This month's notes: February 2012: Winter is upon us, but don't despair! Strawberry and citrus picking actually begins in Florida, southern Texas and southern Californiaa in December. And for the rest of us; there are many delicious jams, jellies, and marmalades that you can make for yourself or as gifts, from frozen or fresh fruit.  See this page for hundreds of easy canning and freezing instructions/recipes, canning equipment guide! Also make your own ice cream - see How to make ice cream and ice cream making equipment and manuals. Then see each state's crop availability calendar for more specific dates of upcoming crops. Organic farms are identified in green!  See our guide to local fruit and vegetable festivals!. Please tell the farms you found them here - and ask them to update their information!!

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Where in Abilene area of Texas to find pick your own farms and orchards for fruit, vegetables, pumpkins and canning & freezing instructions!

This page provides a detailed list of Abilene area of Texas's pick- your- own (PYO, U-pick, pick-it-yourself) farms for everything from apples, berries, fruit, pumpkins, vegetables to cut-you-own Christmas trees!  I'm always looking for suggestions of more farms and events to add and feedback about any you have visited, so if you encounter any, just click on the preceding link, as appropriate!  And if you have a farm and want to add it or correct the information, please click on the link to "add my farm".

 

U-Pick Farms and Orchards, sorted by county

Remember: ALWAYS call (or follow the link to the farm's own website, if the name is a blue link) to confirm the information before you go! They may close, run out or change events, times, etc. without notifying me!

Brown County

  • Yoes Peach Orchards - peaches
    15825 N Hwy 183, May, TX 76857. Phone: 254-259-3123. Email us at: seoyc@aol.com. Directions: 3 miles south of May. Approx. 13 miles north of Brownwood on Hwy 183. Watch for signs. Click here for a map to our farm. Crops are usually available in June, July, August. Open: Seven days a week, 9 am to 7 pm. Different varieties ripening during the peach season. Payment: Cash, Check. Bring your own boxes. Call for availability.

Callahan County

  • Childress Agricultural Enterprises - Pick-your-own blackeye peas, sweet corn, blackberries, peaches, pecans , picnic area
    11028 CR 452, Cross Plains, TX 76443. Phone: 254/725-4321. Email: bob@childressfarm.com. Directions: From Cottonwood (the one 40 miles SE of Abilene) go one mile West and then one mile South. See our web page for a map.  or for a Mapquest map to our farm, click here. Crops are usually available in May, June, July, October, November, December. Open: Daylight to Dark everyday except Sunday Mornings. See our website for current information and prices.  Payment: Cash, Check.
    A visitor writes on August 05, 2008: "I stopped in here on my way back home from Abilene, because they had their "peaches" sign out. Many places near Brown County lost the peach crop to a late freeze this year so I was excited to get fresh peaches. Oh they were excellent! I went in mid-afternoon and there were still lots of beautiful fruit on the trees. The trees are low and open so easy to get to. I don't know if they are organic, but the owner told me to be sure and eat a peach at each tree to test them before I picked! LOL! Nice people and great produce. I picked half a bushel and put up preserves, peach marmalade, and peach chutney with them. I will definitely visit the Childress farm again. :-)"

Comanche County

  •  Texas Fruit & Pecan Orchard - Peaches, Plums, Apricots, Persimmons, Pecans
    Directions: West of De Leon 2-one half miles on SH 6 at CR 471. 
    Phone: 254-893-6875 

Coleman County

Eastland County

  • Files Family Farm - peaches
    2500 CR 295, Carbon, TX 76435. Phone: 254-639-2149. Email: filesfamilyfarm@gmail.com. Directions: From Carbon take 1027 south until you come to CR 411. Take a Right. When you come to a 'T' in the road take a left and stop at the second house on the right. We are open July, August. Our hours are: Anytime during peach season, except Sunday mornings. Call or just come on out around the first of July and through August Please check out our website for pictures of our peaches and for other info. We also are now offering grassfed beef. (UPDATED: July 17, 2010)

Jones County

Llano County

Mason County

  • Sonlight Orchard - pecans
    605 Austin Street, Mason, TX 76856. Phone: 210-377-3311 or 915-347-3311. Pick-your-own Choctaw, Kiowa and other papershell.

McCulloch County

Mills County

Runnels County

San Saba County

  • Oliver Pecan Co. Inc. - pecans -  UPDATE March 20, 2006: No longer a pick-your-own
    10 Miles East of San Saba on Hwy. 190 , San Saba, TX 76877. Phone: 800-657-9291. Fax: 325-372-3256. Email us at: soliver@centex.net. Directions: Our farmstand and orchard is located on Hwy. 190, 10 miles east of San Saba. We also have a retail store in San Saba at 1402 W. Wallace(Hwy 190). Click here for a map to our farm. We are open October, November, December. Our hours are: Monday to Saturday 9:30-5:30 Not only do we offer pick your own pecans, but we also have inshell and shelled pecans, homemade pecan candies, pecan pies, jams, etc. Bus tours are available for our cleaning plant, shelling plant and occasionally a tour of our candy factory.

Shackleford County

Stephens County

Taylor County

 

 

Meats, Milk and Eggs:

Taylor County

  • Rimrock Forage Finished (TM) Beef - Beef, Goat meat, USDA Natural, No hormones used, No antibiotics used,
    518 Cr 282, Abilene, TX 79603. Phone: 325-660-2193. Alternate Phone: 325-660-7030. Email: kyle@rimrockcattle.com. Open: Call for information. Directions: Call for information. Payment: Cash, only. In addition to individual cuts/packages we also offer for sale sampler packs and whole, half, and quarter beef. Delivery is available. Rimrock Beef is "Forage Finished(TM)",a proprietary term unique and trademarked by Rimrock Land & Cattle Co. LLC., and defined as the “finishing” process of an animal for harvest that has received no grain or grain by-products within 120 days of slaughter. Furthermore, animals are fed a 100% vegetarian diet of forages consisting of growing plants and hay/silage throughout their lives. No antibiotics, implants, hormones, growth stimulants, or any other artificial means of sustainability or to promote maturity are included in their diet. In addition, no animal by-products, no non-naturally occurring compounds/substances, no ionophores, or no non-protein nitrogen products (NPN’s) have been fed to these animals. (ADDED: September 26, 2011)
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For a different area of Texas:

Click here for the Texas County Map with links to each County!

Or select your area from the list below:

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  9. San Angelo area
  10. San Antonio area
  11. Southern tip of Texas
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  13. Wichita Falls area

 

Ball home canning kit water bath canner

Home Canning Kits

This is the same type of  standard canner that my grandmother used to make everything from applesauce to jams and jellies to tomato and spaghetti sauce. This complete kit includes everything you need and lasts for years: the canner, jar rack, jar grabber tongs, lid lifting wand, a plastic funnel, labels, bubble freer, and the bible of canning, the Ball Blue Book. It's much cheaper than buying the items separately. You'll never need anything else except jars & lids! To see more canners, of different styles, makes and prices, click here!For more information and current pricing:



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Picking Tips

[General picking tips and a guide to each fruit and vegetable] [How much do I need to pick? (Yields - how much raw makes how much cooked or frozen)] [Selecting the right varieties to pick] [All about apple varieties - which to pick and why!]  [Picking tips for Vegetables] [ Strawberry picking tips] [ Blueberries picking tips]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Illustrated Canning, Freezing, Jam Instructions and Recipes

[ All About Home Canning, Freezing and Making Jams, Pickles, Sauces, etc. ] [FAQs - Answers to common questions and problems] [Recommended books about home canning, jam making, drying and preserving!] [Free canning publications to download and print]