I came here with my mother and brother to enjoy one last nice fall day before the weather descended…read moreinto dark, cold, and rainy depths. It was a beautiful morning- nice and clear and crisp. The drive was about an hour and a half from Denver down Colorado 115, but because we all like to talk, the drive seemed to not take long at all.
Penrose is a tiny town just 15 miles outside of Canon City, and apparently it is the apple capital of Colorado. In the distance of a mile we saw 4 orchards lined up along the dirt road, interspersed with barns and horse pastures. We passed by all the others to get to Third Street, and are so glad we did.
First of all, their orchard is medium sized, but it is by no means over-picked. There was a bountiful crop of apples just waiting to be picked. And so many varieties! The honeycrisps had all been picked :( but there were plenty of gala, yellow and gold delicious, Mcintosh, and many more.
They also give you those nice, round wooden tubs lined with a thick plastic bag to put your apples in. When you pay and go home, they simply take the plastic bag out of the tub. And their store, though small, sells preserves, syrups, soaps, and cider. I really wanted a bar of apple soap and the cookbook they publish that provides recipes for everything they grow - pumpkins, apples, and peaches. That way I know what to make with my bountiful produce!
The owners are super-friendly and even invited us to come back with a picnic and sit in the orchard, even if we didn't buy anything! After all, next to eating fresh-off-the-tree apples, our favorite part of our visit was sitting in the shade and listening to the wind in the trees.
A really, really great way to spend an afternoon, and I'm sure we'll be back. It was perfect for family bonding. I really can not say enough nice things about this place. My one word of advice would be to skip all the orchards you pass on the way and come straight here. The other orchard we went to was Ferrara's Happy Apples, which was way too commercialized, crowded, and over-picked. Choose Third Street Apples, instead. You won't be disappointed.
