Roughly 35 apple varieties grown on trellised dwarf trees you pick standing on the ground — but as of late August 2026, the farm's own site says u-pick isn't open yet and still shows last year's pricing.
Kauffman Orchards operates in Bird-in-Hand, in the heart of Lancaster County’s Amish Country, with pick-your-own split across separate east and west locations, per a direct read of the farm’s own u-pick page. What makes this orchard genuinely distinctive, according to research notes attached to this record, is how the apples are grown: on high-density trellised dwarf trees, which means most picking happens standing on the ground rather than climbing a ladder to reach fruit higher up. That’s a real, checkable difference from the ladder-and-tall-tree setup at many traditional orchards, and it’s worth knowing if you’re bringing young kids, older relatives, or anyone who’d rather not deal with orchard ladders.
As of this research, conducted August 29, 2026, the farm’s own u-pick page states plainly: “No U-Pick at this time. Check back in Oct 1st.” That’s about as direct a statement as you’ll find in this entire research project, and it should be taken at face value — Kauffman Orchards was not open for apple picking at the time of this check, with an explicit reopening reference point of October 1st. Compounding that, the same page still displayed a “2025 U-Pick Fruit Schedule and Pricing” table, with apple pricing specifically marked TBD (to be determined) rather than updated with current figures. In other words, not only was picking not yet open, the pricing information hadn’t been refreshed for the new season either.
Third-party coverage (LancasterOnline, AmishView Inn) names seven specific varieties grown at Kauffman Orchards: Golden Delicious, Crispin, Ambrosia, Fuji, Ludacrisp, Blue Pearmain, and Paradise Sweet, out of roughly 35 varieties total across the farm. Blue Pearmain and Paradise Sweet stand out as heirloom varieties you won’t find at most modern commercial orchards, putting Kauffman Orchards alongside a small handful of Pennsylvania farms in this research batch — Norman’s Orchard near Pittsburgh is another — that specifically cultivate historic apple varieties rather than sticking exclusively to modern commercial cultivars. That combination of scale (35 varieties) and heirloom depth is a real point of interest once the season opens.
Because the farm’s own site explicitly names October 1st as a “check back” date, this is one of the few listings in this guide with something close to a stated reopening signal — even if it’s phrased as an instruction to check back rather than a firm commitment. If your visit is planned for September, this record suggests you’d be going too early; the safer window to plan around, based on the farm’s own current language, starts in October. Given that the pricing table was still showing 2025 figures as TBD for apples, it’s also worth calling the farm’s hotline, 717-768-0050, closer to your visit date rather than relying on whatever pricing eventually populates the site, since that table clearly wasn’t finalized at the time of this research.
Beyond the “not yet open” status, there’s no confirmed hours, no confirmed 2026 pricing, and no dated season-end. All of that is a direct consequence of the farm not yet having updated its own site for the current season as of late August — this isn’t a case of missing research so much as a case of the source itself being incomplete at the time it was checked.
Kauffman Orchards offers something genuinely distinctive once it opens — ground-level picking from trellised dwarf trees and roughly 35 varieties including real heirlooms. But as of this research, it plainly wasn’t open yet, with the farm’s own site pointing to an October 1st check-back and last year’s pricing still showing as unfinished. Treat any visit before early October as premature, and confirm current pricing directly with the farm rather than trusting a table it hadn’t yet updated.
The orchard's own site states 'No U-Pick at this time. Check back in Oct 1st' as of the research date. Once open, picking is done standing on the ground rather than from a ladder, thanks to the trellised dwarf trees.
you're hoping to pick before October — the farm's own site explicitly says u-pick isn't open yet and to check back October 1st.
As of the research date (Aug 29, 2026), the orchard's own site states 'No U-Pick at this time. Check back in Oct 1st.' The site still displayed a leftover 2025 pricing table rather than updated 2026 information.
Not yet confirmed for 2026. The farm's own u-pick page still shows a '2025 U-Pick Fruit Schedule and Pricing' table with apple pricing marked TBD, meaning it hadn't been refreshed for the current season as of late August.
Golden Delicious, Crispin, Ambrosia, Fuji, Ludacrisp, Blue Pearmain, and Paradise Sweet are named specifically, according to third-party coverage. The farm grows about 35 varieties total, per that same coverage.
No — the orchard grows apples on high-density trellised dwarf trees, so most picking is done standing on the ground rather than from a ladder, per research notes attached to this record.
Yes — the farm's own site references separate east and west pick-your-own sites, per a direct fetch of kauffman.farm/u-pick/.
2026 dates had not been published when we last checked. Check with the orchard before driving out.
Pricing was not published when we last checked.
Yes — it's a pick-your-own orchard, with pre-picked apples at the farm stand too.
Golden Delicious, Crispin, Ambrosia, Fuji, Ludacrisp, Blue Pearmain, Paradise Sweet — note that what's actually ready to pick changes week to week through the season.
48 South Harvest Road, Bird-in-Hand, PA 17505, in Lancaster County. It is one of 1 orchards we track in South-Central PA (Lancaster County / Amish Country).
There is 1 other orchard we track in Lancaster County. All South-Central PA (Lancaster County / Amish Country) orchards →
Map pin is set to the town centre. Navigate to the street address above, not the pin.
kauffman.farm
Checked September 2026.