Catoctin Mountain Orchard — Attraction in Thurmont

Update: What a terrible response from Catoctin Mountain Orchard. Instead of learning something from feedback and improving where needed, they are full of excuses, defenses, and finger-pointing.

I can't imagine running a company whose sole product is fresh local produce and foodstuffs made from that produce, and not caring at all that the peaches in my peach pies are so unripe they are hard and difficult to chew.

By all means, if you want overpriced, underripe produce with a side of "the customer is always wrong", do patronize this establishment.

Original review: I have lovely memories of going to Catoctin Mountain Orchard with my family as a child, including doing the U-pick. I hadn't been in years, and unfortunately, my experience this time was much less positive.

Let's get the worst part out of the way first: the peach pie. I bought this for my mom's 89th birthday at her request, so I was especially disappointed that it was so terrible. At $17.99, you'd think they could at least use ripe peaches. They weren't just underripe, they were unripe and hard to even bite through. I normally think commercial baked products are too sweet, but this was unpleasantly sour, probably because they didn't adjust the sugar to account for the prematurely picked peaches.

This was a pie made by someone who didn't care.

I searched to see if maybe some people like unripe peach pies and there's some culinary tradition I'm missing, but nope. All recipes I've seen caution to make sure the peaches are ripe.

Moving on, the blackberries look gorgeous, but have little flavor.

I had wanted to buy tomatoes, but there were only a few there, they didn't look or smell ripe, and they were overpriced for what they were. Some had bad spots on them but weren't sorted into the 2nds section.

I was pleasantly surprised to find pickling cucumbers. I bought all 3 quarts available, which leads to the point that they put too few of each type of produce out at once. In some cases you can see more of it in the employees only section, with no one around to notice or restock. I believe they only put a little bit out at a time so people will have to take produce with bad spots if they want any at all.

They have signs instructing people not to touch the peaches, which I sort of understand since you don't want people squeezing and bruising them and not buying them. But then they should at least set them out in single row containers rather than making people take a chance buying produce they can't even see, stacked in boxes.

There were no similar signs by any of the other produce.

The peaches are sitting in a paper bag waiting to ripen; I'll update this review if they're particularly good or bad. I bought yellow on the advice of an employee, who also noted that they needed to be ripened in a paper bag (a fact I wish the bakery department had taken to heart!)

One of the points of extremely local produce is that it can and should be picked ripe, since it won't need to survive trucking across country. Catoctin needs to back off their trigger finger and let things ripen before selling.

The cantaloupe I bought is sugar cube. Us humans didn't like it anymore than storebought, and it suffers from the same underripeness problem. But our parrot, who is a fruit connoisseur, loved it.

The plums are pretty good and are a very beautiful reddish purple inside. I wish the variety had been listed on the sign, but it wasn't.

I bought two types of apples, Paula Red and gala. The galas were good, dense more than crisp and with a solid flavor. The Paula Reds, a variety we've never had before, had a wonderful flavor, a bit on the tart side but still good foreating, with a wonderful, intensely apply finish. The texture isn't that nice. I wouldn't quite call it mealy, but it's not very dense. Apparently good for making applesauce.

I'll end on a positive note: the red peppers I bought were big and beautifully vivid in color, and taste wonderful. They were only slightly more expensive than the grocery store I usually shop at, at $2.25 per rather than $1.99, and...

it's a tradition for us to go there at least twice per year now.

Catoctin Mountain Orchard has got the perfect spot on US15. Literally the ideal location, location, location. These hardworking folks cram a years worth of high end gourmet retail into 9 months. Open 9AM - 5PM EVERYDAY, Starting in May until the end of December, Winding down in January 9-5 for three days a week Fri. Sat & Sun Only.

Is the staff rude, perhaps, probably not in the least. Maybe they are just extremely busy. You never catch these produce folks drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes, Just because someone is there stacking, sorting, working does not mean they are waiting for you to interrupt them with a question that prevents them from fulfilling their immediate responsibility. More than likely that person is trying to catch their breath and prep for the inevitable next rush of customers. This place is tiny and the rushes are predictably often and huge. This place moves volumes of crates, bushels and barrels of produce.

They have more samples than CostCo, try them. We take our time, we try the seasonal samples and wait our turn smile and kindly ask if there is someone that can help us with these apples or grapes or pears,ask Generally this results in us being connected to the in-house expert on that product filling our heads with tips and tricks. By showing them you are genuinely interested and are willing to wait a couple of minutes and they will share with you the fruit of their labors.

Usually the first trip is in Autumn, when the trees are changing colors. Best time to pick up a Pie for Thanksgiving Dinner, The pies are still warm from the oven so handle with care. Worse then getting a little burn is dropping a pie on the floor, so be careful they are very expensive.

Actually, many of the products here are pricey, some more than others. Here you pay a premium for "High Quality Fruits, Vegetables and Condiments" Mostly you can see this High Quality Product - up close and personally and right through the looking glass.

If you need one today, then already baked is the best way the variety will be limited by both the season and the crowd that came before you and got all the good stuff. If you do not need a fresh baked pie, go to the other side in the reach in freezer, there you have the best selection and variety. Also your whole house is going to smell wonderfully for hours after you bake your prized pie.

(Skip the Apple Dumplings - They Look and smell great BUT nothing at all like the joy that my Grandma did bake. There are plenty of other wonderful treasures here).

Before Christmas we come for the Pink Lady and Honey Crisp Apples, we always leave with two gallons of fresh CIDER and at least...

I visited Catocin Mountain Orchard on 7/21/21 at about 2:30pm. Let me first say I think the pastries, pies etc are phenomenal. However my one star review isn’t about its goods but the service I received today, I’ll try to be brief. So I came across this establishment while commuting home (new way) home about a month or so again. Instantly fell in love with their apple pies! Each time I’ve gone (approx 3-4) I was waited on by a very nice elderly white haired gentlemen who wears a baseball style hat. He’s always been very helpful and courtesy.

Today I stopped in to grab some apple pies. I didn’t see any on display but I believed I saw one behind the counter n bakery section. Didn’t see the older gentleman i usually see and no one was behind the register. I walked further in the store and saw two young ladies conversing n the middle isle . “Excuse me”, I said, “is it possible for someone to check in the back to see if there are anymore apple pies”?!. One of the ladies said that “she had just put all the pies out on display and that’s all they had. I look at her a little perplexed and told her I thought I saw one n the back. Seemingly agitated by my reply and without a word she looks and walks straight in the back. The other young lady is looking at me as if she’s agitated too. First young lady walks behind the counter and wouldn’t you know it, an apple pie. “Oh here’s one” she said. I said ok and ask for yet another one I saw as well.

Take the pies to the register where I’m attended to by the other young lady. “You got two pies”?! She asked. “Yep”, I replied. She tells me my total and I give her my bank card which she literally snatched out of my hand, rings up my items gives me back my card, “ok have a nice day”. No eye contact, nothing and not that I require that but it was just “cold” especially me being a customer.

Now I’m old enough to be both these young ladies father and I’ve been around long enough to read people just a little bit. Some may think I’m over reacting but had I responded back to them by how they were acting and how I was treated them things would’ve gotten ugly.

Ironically the word I received today was based on “meekness” and how meek does not mean weak and to be meek is a sign of how truly strong one can be in the midst of adversity. I truly believe God presented this opportunity to me and hopefully I passed☺️. Because! There was a time where I would’ve let them have it!😂. God and growth… No confrontation, no giving back what they were giving me. Nothing… sooo long story short I’ll still be buying my pies from there in hopes of dealing with the same gentleman I...