
I’ve already juiced enough crab apples, given by friendly people, to make two batches of jelly (as soon as I get some empty jars). and our apple tree, a gift when my son was born 40 years ago, is heavily laden with fruit this year. Last year was a bust. We’re not sure of the variety- thinking it’s winesap, but it’s juicy, crisp and perfect. A group of us were talking apples the other day. I grew up on the east coast and the red delicious apples the father of a friend brought back from NH when he went apple picking were nothing like the mealy, small things we get on the west coast.
Samantha says
I watch Baby Boom every fall. One of my all time favorites!! I love apple season. Looking forward to filling my pantry up with apple pie filling and dehydrated apples…my three grandsons favorite treat!
Mary says
Baby Boom my favorite movie, and it kind of parallels my life- moved to Vermont from New York and spent the first winter here with a wee one ( husband deployed) – decided to stick around like JC and have been here 35 years!
Jules says
My daughter works at an apple orchard, and if we’re lucky her boss let’s her take home a bucket of apples. I thought Fujis were my favorite and then I tried a Jonagold, and oh, boy, now those are what I look forward to each fall.