2024 Columbia County in Southeast NY Raspberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Raspberry U-Pick Orchards in Columbia County in Southeast NY in 2024, by county

Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for raspberries that we know of in this area. Not all areas of any state, nor even every state, have raspberries 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.

Columbia County

• Love Apple Farm - Uses integrated pest management practices, apples, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, currants (red), gooseberries, peaches, raspberries (red), strawberries, farm market, gift shop, restrooms, picnic area, petting zoo, events at your location (call for info)
  1421 State Route 9h, Ghent, NY 12075. Phone: (518) 828-5048. Email: info@loveapplefarm.com. Open: Orchard opens from 8am to 5pm; availability of crops varies; please call for current availability. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.
  Love Apple Farm Facebook page. . . We use integrated pest management practices. 's Typical U-Pick Calendar: Actual dates will vary due to weather conditions and other factors. Please call us at to verify the status of the product you are interested in: Fruit Early Most Active Late Apples July 15 Sept. 1-Oct. 25 Oct. 31 Blackberries July 10 July 15-July 30 August 10 Blueberries July 15 August 1-Sept. 10 Oct. 15 Cherries, sour June 10 July 1-31 August 10 Cherries, sweet June 10 July 1-31 August 10 Gooseberries June and July Peaches July 15 July 20-Sept. 1 Sept. 15 Plums July and August Raspberries August 1 June 15-20 July 10 (UPDATED: June 27, 2019) (ADDED: November 30, 2016)
• Samascott Orchards - apples, beans, beets, blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, carrots, cherries, chestnuts, cucumbers, currants (red and black), gooseberries, table grapes (with seeds), nectarines, onions, other berries, pears, peas, peaches, peppers, plums, pumpkins, raspberries (red), raspberries (Spring, red), raspberries (Autumn, red), raspberries (yellow), raspberries (Spring, yellow), raspberries (Autumn, yellow), raspberries (black), raspberries (Spring, black), raspberries (Autumn, black), rhubarb, summer squash, winter squash, strawberries, tomatoes, other vegetables, Fresh eggs, Cider mill (fresh apple cider made on the premises), porta-potties are available, restrooms, picnic area you may bring your own food, jumping pillow, farm animals, school tours
  5 Sunset Avenue, Kinderhook, NY 12106. Phone: (518) 758-7224. Email: info@samascott.com. Open: daily 8 am to 6 pm; See website for seasonal opening date: Click here for current open hours, days and dates. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.
  Samascott Orchards Facebook page. . Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. Corn maze open Saturdays in September and October at Samascott's Garden Market;. New in 2017 is a children's playground and jumping pillow, plus wagon rides around the Orchard. The entrance to the U-pick closes at 5:45 pm. We require a minimum purchase of $5.00 per person for PYO guests. All vehicles will be manually inspected upon checkout. All PYO produce is priced per pound. Prices may fluctuate throughout the season. You will be charged up to $10/lb for any produce you pick that is not listed as available on the harvest map OR produce that is not brought out of your vehicle to be weighed. No pets. Please see their website for all of their rules and specifications.
• Smith Farms - apples, blackberries, cherries, nectarines, peaches, raspberries (red), raspberries (Autumn, red), restrooms
  200 Whitebirch Rd, Hudson, NY 12534. Phone: 518-828-1228. Email: gilliansherrington@gmail.com. Open: starting mid-June from 9am to 5 pm; Please refer to our website for updates in availability of fruit as the season progresses. Directions: There is a direct link for our location on our website in the \About Us\" page. """. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. . Alternate Phone: 518-755-6448. . There is a direct link for our location on our website in the "About Us" page. We start with sweet cherries in mid-June; We are open daily from 9am to 5 pm. Everbearing raspberries are available steadily, as they ripen. New canes on irrigation. Come early in the day. We are usually picked out by noon! Fred and Gillian Sherrington and our two collie dogs Tony and Sammi welcome you. PEven though we are a smaller operation, by New York State standards, we do have over 10000 new generation trees and canes that offer their fruit for pick-your-own from June to late Fall. All our fruit is on "drip" irrigation, so except when our pond goes dry, in extreme weather, our produce is plump and juicy. We will begin the season at mid/late June with the cherries, sweet and sour. Then in early August, our white flesh, sweet and juicy Saturn (flat) peaches are ready to pick and they are popular!!!! From the end of August to mid October you will be able to pick from 6 varieties of free stone peaches and nectarines and from 7 varieties of apples such as Gala, Acey Mac, Honey Crisp, Fuji, Royal Cortland, Lady Apple, and Macoun, Jonagold and Golden Delicious. Of course we will keep you posted and will give you more details on what is ready to pick as we progress. Each year is a little different, according to the weather conditions, so visit our website picking calendar regularly and come and enjoy our orchard, as well as the beautiful Catskill area.
• The Chatham Berry Farm LLC - No pesticides are used, blackberries, blueberries, currants (red and black), raspberries (red), raspberries (Spring, red), raspberries (Autumn, red), raspberries (yellow), raspberries (Autumn, yellow), raspberries (black), raspberries (Autumn, black), strawberries, Honey from hives on the farm, Fresh eggs, restrooms, picnic area you may bring your own food, school tours
  2309 Route 203, Chatham, NY 12037. Phone: 518-392-4609. Email: thechathamberryfarm@gmail.com. Open: Be sure to call before you go; they did not have U-pick in 2020; Sunday to Saturday, from 8 am to 5 pm, open 364 days a year Closed Christmas Day December 25th. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, AmEx.
  The Chatham Berry Farm LLC Facebook page. . Be sure to call before you go; they did not have U-pick in 2020; Sunday to Saturday, from 8 am to 5 pm, open 364 days a year (Closed Christmas Day December 25th). We do not use pesticides on the crops. During the last week of November and the first week of December, we offer multiple holiday wreath and bow making classes. Light refreshments provided. U-Pick Black and Red Raspberries and U-Pick Blueberries ​All of our berries are pesticide-free! U-Pick closes at 5 pm, which is 1 hour before the farm store, to ensure that everyone has returned to the farm store with their berries & paid. U-Pick is weather dependent, please call ahead for picking conditions & availability. (UPDATED: June 26, 2020 JBS) (ADDED: March 09, 2016)
• Yonder Fruit Farms - apples, cherries, strawberries, pumpkins, raspberries (Autumn, red), raspberries (yellow), raspberries (Autumn, black), tomatoes, U-pick and already picked
  1367 U.S. Route 9, Valatie, NY 12184. Phone: 518-758-7011. Open: Starwberries in the Spring, then apples from Labor Day until Columbus Day on weekends and holidays from 9 am to 6 pm . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, check, only. . Fax: 518-828-5014. Starting Labor Day Weekend, All varieties of fresh picked apples and pears to mix and match by the pound. Pick Your Own apples, raspberries, tomatoes and pumpkins. Wide selection of locally grown fruits and vegetables. Pumpkins of all sizes, gourds and other fall decor. Apple Cider. Hardy Mums.

 

Raspberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

Raspberries can produce an early summer crop or  a late summer and Fall crop. In the U.S. Spring / Summer raspberries (called florocanes) typically peak during June in the South, and in July in the North. The primocane varieties, which produce raspberries on shoots that come up each Spring are typically read from August until frost.

In addition to the variety a farm plants, the berries are ready at various times depending the local climate, such as which part of the state you are located. See this page for a list of raspberry festivals around the U.S.

And for those of you from the upper midwest through the west and up to Canada, if you are interested in Thimbleberries, see this page.

Before you leave to go to the farm:

1. Always call before you go to the farm - And when they are in season, a large turnout can pick a field clean before noon, so CALL first!
2. Leave early.  On weekends, then fields may be picked clean by NOON!  
3. Most growers furnish picking containers designed for raspberries, 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 raspberries 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.
4. 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 raspberries

1. Raspberry bushes don't have thorns, but they are a pick prickly, so if you want to hold the stem while picking, a pair of lightweight gloves is helpful.

   Raspberries Nutritional Data
   (fresh)

   Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
   Energy	220 kJ (53 kcal)
   Carbohydrates	11.94 g
   Sugars	4.42 g
   Dietary fiber	6.5 g
   Fat	0.65 g
   Protein	1.2 g
   Vitamins
   Thiamine	(3%) 0.032 mg
   Riboflavin2	(3%) 0.038 mg
   Niacin3	(4%) 0.598 mg
   Pantothenic acid5	(7%) 0.329 mg
   Vitamin B6	(4%) 0.055 mg
   Folate9	(5%) 21 μg
   Choline	(3%) 12.3 mg
   Vitamin C	(32%) 26.2 mg
   Vitamin E	(6%) 0.87 mg
   Vitamin K	(7%) 7.8 μg
   Minerals
   Calcium	(3%) 25 mg
   Iron	(5%) 0.69 mg
   Magnesium	(6%) 22 mg
   Manganese	(32%) 0.67 mg
   Phosphorus	(4%) 29 mg
   Potassium	(3%) 151 mg
   Zinc	(4%) 0.42 mg
   Other constituents
   Water	85.8 g
   Units μg = micrograms � mg = milligrams IU = International units
   Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source:

   
   
2. A ripe raspberry is deep color with a plump, soft but firm feel. It will pull free from the plant with only a slight tug. The center will remain on the plant. Keep in mind, raspberries come in many colors: red, yellow, black, purple, so you want to pick the darker shade of whichever it is.
3. Pick only the berries that are fully ripe. Reach in between the stems to grab for hidden berries ready for harvest. Bend down and look up into the plant and you will find loads of berries that other people missed!
4. I find it helps to hold the stem with one hand, while picking with the other.
5. Repeat these operations using both hands until each holds 3 or 4 berries. Repeat the picking process with both hands.
6. Don't overfill your containers or try to pack the berries down. Ideally, the collection containers should be wide so the pberries aren't more than a few deep.
7. Pick berries into a shallow container. If they get piled too deep they will crush each other.
8. Avoid placing the picked berries in the sunlight 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.

When you get home

1. DON'T wash the berries until you are ready to use them or freeze them.  Washing makes them more prone to spoiling.
2. DO refrigerate! Right after picking, place raspberries in the fridge. If your fridge tends to dry out produce, lightly cover the container.
3. Raspberries don't store for very long, usually just a few days. The reason the ones from the grocery store last longer is they are covered with fungicides!
4. Pour them out into shallow pans and remove any mushed, soft or rotting berries
5. Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash  off the others, drain them and freeze them up! (Unless you're going to make jam right away) raspberries are less perishable than blueberries or strawberries, but refrigerate them as soon as possible after picking. Temperatures between 34 F and 38 F are best, but, be careful not to freeze the raspberries (while they are in the fridge)!
6. Even under ideal conditions raspberries will only keep for a week in a refrigerator, so for best flavor and texture, use them as soon as possible after purchase
7. See this page for illustrated freezing instructions.

Raspberry Recipes

1. Now, get ready to make raspberry jam - It is VERY easy - especially with our free
   raspberry jam directions - very easy! or for a jam with a little kick, try raspberry chipotle jam
2. And if you want to freeze them to use later, see my How to freeze berries page.
3. You can also make your own raspberry vinaigrette,
4. See this page for an easy recipe to make raspberry chipotle sauce

 

Raspberry Facts

• Raspberries are a very healthy food; packed with anthocyanins!
• Raspberries contain more vitamin C than oranges, are super high in fibre, lhave a good amount of folic acid, are high in potassium, vitamin A and calcium.
• The USDA says 1 cup of raspberries has about 62 calories.
• 11 cup of raspberries, not packed down weighs about 140 grams.
• An average raspberry has 100 to 120 seeds.
• Select plump, firm, fully raspberries. Unripe berries will not ripen once picked.
• Raspberries belong to a large group of fruits known as brambles, such as blackberries, in the plant genus Rubus.
• Raspberries come in red, yellow, orange, purple and black colors.
• Yellow raspberries are red raspberries that don't make red pigment.)
• In most areas, raspberries begin to bloom in late May or early June.
• Bumblebees, honeybees, and other wild bees love to visit brambles.
• 60-70 pints of fruits can be harvested from 100 feet row.
  Raspberries can be harvested from early summer through fall, usually right up until a freeze
• The United States is the world's third-largest producer of raspberries (FAOSTAT, 2013).
• Production occurs across much of the country, although most of it is concentrated in California, Oregon and Washington. California leads the nation in both black and red raspberry production (NASS, 2015).
• According to the most recent Census of Agriculture, the United States has 8,052 raspberry farms totaling 23,104 acres (Census of Ag, USDA, 2012).
• U-pick raspberry farms typically sell berries by the pound. A quart equals 1 and 1/4 pounds of fresh berries.
• Do the math and be careful not to over-purchase as raspberries 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.
• Want to go to a raspberry festival? See this page for a list!

Other Local Farm Products (Honey, Horses, Milk, Meat, Eggs, Etc.)
(NOT pick-your-own, unless they are also listed above)

• Farm markets and roadside stands
• Local Honey Finder
• Local Meat, Milk and Eggs
• Venues: Farms, Wineries, Orchards for your event, wedding or party
• Easter egg hunts
• Children"s consignment sales
• Fruit and vegetable festivals
• Winery tours and wine tastings
• Horse rides, stables, lessons, trails
• Maple Syrup farms and sugarworks
• Bed & Breakfasts on Farms, Wineries, Ranches and Orchards
• Pumpkin patches
• Corn mazes
• Zombie Paintball venues
• Christmas Tree Farms & lots
• Environmental resources
• Consumer fraud information
• Wholesale food sources
• Resources for Farmers