Weekend: Apple-Picking Season 2016 in Virginia: Here's Where You Can Pick Your Own

Fall is officially here and Sunday's temperatures, with highs in the 70s, should be perfect for apple-picking at farms near Northern Virginia.

The farms we've listed below welcome visitors to come "pick your own" apples and make a day of it.

If you head out with friends or family, you can fill up a basket and bring them home for snacks, tuck one into your little one’s lunchbox, bake an apple crisp dessert or make caramel apples.

What kind of apples will you find? It might depend on what’s available at the orchard you visit (and you can find more information on each farm's Web site below), but here’s a little information on different apple varieties, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture:

• Fuji are the best apples if you’ve got limited refrigerator space because you can store Fujis in your basement or your garage. They are slow to ripen so are best picked mid to late October.
• On the other end of the apple spectrum are the Gala apples. Great for pies, sauces, eating and baking, they will only last a few weeks and need to be refrigerated. Because they ripen so early, they are at their prime from mid August to early September.
• If you’re looking for good September apple picking, your best bets are: Macintosh, Honeycrisp, Jonathan, Golden Delicious, Jonalicious, Cortland and Red Delicious.
• Want to make a superb apple pie? Go for the hard York apples because they’ll keep their shape in pies.

Patch recommends you call the orchard before heading out on your picking pilgrimage to be sure the apples you’re hoping to enjoy are ready for the picking:

• Stribling Orchard, Markham, Va. Phone: 540-364-3040 Stribling Orchard is in its sixth generation, operating in Markham, Va. In the fall, they have apples and pumpkins, as well as local honey and cider. The orchard and farm are open from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. An on-site bakery is open every weekend.
• Hartland Orchard, Markham, Va. Phone: 540-364-2316 Hartland Orchard is an old family farm open from 9 a.m. - 5p.m. daily that has more than just apples (including honey, pumpkins and Christmas trees later this fall). There are special admission deals for military, fire/rescue personnel and others—check the website for more information.
• Hollin Farms, Delaplane, Va. Phone: 540-592-3574, 1408 Snowden Road, Delaplane, VA 20144 Hollin Farms is a four-generation family farm next to Sky Meadows State Park in Fauquier County. The farm also has a 10-acre pumpkin patch and dig-your-own potatoes and peanuts.
• Mackintosh Fruit Farm, Berryville, Va. Phone: 540-955-2161, 608 Russell Road, Berryville, VA 22611 Mackintosh (with a “K”) Fruit Farm is a family-owned farm in the Northern Shenandoah Valley in Clarke County open from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. Almost all of their fruits and vegetables are available as pick-your-own and the farm includes plenty of walking trails, too. Fresh-pressed cider is available starting Oct. 1.
• Crooked Run Orchard, Purcellville, Va., Phone: 540-338-6642, 37883 E. Main Street, Purcellville, VA 20132 This is an automated phone line that will have the latest picking information. They are open Wednesday-Sunday only, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and have a wide variety of apples and pears for eating or canning.

PHOTO of apple tree from Hollin Farms, Delaplane, Va.

Know another great spot for apple picking? Send your info to maryann.barton@patch.com