2024 York County, Pennsylvania Strawberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org
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Strawberry U-Pick Orchards in York County, Pennsylvania in 2024, by county
Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for strawberries that we know of in this area. Not all areas of any state, nor even every state, have strawberries orchards that are open to the public. If you know of any others, please tell us using the add a farm form!
Remember to always check with the farm's own website or Facebook page before you go - or call or email them if they don't have a website or Facebook page. Conditions at the farms and crops can change literally overnight, so if you want to avoid a wasted trip out there - check with the farm directly before you go! If I cannot reach them, I DON'T GO!
PLEASE report closed farms, broken links and incorrect info using the "Report Corrections" form below.
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York County
Barefoot Farm -
strawberries, raspberries (Spring, red),
raspberries (Spring, black), rhubarb, U-pick and already
picked, farm market, concessions or refreshment stand, porta-potties are available, picnic
area 6621 Bluebird Lane, Dover, PA 17315. Phone: (717) 292-1390. Open:
Hours vary by seasons; See our
website or call for info.
Directions: Our farm on Bluebird Lane is located off of Rohler's Church Road
in Dover Township, close to route 74, and not far from route 30 and 83.
Click here for a map and directions. Strawberry season typically begins
the last weekend of May through the end of June; Raspberry season is usually
the last three weeks of June; Our ice cream stand is open during this berry
season;. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, SFMNP
Vouchers.
Click here for our Facebook page. Family friendly. Children welcome.
Garden vegetables available during strawberry season include asparagus,
lettuce, spring onions and rhubarb. Fresh strawberry sundaes and chocolate
covered strawberries are two favorite things visitors love to enjoy at
Barefoot Farm! Other food items include sandwiches, soft pretzels and
homemade waffle cones.
Comments from a visitor on June 06, 2011: "This is my second year of picking at Barefoot
Farms. It's a beautiful off the road family farm that has friendly
accommodating owners and very reasonable prices. Great amount of delicious
strawberries, which is my personal favorite to pick there. I always feel
welcome (and full!) when I come to barefoot farms. Great way to spend the
day with my family. Look forward to it every year!"
Brown's Orchards & Farm Market - apples, blueberries, cherries,
pumpkins, strawberries, Cider mill fresh apple cider made on the premises,
gift shop, concessions or refreshment stand, porta-potties are available, restrooms, picnic
area, face painting, birthday parties, school tours 8773 Yellow Church
Road, Seven Valleys, PA 17342. Phone: 717-428-2036. Fax: 717-428-0320. Email:
info@brownsorchards.com. Open:
Click here for current open hours, days and dates. Picking updates:
Click here for picking updates. Directions: Exit 8 or 10 off I-83,
just 3 minutes from our market which is 8892 Susquehanna Trail South,
Loganville, PA.
Click here for a map and directions. Strawberries end of May; Cherries
and Blueberries mid June; Apples September; Pumpkins October. Payment: Cash,
Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.
Click here for our Facebook page.
Brown's Orchards and Farm Market is happy to offer Pick-Your-Own fruit in
Loganville at our Yellow Church Road Farm during the growing season. It not
only helps save a few dollars, it is a wonderful experience to share with
family and friends. When in season, our Southern York County orchards and
fields are available for you to Pick-Your-Own: Strawberries, Dark Sweet
Cherries , Tart Cherries, Blueberries, Peaches, Apples, Pumpkins. Brown's
Orchards and Farm Market is happy to offer Pick-Your-Own fruit in Loganville
at our Yellow Church Road Farm during the growing season. It not only helps
save a few dollars, it is a wonderful experience to share with family and
friends. (UPDATED: September 1, 2020 JBS) Tues-Sun 9 am to 6 pm. For Market Curbside Pick-Up Orders Call 717-804-7476
Tues.-Sat. between 11 am to 2:30 pm with pickup by 3:00. Comments from a visitor on November 25, 2008: "when we
lived in the Loganville area , we went there every Sunday. now not so much
longer in the area and we miss it. we loved it . it is a orchard and farm.
fresh fruits and veggies are available. cider in the fall is always fresh
and delicious! summer time entertainment and ice-cream is a sweet treat.
shops and deli style food is a great way to fill the empty tank and not
spend to much!!!!!! - all around fun-filled, family fun. great way to spend
a Sunday afternoon! highly recommend. please include on your list, this one
should not be overlooked and forgotten. They added the pavilion with stage.
there they provide entertainment in summer. whatever the season,(peaches)
ex.... sundays are served. yumm, picnic tables under the pavilion area.
flowers and green house in spring make for a great inspiration . oh and how
can we forget the homemade bake goods."
Forge Hill
- strawberries, apples, cherries 135 Blossom Dr, Mt Wolf,
PA 17347. Phone: 717-266-1206. Open: May to October, Monday to Saturday from
8 am to 8 pm. There is a little store where items can be purchased including
things like preserves, honey, and already picked fruit. Our strawberries and cherries are sold by the pound. You can bring your own containers
which will be weighed before you start, or we provide metal trays with handles for strawberries, and pre-weighed plastic buckets for cherries. We will
direct you to the section of field or rows of trees where you should find the most plentiful fruit. Ready-picked fruit is sold by the quart inside the
trailer where we weigh your fruit. For pick-your-own apples, you will drive to the salesroom area. Here you will be greeted by one of our associates, who
will give you directions. The apples are sold by the half-bushel, one price regardless of the variety you pick. We will provide half-bushel baskets for you
to gather your fruit. When you return to pay, we will help you to transfer your fruit to your containers or to boxes we have available. Comments from a visitor on June 06, 2009: "The people who run the orchard are very nice
and helpful. I picked apples every week with my kids during the fall. My
husband picked up bushels of apples for his office. During strawberry
picking season already picked strawberries can be purchased. In the fall
they sell apples, hay bales, corn stalks, gourds and more. A bathroom is
available to the public. It's a kid friendly place. "
Paulus Orchards - apples,
strawberries, blueberries, black raspberries, and blackberries, pumpkins, Honey from hives
on the farm, and prepicked produce, gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand,
restrooms, picnic area, birthday parties, school tours 522 East Mount
Airy Road, Dillsburg, PA 17019. Phone: 717-432-2544. Email:
information@paulusorchards.com..
Open: Monday to Saturday 8:30 am to 6:30 pm, No U-Pick on Sundays. PlayLand
opens in July. Directions: Take Route 15 to the
Mechanicsburg/Bowmansdale exit. Go towards Bowmansdale. Go straight for 3.2
miles (do not follow route 114 signs). Turn left onto E. Mt. Airy Road Drive
a mile and a half to orchard. It will be on your right. Very close to Ski
Roundtop. See link for other directions.
Click here for a map and directions.. during the season,
check our web site for exact dates). Farm Stand Open July to January Corn
Maze is open on weekends in September and October U-Pick Apples and Pumpkins
is open on weekends in September and October Birthday and Group Parties
scheduled August through November Group Tours scheduled August through
November.
Click here for picking updates. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard.
Paulus Orchards participates in the Farm Market Nutrition Program.
Paulus Orchards is a family-owned farm and agri-tourism adventure in
Dillsburg, Pennsylvania. With more than 150 acres of fruit trees, you can
choose from over 25 varieties of apples, 7 varieties of peaches, as well as
nectarines and plums. Spring and Summer means berry season at the farm and
you are invited to pick-your-own strawberries, blueberries, black
raspberries, and blackberries! In the fall, get lost in a corn field maze or
search through acres of pumpkins for just the right one.
The Truck Patch - blueberries, strawberries,
U-pick and already picked 445 Shorbs Hill Rd, Hanover , PA 17331. Phone:
(717) 476-8494. Email: thetruckpatch.hanover@gmail.com.
Open: Monday to Saturday 8 am to dark. Directions: From 94 North turn left
onto Shorbs Hill Road About 1/2 mile down the road turn right onto Kennedy
drive. The farm is the first gravel drive on the left. From 94 South turn
right onto Shorbs Hill Road About 1/2 mile down the road turn right onto
Kennedy Drive. The farm is the first gravel drive on the left.Click
here for a map and directions. Strawberries available mid May to mid
June, Blueberries available mid June to mid July; Call for specific
availability;. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover,
AmEx. (ADDED:
May 23, 2017)
Strawberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information
In the U.S. strawberries typically peak during April in Florida and Texas,
May in the deep South, and in early June in middle sections and later June in the
far North and Canada. Keep in mind that crops are ready at various times of the
month depending on which part of the state you are located. In order to produce
good local strawberries, producers depend on ideal spring weather conditions.
Before you leave to go to the farm:
Always call before you go to the farm - strawberries are affected by weather
(both rain and cooler temperature) more than most crops. And when they are
in season, a large turnout can pick a field clean before noon, so CALL
first!
Leave
early. On weekends, then fields may be picked clean by NOON!
Most growers furnish picking containers designed
for strawberries, but they may charge you for them; be sure to call before you go to see if you need to bring
containers.
If you use your own containers, remember that heaping
strawberries more than 5 inches deep will bruise the lower berries.
Plastic
dishpans, metal oven pans with 3 inch tall sides and large pots make good
containers. I like the Glad storage containers like the one at right.
Bring something to drink and a few snacks; you'd be surprised how you can
work up a thirst and appetite! And don't forget hats and sunscreen for the
sun. Bugs usually aren't a problem, but some deet might be good to bring
along if it has been rainy.
Tips on How to Pick Strawberries
Grasp the stem just above the berry between the
forefinger and the thumbnail and pull with a slight twisting motion.
With the stem broken about one-half inch from
the berry, allow it to roll into the palm of your hand.
Repeat these operations using both hands until
each holds 3 or 4 berries.
Carefully place - don't throw - the fruit into
your containers. Repeat the picking process with both hands.
Don't overfill your containers or try to pack
the berries down.
General Picking Tips
Whether you pick strawberries from your garden or at
a Pick-Your-Own farm, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Be careful that your feet and knees do not
damage plants or fruit in or along the edge of the row.
Pick only the berries that are fully red. Part
the leaves with your hands to look for hidden berries ready for harvest.
To help the farmers, also remove from the plants
berries showing rot, sunburn, insect injury or other defects and place them
between the rows behind you. If they are left in the plants, the rot will
quickly spread to other berries.
Berries to be used immediately may be picked any
time, but if you plan to hold the fruit for a few days, try to pick in the
early morning or on cool, cloudy days. Berries picked during the heat of the
day become soft, are easily bruised and will not keep well.
Avoid placing the picked berries in the sunshine any
longer than necessary. It is better to put them in the shade of a tree or
shed than in the car trunk or on the car seat. Cool them as soon as possible
after picking. Strawberries may be kept fresh in the refrigerator for two or three, depending upon the initial quality of the berry. After a few
days in storage, however, the fruit loses its bright color and fresh flavor
and tends to shrivel.
For interesting and fun strawberry facts and
trivia from the California Strawberry Commission,
click
here!
When you get home
DON'T wash the berries until you are ready to use them. Washing
makes them more prone to spoiling.
Pour them out into shallow pans and remove any mushed, soft or rotting
berries
Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash and cut the caps
(green tops) off the others and freeze them up! (Unless you're going to make
jam right away) See this
page about how to freeze strawberries.
If you like the strawberries you picked, ask the farm what variety they
planted, and not the weather conditions the week or two before. The flavor
of a strawberry is affected by the variety, the weather and the degree of
ripeness when picked.
Picking the best strawberries:
Select firm, fully red berries. Strawberries DO NOT continue ripen after
they are picked! In the photo, only the berry on the far right is
completely ripe.
Strawberry festivals: Most areas that grow strawberries have a strawberry festival, at which you
can taste all kinds of fresh strawberry foods, pies, jams, cakes - and most
commonly, fresh strawberry shortcake. To find out where and when there
is one near you, see this
page for a list of strawberry festivals, sorted by state!
Strawberries measurements: government agriculture
websites tell us that 1 quart = 2 pints = 4 cups and is about the
same as 1 liter and 1 quart of fresh strawberries weighs 1 lbs to 1.25 lbs (or
450 to 600 g).
Of course, the weight
varies on variety and weather conditions. 1 quart is normally
enough for 4
servings, although I'll admit my son can eat 1 pint by himself!
How much to pick? In general, 1 quart of fresh, whole, just-picked strawberries =
approximately 3.5 cups hulled, whole berries. In other words, removing
the caps/hulls and the occasional mushy berry means you lose 1/4 cup to 1/2 (it depends how much fruit you remove with the hull) or
about 7 to 12% of every quart you pick.
One cup of strawberries contains only about 50 calories
U-pick strawberries are much healthier than store-bought. Consumer
reports says store bought strawberries have so many pesticide and fungicide
residues on they, that they don't recommend you eat them at all!
U-pick strawberry farms typically sell berries by the
pound. 1 lbs of fresh strawberries is about 2/3 of a quart.
It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to pick a quart, if the berries
are reasonably plentiful
The strawberry plant adapts to wide variety of soil conditions, but does
not tolerate drought well, and the berries quickly rot if the weather is
rainy. For this reason, the plants are usually grown on raised beds through
plastic mulch!
Cultivation of strawberries began in Europe in the 1300's, but the berry
only became very popular in the early 1900's in California.
Do the math and be careful not to over-purchase
as strawberries quickly mold when left at room temperature, and only last a
couple of days in the refrigerator.
You can easily freeze berries that you cannot use right away - just
wash, cut the hulls off and pop them into a ziplock bag, removing as much
air as possible. Those vacuum food sealers REALLY do a good job of
this! The berries will keep for many months frozen without air.
Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside.
Strawberries were originally called strewberries because the fruit was
'strewn' amongst the leaves of the plant.
California is king of strawberry productions because: California
produces 75 percent of the nation's strawberry crops; one billion pounds
of strawberries each year. If all the strawberries produced in
California in one year were laid berry to berry, they would go around
the world 15 times. Each acre of land in California in strawberry
production produces an average of 21 tons of strawberries annually, with
a total of 23,000 acres of strawberries planted in California each year.
More conversions
1 pint (2 cups) of fresh whole strawberries
= about 8 oz (1/2 lb) of strawberries
= 2.25 cups of sliced strawberries
= 1
cup pureed strawberries
= 12-14 large strawberries
2 quarts of fresh strawberries are needed for a 9" pie
A 10 oz package of frozen berries is about the same as 1 cup of sliced
fresh strawberries