2024 Northwestern Illinois Asparagus U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org
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Asparagus U-Pick Orchards in Northwestern Illinois in 2024, by county
Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for asparagus that we know of in this area. Not all areas of any state, nor even every state, have asparagus 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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Rock Island County
Happy Hollow U-Pick - asparagus, beans, beets, blackberries, broad beans, broccoli, carrots, corn (sweet), cucumbers, eggplant (aubergine), flowers, melons, onions, other berries, peas, peppers, pumpkins, raspberries, rhubarb, summer squash, winter squash, strawberries, tomatoes, other vegetables 17325 - 20th Avenue North, East Moline, IL 61244. Phone: 309-496-1515. Email: Owners@HappyHollowUPick.com. Open: May: Asparagus Monday-Saturday from 12:00-5:00; June-July-Sept. Directions: 1 mile north of the Quad City Downs or 1 mile west of the Interstate 80 and 88 interchange. . Click here for a map and directions. Happy Hollow U-Pick Facebook page. . May: (Asparagus ) Monday-Saturday from 12:00-5:00; June-July-Sept.: Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri., from 8:30-5:00, Wednesday 8:30-7:00 and Saturday 8:30-6; Closed Sundays and Holidays; then in October: Mon, Tues., Thurs - Fri 8:30-5, Wed., 8:30-7:00 & Saturday 8:30-6, Sunday 12:00-5; HOURS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT A DAYS NOTICE; If you arrive at the farm 15 minutes before closing, you will not be allowed to go to the field to pick. Facebook page. Click here for a map to our farm. We are open May, October. Our claim to fame is the number of varieties of Hot Peppers that we grow. We grow about 30 varieties ranging from 0 on the Scovill rating up to 550,000. Our 48 varieties of vegetables are grown for taste and not high production yields. We also raise goats and sheep for meat and or pet sales. Month of October, We have a Haunted Hovel in conjunction with our local Barstow Volunteer Fire Dept. Voted in the Quad Cities to be the best for the last couple of years. Weekend Evenings in October.
Winnebago County
Harrison Market Gardens - CERTIFIED ORGANIC, asparagus, beans, beets, blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, carrots, corn (sweet), cucumbers, eggplant, herbs or spices, melons, onions, peppers, raspberries (black), rhubarb, summer squash, winter squash, strawberries, tomatoes, other vegetables, U-pick and already picked, porta-potties are available, picnic area 9024 Harrison Road, Winnebago, IL 61088. Phone: 815-980-0589. Email: billjillbeyer@yahoo.com. Directions: We are located aboaut 10 miles northwest of Rockford, Illinois. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. . Alternate Phone: 618-967-4729. . We are a subscription pick your own and also offer CSA shares; You can choose either a weekly ($475) or bi - weekly ($325) pick that runs from May through October; Once you have had your initial pick/training, your family can come out whenever convenient;; ; any day of the week any time of the day. We are registered naturally grown for all crops.
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Asparagus Picking Tips, Recipes and Information
Asparagus is one of the first crops to harvest in the early
Spring. Asparagus is usually green, but there is a white (blanched)
version that has been
kept covered until harvested, so no light reaches it, and even a
purple version.
Pick your own asparagus
Pick your own asparagus is pretty rare in the U.S., much more
common in the U.K. and Europe. U-Pick white asparagus is REALLY hard
to find in the U.S.
Eckerts in Belleville, Illinois, has it.
To pick asparagus, just look for asparagus spears are about 6 to 10
inches above the soil line, are firm, with tightly closed tips.
Then just cut at the base (ground level) or snap each spear; they
usually snap off cleanly at the ground level.
The Old
farmer's Almanac has a good page about how to grow your own
asparagus, white or green. I've been growing it for years.
It's probably the easiest thing you can grow. And after you
harvest in the spring, you let it grow, and it produces 5 ft tall
fern-like leaves that make a nice background hedge at the back of
the garden. So don't plant it where it will block the sun from other
parts of the garden. The leaves suck up energy from the sun
and store it in the roots to produce next Spring;'s crop.