Pick Apples Straight From The Trees At This Idaho Orchard Later This Season
Apple season is playing hard to get.
The trees are not ready to hand over the good stuff yet, which means this Idaho orchard is more of a “watch closely” situation than a “grab the basket now” situation.
Right now, blackberries are getting the attention.
The apples are still waiting for their turn.
That is actually where the fun starts, because several varieties ripen later and Honeycrisp usually gets a very short window once September rolls around. Miss that announcement and you may spend the rest of the month hearing about everyone else’s haul.
Nobody wants that. So this is one trip worth planning with a little patience.
Keep checking the farm updates and let the trees decide the schedule. Then, when apple U-pick finally opens, go. Fast. The crunch will be worth the wait.
Wait For Apple U-Pick To Open Before Heading To The Orchard
Cabalo’s makes one thing especially clear this summer: check before you drive.
The farm’s current update says blackberries are the only crop available for U-pick right now and warns that other information circulating online has incorrectly told visitors that additional crops are ready.
Apples are still part of the season ahead. Cabalo’s grows 12 varieties, with the harvest normally moving from early choices such as Gravenstein and Gala into September favorites including Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Jonathan, Jonagold, McIntosh, and Winesap.
Braeburn follows later in September, while Criterion can stretch the apple calendar into October.
The key is not assuming that ripe fruit automatically means U-pick is available. Cabalo’s posts current availability on its website and announces when particular picking windows open.
Keep An Eye Out For Honeycrisp When September Gets Closer
Honeycrisp gives apple lovers one of the best reasons to return later. Cabalo’s says this variety normally ripens in early September and is one of its hottest sellers, with the U-pick window sometimes lasting only a few days after the farm announces that the trees are open.
That short window makes planning matter. Instead of picking a weekend weeks in advance and hoping for the best, watch the farm’s updates as September approaches.
Honeycrisp brings the combination people expect from the variety: juicy texture with sweetness and tartness together. Cabalo’s notes that most customers choose these apples for fresh eating, although they can also work in baking.
If Honeycrisp is your goal, this is not the variety to approach casually. Check the update, call if you need confirmation, and be ready to go once the orchard announces U-pick.
The reward will be fruit picked much closer to home than anything sitting for weeks in supermarket storage.
See Which Early Apple Varieties Ripen Before The Fall Rush
Early August is when things start getting interesting at Cabalo’s. Gravenstein is normally the first variety to ripen, bringing a tart flavor, crisp texture, and a history that reaches back to Denmark in the 1700s.
Honeycrisp may be the name most people recognize, but this old-fashioned favorite gets a head start on the season.
Pacific Gala and Royal Gala generally follow around mid-August. Cabalo’s says Pacific Gala ripens about a week earlier than Royal Gala and tends to show more red color, while both work particularly well for applesauce because of their natural sweetness.
That does not mean those trees are automatically open for U-pick in a particular week. The farm distinguishes between fruit being ripe and fruit being available for visitors to pick, which is exactly why its current update matters.
Think of August as the beginning of the apple transition rather than a guaranteed picking date. Once Cabalo’s announces that apple U-pick has started, the orchard will have already begun changing from summer fruit toward its longer fall harvest.
Walk Through A Ten-Acre Family Orchard With Roots Going Back To 1986
Cabalo’s is a working family farm rather than a large commercial attraction. Chan and Cathy Cabalo operate the ten-acre orchard in Kuna with help from family and friends, and Cathy’s family planted the original orchard in 1986.
Some of those early apple plantings remain part of the farm today.
Fruit is the main crop. Apples take center stage later in the season, while the farm also grows plums, Italian prunes, blackberries, melons, watermelons, and a limited selection of vegetables.
Cabalo’s supplements some products with produce from other Idaho farms and brings berries from Oregon earlier in summer.
The growing practices deserve a careful description too. Cabalo’s says its fruit is grown using organic practices with organic-certified pest-control, fertilization, and weed-control products, but the farm has chosen not to certify its produce as organic.
That distinction keeps the description accurate while still reflecting the way the family manages the orchard.
Return As New Apple Varieties Ripen Through September
Apple season here does not arrive all at once. Golden Delicious and Honeycrisp normally ripen in early September, followed by Red Delicious around early to mid-month.
Jonathan, Jonagold, McIntosh, and Winesap generally come into season around mid-September.
Each has a different reason to bring a bag home.
Golden Delicious is one of Cabalo’s most versatile apples, suitable for fresh eating, pie, and applesauce. Jonathan brings considerably more tartness and is one of the farm’s preferred pie apples.
Jonagold combines traits from Golden Delicious and Jonathan, while McIntosh offers the sweet-tart flavor that has kept it popular for generations.
Later still, Braeburn usually ripens toward the end of September. Criterion follows in early October, and Cabalo’s still has trees from the original family planting because the delicate-skinned variety was saved rather than removed.
A second visit can therefore look completely different from the first.
Browse Farm-Made Goods While You Wait For Your Favorite Apples
Apple picking may be seasonal, but Cabalo’s offers plenty beyond fruit straight from the branch. The farm makes jams and jellies with a high proportion of fruit and raw, unprocessed organic sugar, and it also sells dehydrated and freeze-dried fruit.
Raw apple cider becomes another part of the cooler-season lineup. Cabalo’s says it has pressed raw cider since 2012 and does not pasteurize it, keeping the product closely tied to the apples coming through the orchard.
Local honey is available too. Cox’s Honey keeps bees on the farm, allowing Cabalo’s to sell honey produced from hives maintained on the property.
The selection changes as crops come and go, so the farm stand is worth browsing even when a particular apple has not opened for U-pick yet.
That changing inventory is part of what makes repeat visits useful. One week might lean heavily toward late-summer produce, while another has apples and fall products taking over the shelves.
Come Back In October For Pumpkins And A Free Hayride
Cabalo’s does not stop once September apples begin disappearing. October shifts the farm firmly into fall, with a U-pick pumpkin patch opening for the season.
The farm grows multiple pumpkin varieties and lets visitors search the field for one to take home.
The hayride adds another reason to save a return visit. Cabalo’s says the ride to and from the pumpkin patch has always been free, keeping the fall outing simple for families who want to combine apples and pumpkins in the same part of the season.
Criterion apples normally ripen around early October as well, so late visitors may still find apple activity continuing while pumpkins take over more of the farm’s attention.
Check availability first, especially if a particular apple matters more to you than the pumpkins.
By then the Kuna landscape feels completely different from August, and the orchard has moved through several rounds of fruit without changing addresses once.
Plan Your Apple-Picking Trip For Later Instead Of Showing Up Too Soon
The most useful thing to know about Cabalo’s in August 2026 is simple: the apples are coming, but apple U-pick is not open yet. The farm currently offers U-pick blackberries and asks visitors not to rely on incorrect reports claiming that other U-pick produce is available.
That makes this an easy trip to plan correctly. Watch for the farm’s apple announcement, especially as Honeycrisp season approaches in early September, then head to 2087 W King Rd, Kuna, ID once Cabalo’s confirms the trees are open.
Current public hours are Thursday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. The farm uses Monday through Wednesday for farm work.
Waiting a few extra weeks is better than arriving too soon.
When the announcement finally appears, you can head out knowing the apples you came for are actually ready to be picked.
Disclaimer: Apple ripening dates and U-pick availability can change throughout the season. Weather, crop conditions, and visitor demand may affect when each variety is ready.
A variety that normally ripens in August or September may become available earlier or later. Ripe fruit also does not always mean the trees are open for U-pick.
Farm hours, pumpkin picking, hayrides, cider, and other seasonal offerings may change as well. Check Cabalo’s Orchard and Gardens’ latest updates before making the drive.
If you want Honeycrisp or another specific apple, contact the farm first. That is the best way to confirm what visitors can actually pick that day.
