I went to my mom’s today to pick blueberries at a self-picking berry farm near her house. It was lots of fun! My kids loved berry picking! Besides having a great time as a family, I love for my kids to see where foods come from, how berries grow, and how berries are harvested. We have blueberry bushes in our yard but they are still small and the birds always beat us to the berries.
When is berry picking season?
Berry picking season can vary depending on the type of berries and your location. Generally, strawberries are ready for picking in late spring to early summer, while blueberries and raspberries are typically ready in the summer months. Blackberries can be harvested from late summer to early fall. It’s always a good idea to check with local farms or agricultural extension services for the most accurate information for your area.
The best time to go berry picking depends on the type of berry and your location, but generally, late spring through summer is ideal. For example:
- Strawberries: Late May to early June
- Blueberries: June through July
- Raspberries: June to August
- Blackberries: July to September
Visiting in the morning is often best because the berries are cool and firm, and the fields are less crowded. Checking with local farms or berry patches for peak harvest times can help ensure you go when the berries are sweetest and most abundant.
Why You Should Go Blue Berry Picking
Berry picking can be a fun and rewarding activity for several reasons:
1. Fun Experience & Makes Memories
My grandmother is 96 so she didn’t tramp along the bushes with us but she watched from the porch and enjoyed the view of the of us picking berries ourselves. My grandmother and I are very much alike and we both love to be busy! You can see she is giving my son instructions before he even gets off the porch! “You shouldn’t do that. Be careful.” She still tells stories about my brother raspberry picking when he was a little boy. “He was eating the berries as fast as he could with one hand and swatting mosquitoes with the other.”
2. Fresh, Local Produce
Fresh picked berries are fresh, local produce and you can’t beat that for flavor and nutrients. Picking your own berries ensures that you’re getting the freshest produce possible. My mom and daughter make a great berry picking pair. My mother insisted that I need twice as many berries as I thought was enough. “That’s enough,” I said to which she replied calmly and as if in agreement, “Yes. That’s not enough at all.” Very typical. Turns out you can’t get enough blueberries! We froze our extras for making blueberry pancakes and muffins, and blueberry hand pies.
3. Quality Control
Since you pick them, you can select the ripest, juiciest berries yourself, ensuring better quality than those you might find in stores.
4. Supporting Local Farmers
By participating in u-pick activities, you’re supporting local farmers and the local economy.
5. Environmental Impact
Picking your own berries can have a lower environmental impact compared to commercially grown berries that are shipped long distances.
6. Cost-Effective:
Pick-Your-Own-Berries come out cheaper than at the supermarket and you get to pick only the best berries.
7. Educational:
It’s a great opportunity to learn more about where your food comes from and how it’s grown. That’s me with my mini-me and our buckets of blueberries. I love to make fresh blueberry pies. We freeze our extras and pull them out for blueberry pancakes and blueberry muffins throughout the year.
Pick Your Own Berries
Berry picking is a wonderful activity because it combines outdoor exercise, fresh air, and quality time with friends or family. It encourages mindfulness as you search carefully among the bushes, noticing the colors, textures, and scents of nature. Kids and adults alike can learn about different types of berries, their growth habits, and even the importance of sustainable foraging. Beyond the educational and sensory benefits, picking berries is rewarding—you get to enjoy the literal fruits of your labor, whether eating them fresh, adding them to recipes, or preserving them for later. It’s a simple, wholesome way to connect with nature and slow down in today’s fast-paced world.
Berry picking is loads of fun for the whole family! We had the best time. Have you ever been to a berry farm? Do you have any picking stories you would like to share? Want to get in on the fun? Type “berry picking near me” into a search engine and see where the u pick farms are located near you!
Fast Forward 11 years: We had fun picking blueberries together yet again. You can see the photo on Instagram!
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