Pippin Orchard’s Pick-Your-Own

By Claire Fan | October 19, 2023

It’s Your Pick Between Fresh, Crisp Local Apples and Hot Cider Doughnuts

Growing up, Joe Polseno never imagined taking over his family’s fruit farm, Pippin Orchard. Somehow, though, the Berklee College of Music alum ended up back in Cranston, Rhode Island, to grow the apples and run the family’s orchard and stand.

Unbeknownst to many, the orchard’s name itself is a tale steeped in history. Centuries ago, British colonists cultivated and grew Newtown Pippin apples on the land where Pippin Orchard is now located, to brew and ferment hard cider. Unfortunately, the light greenish variety is no longer grown there but many other fruits have blossomed in its place.

Polseno now grows Macintosh, Gala and Red Delicious apples, and he also grows peaches, plums, blueberries, figs and many more fruits that he and his team transform into delicious jams and preserves that you can find stocked on the shelves in the orchard’s indoor stand. Their peach cobbler jam and pomegranate jelly are exceptional—perfect for gift giving. Not to mention, they recently started growing kiwi berries (a kiwi and grape hybrid) to add to their offerings.

The orchard boasts rows upon rows of bountiful apple trees, all waiting to be plucked bare before the season ends. Pick-your-own is open from 10 am to 4 pm daily until late October, inviting visitors from around the state and beyond to experience the pleasure of harvesting their own produce.

Polseno has taken the orchard to new heights since his father bought it in the early 1970s. Beyond the exceptionally crisp and sweet apples, Pippin has won local hearts with its baked-to-order pies and piping hot apple cider doughnuts straight from the fryer. Many people make the annual trek to Pippin during the fall to indulge in these rings of pure joy. Polseno humbly says that the secret to his acclaimed doughnuts is simply the quality ingredients he uses.

If that’s not enough to convince you to visit Pippin, you won’t want to miss the furriest friends. The orchard is home to a couple of charming and friendly goats, an unforgettable favorite for children or the young at heart visiting the orchard.

With the crisp bite of autumn in the air, now is the perfect time to make your way to Pippin Orchard for fall’s greatest fun: to pick your own fresh apples and enjoy one of Rhode Island’s best autumn pastimes—complete with hot cider doughnuts.

Pippin Orchard
751 Pippin Orchard Road, Cranston, RI