Orléans Food Spot Review - Orléans Fruit Farm

Ok, so admittedly, this Orléans food spot review is a bit different from the typical restaurant reviews we’ve done so far… but we thought it would be a good idea to point the spotlight at something a bit different.

It’s Apple picking season and that means that spots like Orléans Fruit Farm are now open to fulfill your fruit-picking desires. The drought this year has made growing season less fruit-ful than usual, so farms like this one need our support.

THE LOCATION

Located along Ottawa’s Greenbelt, Orléans Fruit Farm has been run by the Henrie family for over 50 years, but has been around since 1917 when it was known as “Ferme St-Joseph” and provided plant and animal food to several institutions including the University of Ottawa. You can read more about the history of the farm here.

The farm serves as one of Orléans great pick your-own fruit spots and offers a wide variety of fresh and locally grown fruits and vegetables. Along with the farmland, the location features a kiosk where a wide variety of fruits and veggies are sold along with local honey, jams, and other small items. They also have a small truck that sells mini doughnuts - which smell quite irresistible.

There are also some small attractions for the kids, including a playground, numerous cute animal statues throughout the orchard to find, farm equipement to check out, and of course fields to explore! Our daughter really loved her candy apple at the end.

We made our way out to Orléans Fruit Farm this past weekend and while we’re still in the middle of Apple picking season, there were still plenty of options of fresh fare at the kiosk including:

• 🌽 Corn

• 🍓 Strawberries

• 🫐 Blueberries

• 🥔 Potatoes

• 🥕 Carrots

• 🥒 Cucumbers

• Zucchini

• Green Onions

• 🫜 Radishes

• 🧅 Onions

• 🥬 Kale

• 🥬 Lettuce

• Swiss Chard

• Fresh Apple Cider

THE FRUIT

This year we wound up picking a massive bag full of apples (three different varieties!), and bought some strawberries and carrots, which were all incredibly delicious and fresh. We’ve got big plans for all the Apples we picked, including apple sauce (we love making it in the slow cooker), Apple Crumble, and of-course some good old Apple pie. 🥧

A large bag of apples you pick on your own currently costs $37. A small bag is $25 (you pay by bag size, not weight).

THE ORLÉANS CONNECT RATING

⭐️ 4.6 stars out of 5

If you’re lucky enough to visit Orléans Fruit Farm during one of their picking seasons, it’s a wonderful way to spend the afternoon with your family getting fresh fruit, and enjoying a farm environment. Of note is that Orléans Fruit Farm also does a great pumpkin season which is just around the corner.