Terhune Orchards

Our take

The short version

Terhune Orchards is a well-known, multi-generation farm at its Van Kirk Road orchard block near Princeton, in Mercer County, with a genuinely long list of thirteen named apple varieties spanning the fall. What makes this record notable is how directly the farm addresses this year’s crop trouble: its own site flags apples as affected by freeze damage and specifically states that Honeycrisp — often the single most in-demand variety at any orchard — is unavailable in 2026. That kind of specific, named admission is rarer than you’d expect, and it’s worth taking seriously when planning a visit.

Honeycrisp is out, and the farm says so directly

Most of the frost-related gaps in this research come from general statements about “crop conditions” or an “abbreviated season.” Terhune’s page is more specific: it calls out Honeycrisp by name as unavailable for 2026 due to freeze damage. That’s useful precision, but it also means anyone whose whole reason for visiting is Honeycrisp specifically should adjust expectations, or check a different orchard where it’s been confirmed available, like Ort Farms in nearby Long Valley.

Thirteen other varieties, with a recommendation to call

Beyond Honeycrisp, the farm lists Gala, Early Fuji, Crimson Crisp, Jonathan, Empire, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Stayman Winesap, Cameo, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Fuji, and Macoun — a genuinely wide spread running from late-summer varieties through late-fall ones. The farm’s own page pairs this list with rough date ranges for when each typically ripens, but it also explicitly recommends calling the farm store to check current availability, acknowledging that this year’s conditions may affect what’s actually ready on any given day. That’s a meaningfully different posture than a farm that just posts a static list and leaves it at that — Terhune is telling visitors, in effect, that the list is a guide, not a guarantee.

Hours, and one rule worth knowing

Pick-your-own hours are Monday through Thursday 9am to 6pm, Friday 9am to 7pm, and Sunday 9am to 6pm, per the page read — notably, no Saturday hours were captured in what was fetched, which is unusual and worth confirming directly if a Saturday visit is the plan. One firm rule is clearly stated: pets are not permitted in the pick-your-own orchard, so plan accordingly if a dog would otherwise be along for the trip.

What’s still uncertain

The September 5 date mentioned on the farm’s page wasn’t explicitly paired with a “2026” label in the text captured, so while it’s reasonably understood to apply to this season, it’s not stamped with total certainty the way a directly dated announcement would be. Combined with the farm’s own advice to call ahead daily, the honest takeaway is that Terhune’s apple availability this year is more fluid than a simple calendar can capture.

Getting there

Terhune Orchards is at 330 Cold Soil Road in Princeton, in Mercer County’s Central Jersey region. The coordinates on file are Princeton town-center estimates rather than a geocode of the Cold Soil Road address.

Bottom line

Terhune Orchards offers real breadth — thirteen named varieties spanning the season — but is honest that 2026 isn’t a normal year: Honeycrisp specifically is out due to freeze damage, and the farm itself recommends calling ahead since conditions may shift what’s actually available day to day. For anyone flexible on variety, this is still a strong option; for Honeycrisp specifically, look elsewhere this season.