Activities
-
Open: September 11, 2010
Hours: 10AM-5PM
Cost: No general admission charge.
Kick off the fall season at Tuttle Orchards on Saturday, September 11th during our annual Caramel Apple Festival. Festival activities include:
Pick your own apples: pick your own apples from the trees here on the farm. Varieties may include Early Blaze or Jonathan (check back later for an update as the apples ripen.)
Agrimaze:Bee-Amaized by this year's fall corn maze. With a bee theme you will be sure to have lots of fun finding the clues and making your way through. This will be opening day for you to explore the maze.
Kid's Play Area: Opening day. New this year we have expanded with a rope maze and lots more fun!!
Caramel Apple Hunt: Over 50 tickets for FREE caramel apples will hidden around the farm. Come join in the search...
Apple Pie Baking Contest: Tuttle's Annual Apple Pie Baking Contest will be held at 11AM on September 11th during our Caramel Apple Festival.
1st prize: Tuttle's Pie Bakers Baskets over $50 value
2nd prize: Tuttle's Bakers Basket over $25 value
3rd Prize: $10.00 Tuttle's Gift Certificate
1. Pies must be homemade with Tuttle's apples in a 9" or 10" pan (you may use a glass pie plate. Tuttle's is not responsible for any damaged plates. Plates will be released to participants after judging and sampling is complete.)
2. Extra Points for any recipe which incorporates caramel.
3. Entries must be submitted at Tuttle Orchards by 10:45AM the day of the contest. Entries must include a recipe of the pie and list variety of apples used. Entrants must complete and sign a contest release form for each pie entered.
4. Employees and their immediate families are not eligible.
5. All entries, recipes, and photos of winners become property of Tuttle Orchards and may be used for promotional purposes.
6. Winners will be announced immediately following judging on September 11, 2010.
-
Open: Saturday, August 7th
Hours: 11AM-2PM or while supplies last
Cost: $1.00
Join us for some homemade peach ice cream made with some of our delicious peaches on Saturday, August 7th for only $1 a serving while supplies last. You can also enjoy other peachy items inside the store that day!
-
Open: July 31, 2010
Hours: 4-7PM
Cost: Freewill donation to support historical society, suggested donation $10/person
The Hancock County Historical Society is hosting their 3rd Annual Milk Can Dinner here at Tuttles on Saturday, July 31, 2010 from 4-7PM. What is a Milk Can Dinner? A milk can dinner is cooked over an open fire inside an old fashion milk can. They include sausage, cabbage, corn on the cob, potatoes, carrots. Meal includes drinks and dessert. Admission is a Free Will Offering. Suggested donation of $10 per person. All proceeds from the dinner go to support the Hancock County Historical Society in its efforts to collect, preserve, and interpret the history of Hancock County, Indiana. For more information call 462-7780 or visit www.hancockcohistory.org.
A tour of a 1930's dairy barn just south of the orchard and quilt show will follow the dinner.
-
Open: July-August as crops ripen.
Hours: Mon-Sat 9AM-6PM
Cost: by the pound
Come and enjoy some bean picking fun with your family. Our green beans are the Blue Lake type, Espada variety. They are stringless and great for freezing, canning, or eating fresh. We provide the baskets, all you need to bring is willing hands to pick.
When you come to pick green beans, please stop in the farm store for instructions. We'll get you everything you need and get you headed in the right direction.
You can pick as many or little as you want. The baskets we give you are half bushel baskets. These hold approximately 15lbs of green beans. The beans are sold by the pound. 2010 Prices are: 50 cents/lb or $20.00 bushel
Green Beans are grow in rows close to the ground. Some people find it helpful to bring a small camp type stool to sit on while they pick.
Current Update (July 1,2010): We began picking yesterday. There is a nice supply of beans available to pick.
-
Open: Sep 15-Oct 14
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9AM-6PM Closed Sunday
Cost: Free
Each fall several of our local farm animals come to the orchard for you to see. These typically include goats and a llama. These animals are raised by a neighboring farm and come to visit us for a short time. Animals are located near the kid's play area and are available for viewing not petting. Please don't feed the animals.
-
Open: All Year Long
Hours: Mon-Wed, 9AM-6PM; Thurs-Sat 9AM-7PM; Closed Sunday (May-October)
Be sure to visit our farm store where we have a large selection of seasonal produce and gourmet foods, as well as, fresh picked apples, Tuttle's fresh made cider, apple butter.
-
Open: Saturdays ONLY: September 11- October 30, 2010
Hours: Saturdays: 11AM-5PM
Visit Tuttle's food stand on Saturdays in the fall for lunch. We offer hot dogs, cider cooked bratwursts, and roasted corn lunches.
The Food Stand Menu:
Hot Dog Meal (includes hot dog, drink, chips, applesauce): $3.75
Bratwurst Meal (includes bratwurst, drink, chips, applesauce): $4.50
Hot Dog/Corn Meal (includes hot dog, corn, drink, applesauce): $4.75
Hot Dog: $1.25
Cider Flavored Bratwurst: $2.00
Roasted Corn on the Cob: $2.00
Chips: $1.00
Applesauce: $0.75
Drinks: $1.00
We strive to make the Tuttles food stand an affordable option for families to enjoy a lunch during their day at Tuttles.
-
Open: Saturdays ONLY: October 2-30, 2010
Hours: Saturdays: 11AM-5PM
Cost: $3/person; kids under 2 years free.
On Saturdays in October, we offer hayrides to experience areas of Tuttles you may not always see. You can take a hayride around the farm and see different crops growing. This ride takes about fifteen minutes and is handicap and wheelchair accessible. It doesn't go out to the pumpkin patch, but rather lets you see some of the other aspects of the farm. If you are interested, in heading to the pumpkin patch, we have little red wagons available to bring pumpkins in from the pumpkin patch which is located very close to the parking area.
Hayrides run on Saturdays in October, if the weather is conducive for the tractor to travel. If it's rainy or muddy the hayrides may be canceled. Check our website for weather updates.
-
Open: September 3-30, 2010 (or until apples are picked)
Hours: Mon-Sat 9AM-6PM; Closed Sunday. Please begin picking by 5:30pm.
Cost: 75 cents/lb.
Many families in central Indiana make it a yearly tradition to visit Tuttle Orchards to pick your own apples in the fall. We have planted ten acres of dwarf variety apple trees (shorter trees for easy reaching) just for the public to pick. We provide you with bags, little red wagons, and instructions. You can pick as many or few as you need. Apples are sold by the pound. The 2009 Price was 75 cents/lb.
Apple picking begins Labor Day weekend. The best picking is in September. Not all varieties are ready at the same time because we strive to pick the apples at their peak of ripeness and flavor.
Tip: Don't wait until October to come pick apples. Many times we are all picked out by October. There will be apples available in the farm store, but not on the trees. Every year is different. The apple crop is dependent on weather. There have been several years were we did not have any apples left on the upick apple trees after October 1 so come early in the season!
What varieties of apples can we pick?
This is a list of the varieties we grow for u-pick. Times are approximate. The dates may change due to weather:
Gala: ripe for picking from late August until early September
Early Blaze: ripe for picking from late August until early September
Jonathan: ripe for picking mid-September until late September
Cortland: ripe for picking early September until late September
Red Delicious: ripe for picking mid-September until first of October.
Golden Delicious: ripe for picking late September until mid October
Ida Red: ripe for picking late September until mid October
Don't see the variety you're looking for here? We grow over 22 varieties of apples at Tuttles. There is a large selection of other apple varieties available in our farm store.
Pets? Due to USDA regulations, no pets or animals are allowed into any of the orchards or growing areas (ie. u-pick orchards, corn maze, pumpkin patch, play area, etc.). You may bring your pet to the farm, however, it can be difficult to fully participate in the activities with a pet. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.
Apple Picking Tips
At Tuttle's we want you to be able to pick apple varieties when they are at the peak of their ripeness and flavor. Not all apple varieties ripen at the same time. When you arrive at the orchard, look for signs and Tuttle's staff to direct you to the rows we are currently picking. Please pick only in those rows. If you wish to pick another variety ask the Tuttle's staff when those will be ripe for picking.
The correct way to pick an apple:
Select the apple you want to pick. Look for blemishes before picking the apple. Once you've determined that you want to take that apple home, grasp the apple with the bottom of the apple in the palm of your hand. Gently turn the apple upside down, so your hand is now facing downward. The apple and stem should come easily from the tree. It's best to avoid yanking on or twisting the apples as this can often cause other apples to fall to the ground.
Things to keep in mind:
You must take home everything you pick so please consider how many apples you need before picking. Need ideas on how to use the apples you picked...check out our recipes.
Please don't drop apples on the ground that you don't want. Once you put the apple on the ground, we can't use it for anything. It has to be wasted.
In the same spirit, pick only apples from the tree and not off the ground.
How many should I pick?
The baskets we use at Tuttles are a half bushel size. Filling the basket full will be about 18-25lbs of apples (depends on variety). Other helpful tips: 3 medium apples - 1 lb., 6-8 medium apples = 9" pie, 1 bushel apples = 16-18 qts. applesauce.
2010 Crop Predictions
It's currently February, and it's a little too early to tell what's going to happen for this year. Sometime after the apple trees bloom in April, we will have a better idea. As always, we're hoping for favorable weather. 2009 was our best apple crop in a long time, so we know the trees will be coming off a year of working very hard.
-
Open: October 1-30, 2010
Hours: Mon-Sat 9AM-6PM
Cost: by diameter
Bring your whole family to our 8-acre pumpkin patch. We have many fields of pick your own pumpkins in different varieties, shapes, and sizes. Finding the perfect pumpkin is part of the adventure.
Little red wagons are provided to transport your pumpkins from the patch or you can bring your own wagon if you like.
Our pumpkins are priced by their diameter. Part of the Tuttle's pumpkin picking adventure is sliding your pumpkin through holes on our pumpkin sizing board to see the price (range from $1.50-$8.50).
At Tuttles, pumpkin picking happens in October...you can pick apples in September, but not pumpkins. This allows pumpkins enough time to ripen on the vine, so they will stay nice until Halloween. If you need pumpkins in mid-September, they will be available by the greenhouse area already picked
-
Open: September 11- October 30, 2010
Hours: Mon-Sat 9AM-6PM
Cost: $3.00/child. Children under 2 years old are free.
One of the highlights for many Indianapolis area families and play groups each fall is Tuttles Kid's Play Area. This fully enclosed area features many fun activities for preschool and early elementary aged children. For older children, we recommend our link("Agrimaze","/activities/view/Agrimaze")); ?> corn maze.
The Kids' Play Area features:
straw maze
large bale of straw for jumping
straw mountain to climb
large tractor to play on
small tractors to ride
jungle gym
swing set
sandbox
corn stalk hut and tunnels
For 2010, we are looking at adding some other new items. More info to come.
Children must be accompanied by an adult. Admission is $3.00/child for children two years and older. Adults are free. You can stay and play as long as you like. No food or dogs are permitted in the kid's play area.
Please note: for your safety, the kid's play area may be closed if it is raining or we have standing water.
-
Open: September 11- October 30, 2010
Hours: Mon-Sat 9AM-6PM
Cost: $3.00/person. Children under 4 years old are free.
Families from all over Indiana come to Tuttles each year to find their way through our Agrimaze, a 4 1/2 acre corn maze. Our maze is a designed to be a family experience...it's not too big or overwhelming. It takes twenty to thirty minutes to complete. You can also learn interesting facts about agriculture while you are exploring the Agrimaze. This year's Agrimaze theme is: Amazing Pollination Experience. Where you can learn all about bees, pollination, and honey.
Admission to the maze is $3.00/person. If you are under four years old you can explore the maze for free.
What to know how we make the corn maze?
Check out the photo stream below.
-
Open: September 11- October 30, 2010
Hours: Mon-Sat 9AM-6PM
Cost: Free
Come see honey bees in action as they work behind glass in our bee hive. You can learn a little more about the role honey bees play in pollinating apples, pumpkins, and other vegetables. The bee hive is located in the greenhouse area. See if you can find the queen bee.
|
