Apex Orchards sits at the top of Peckville Road in Shelburne, a working family farm that has been in the same family since Abner Peck Sr. arrived from Connecticut in 1828. The lineage came down through the Pecks to today’s Smith family, which converted the hill farm to orchards after World War II. Tim Smith runs the orchard today, with Courtney Basil joining ownership for the next generation. The address is 225 Peckville Road, and the drive up to the farm is half the experience. The parking lot opens onto a long ridge view that, on a clear day, takes in Mount Monadnock to the north, Mount Grace, Mount Toby, and the Notch to the south, with viewfinders set out on the patio.
The orchard grows a long list of tree fruit (apples, peaches, nectarines, apricots, pears, Asian pears, quince) plus blueberries and table grapes. Pick-your-own peaches run on August and September weekends; pick-your-own apples run from mid-September through the end of October. Pumpkins and Christmas trees come later in the season.
The farm store is open daily, 9am to 5pm, from August through December, selling fruit grown on site alongside local goods: Graves & Boyden maple syrup, Shelburne Honey Company honey, Sidehill Farm yogurt, Bart’s ice cream, and sweet cider from neighboring Pine Hill Orchard. On weekends through October the store fires up its own mini cider donuts fresh to order, and food trucks usually post up on the lawn. From December through April a small Winter Warehouse runs as self-serve during the day.
The farm hosts seasonal weekend events: a Peach Festival in late summer, an Apple & Cheese weekend in fall, and Franklin County CiderDays participation in November. Hours and event dates shift year to year; check the official site before driving up.