2024 Southeast Colorado Vegetable U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Vegetable U-Pick Orchards in Southeast Colorado in 2024, by county

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

Otero County

• Mills Bros Farm Market - vegetables
  16831 Hwy. 50, Rocky Ford, CO . Phone: (719) 254-6154. Open: Mid-August through Mid-to-Late October, on Monday to Saturday, from 8 am to 6 or 7 pm. Click here for a map and directions. . Phone: (call first). West of Rocky Ford 2 1/4 miles, on north side of highway. Roadside market: bell peppers, cantaloupe, chile peppers, chiles - roasted, onions, pinto beans, squash, tomatoes, watermelon, honey. You pick available starting in September. New crop pinto beans available year-round while supplies last. Call for availability of other fruits and . (ADDED: May 11, 2010, from the CO Ag website)

Pueblo County

• Heckman Hollow  - Minimizes chemical and pesticide use, apples, flowers, pick your own vegetables
  65295 Highway 50, Fowler, CO 81039. Phone: 719-691-5862. Open: daily from 9 am to 5 pm. Directions: We are located approximately 6 miles West of Fowler or approximately 26 miles East Of Pueblo on Highway 50. Turn north 100 yards West of mile marker 345 on a private road. There is a sigh in the neighbors field that says Lusks 1/2 mile north. Travel North until you cross the railroad track and you will be in our yard. We are located near the River Bottom. You will see a deer fence around the trees when you arrive. We have approximately 1100 trees; The following dates are estimated ripe dates; These dates could change with the weather; Always call to see what is available; You can pick fresh flowers and make your own arrangements, right here on the farm! We have everything you need to make gorgeous groupings for any event, wedding bouquets or just a little something to brighten someone's day!
  Lodi -(Strictly a softer apple for applesauce) July 9;
  Gala - An all purpose desert apple August 10;
  McIntosh -All purpose eastern apple September 5 to 10;
  Jonathan - A firm slightly tart apple that is especially suitable for canning and freezing; September 15 to 20 (By far our biggest seller)
  Red Delicious - September 28 to 25;
  Fuji - A firm sweet late apple;(Supply somewhat limited from spring frost);October 10;
  Granny Smith and Winesap - Good eating and cooking apples October 20; Please Note the estimated dates May change; Also note the current extreme heat and drought conditions can change availability quickly; Always call ahead; We will have very few Yellow Delicious this year as a railroad fire burned some of our Yellow Delicious trees. We minimize use of pesticides and other chemicals. Payment: Cash, Check. We are a mom and pop farm U pick family operated orchard. No dog and pony show just apples. . Please bring your own containers. Weigh the containers ahead of picking if you have larger coolers. Call ahead to be sure we can be here. We sometimes have school groups, church groups, home school groups and hungry deer and birds.(ha). The orchard area is contained with in an 8 foot deer fence. Please stay in this area when picking. MULBERRIES AND VEGGIES START IN JUNE. THE CHERRIES RIPEN IN THE BEGINNING OF JULY AND THE LODI, A SUMMER APPLE, START IN THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST. WE HAVE OUR VIRGIN FRUITWOOD FOR SMOKING AND FIREWOOD AVAILABLE ALL YEAR
  Heckman Hollow Facebook
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  Heckman Hollow Tiktok
  (note, sold in 2021, formerly Lusk Orchard)
   (UPDATED: May 28, 2023, JBS) (UPDATED: January 25, 2023)
  A visitor writes on October 26, 2021: "Please note that Lusk Orchards (apples) has been sold. New owners are doing a beautiful job of refurbishing the place to their liking. Still selling apples (in season) and friendly as all get out... I'm sorry I don't have the name of the new owners, but extremely friendly and helpful. They are worth the correction on your webpage."
  Comments from a visitor on March 27, 2009: "I love it. They are friendly, helpful and down home."
  Note from Blake: they offer competitive prices, so if you can or freeze a bunch of apples or peaches, this is the place to go!.

 

Vegetable Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

Pick veggies that are firm and free of blemishes.

Canning, Freezing, Drying, Preserving and more!

Below are links to pages with easy and reliable directions about how to can, preserve, freeze and make other goodies fromveggiess.  Some of these require a Pressure Canner to prevent potential spoilage and food poisoning, due to the low acid content of the food.  For others, you can use a water bath canner OR a Pressure Canner.  I've noted what's required for each, below, following each entry, with
W for water bath,
P for Pressure canner, and
W, P for either may be used!

• Canning asparagus - P
• Canning fresh shelled beans - P
• How to can beets - P
• How to make home canned carrots - P
• How to can corn (hot pack method) - P
• How to can corn (raw pack method) - P
• How to can creamed corn (hot pack method) - P
• How to make canned greens, like Spinach, Turnip Greens, Collards, Kale, Swiss Chard
• How to can green beans, yellow beans, snap beans, broad beans, etc. - P
• How to make canned dried beans and peas (from kidney beans, peas, lima beans, broadbeans, chickpeas, pole beans, etc.) - P
• How to Make Homemade Canned Baked  Beans With Tomato or Molasses Sauce - P
• How to Make Homemade Canned Baked  Beans With Back, Pork or Ham and Tomato or Molasses Sauce - P
• Mixed vegetables - P
• Mushrooms - P
• How to can peas (English peas, Crowder peas, blackeye peas and purple hull peas) - P
• Boiled Peanuts! Now Southerners who move to other parts of the country can make their own home-canned boiled peanuts to eat later or give away as gifts
• How to can peppers (removing the skins)- P
• How to can peppers (leaving the skins on) - P
• How to can Hot peppers in oil - W
• How to make fresh basil Pesto (only fresh and frozen - this can't be home-canned)
• How to make canned Pineapple - W
• How to can potatoes - P
• How to home-can pumpkin (in a cooked, cubed form) and why you shouldn't home-can the pureed forms. Note: Pumpkin is difficult to can safely - it is a low acid food, so that rules out open water bath canning immediately. Pressure canners can be used, but according to the health authorities (like the National Center for Home Food Preservation) only if the pumpkin is cubed, rather than mashed. I usually just freeze the cooked pumpkin! - P
• How to make pumpkin pie from a whole, fresh pumpkin - the easy way! for fresh or frozen use
• More pumpkin recipes (roasting seeds, pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cookies, etc.) - fresh or frozen use
• Rhubarb - how to can rhubarb - W

Pickled vegetables

• Pickled asparagus  - W, P  
• Pickled beets - W, P
• Branston pickle relish (an English tradition)
• Pickled Brussels Sprouts (or Cauliflower) - W
• Bread-And-Butter Zucchini pickles - W, P
• Pickled green beans - W, P
• Pickled Dill beans - W, P
• Pickled cabbage - W, P 
• Pickled carrots - W, P
• Southern Chow-Chow (also called Piccalilli) - W, P 
• Pickled corn relish - W, P
• Pear relish
• How to Make Pickled Eggs (to store in the fridge!)
• Spiced Green tomatoes
• Pickled Green Tomatoes - another pickled green tomato recipe, this one sweet
• Pickled garlic - W, P -  (photos coming!)
• Hot relish (Dixie Relish, Fall Garden Relish)
• Mixed  vegetable pickles (cauliflower, peppers, onions, celery, cucumber mix) - W, P
• Mustard beans (pickled mustard beans)
• Pickled dilled okra! - W, P
• Olives
• Pickled pearl onions - W
• Pickled onions (red or white) - W
• Pickled peaches (also nectarines, apricots, etc.) - W,P
• Pickled peppers - W, P
• How to make sauerkraut - homemade and naturally fermented! - W, P
• Pickled Three-Bean Salad - W
• Pickled watermelon rind - W, P
• Zucchini pickles (dill) - W

Canning tomatoes (in water bath canners )

• How to can tomatoes using a water bath canner - W
• Diced, chopped or crushed tomatoes - W
• Bruschetta - W
• Tomato sauce - W
• Tomato paste - W
• Barbecue sauce (BBQ sauce) - W
• Chili sauce from your own tomatoes and peppers - W
• Diced, chopped or crushed tomatoes - W
• Tomato Preserves- W
• Tomato salsa - W
• Spaghetti sauce - without meat - W, P
• Spiced Green tomatoes- W
• Pickled Green Tomatoes - W - another pickled green tomato recipe, this one sweet
• Ketchup.. or if you prefer... How to make catsup - W, P
• NEW! SUPER-EASY homemade ketchup recipe - W
• Salsa from your unripe, GREEN tomatoes! - W
• Tomatillo salsa - W
• How to make roasted tomatoes, boiling water bath canner version - W

Canning Tomatoes in Pressure canners

• Canned tomatoes using a Pressure Canner - P
• Baked  Beans With Tomato or Molasses Sauce - P
• Canning your own chili con carne (with meat) - P
• How to make roasted tomatoes, pressure canner version - P
• Spaghetti sauce - with meat  - P
• Stewed tomatoes - P
• Tomato soup or tomato-basil soup - P
• Tomato sauce - P
• Tomato juice - P
• Tomato juice, like V8 - P

Freezing Tomatoes

• How to freeze tomatoes from you garden or the farm; for that fresh taste this winter!
• Space-saving prepping and freezing extra tomatoes from your garden to can later

Drying tomatoes

• NEW! How to make Sun-Dried Tomatoes
• Food drying basics and principles
• How to dry your own herbs
• Food Dehydrators - models, specs and pricing information

Ripening green tomatoes in your garage or basement

If you want to bring your green tomatoes indoors before a freeze in the Fall, and ripen them, see:

• How to ripen your green garden tomatoes indoors in the Fall and Winter.

And if you'd like to start you own tomatoes from seed (you can save a small fortune and grow the heirloom varieties you like) see this page for easy directions for growing your own tomato plants from seed.

• General Directions and guides about home canning, preserving, safety, tips, etc.)
• Home canning safety
• FAQs
• Equipment and supplies

Many more recipes and directions:

• Canning anything that can be safely canned at home!
• Juices: Canning fruit and vegetable juices
• Freezing directions
• Pie fillings (making home canned pie fillings)
• Sauces, Salsas, Syrups, Fruit Butters and Chutneys (from applesauce, apple butter, to salsa, syrups, etc, can any sauce)
• Broths and Stocks
• Soups - canning vegetable and meat soups at home (see this page for tomato soup)
• Pickling - more than just cucumbers
• Drying / food dehydrating
• Ice cream, gelato and sorbets

 

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