Growing up, I remember on nice sunny days, my mother would always take my family to U-pick farms. I never gave them too much thought as I always found myself stuffing my face full of berries, never having a full bucket. Looking back on those moments now, they tend to make me laugh, but my love for U-pick farms hasn’t faded. In fact, they happen to be one thing I look forward to every season.
If you aren’t familiar with U-pick or You-pick farms, they are a type of operation that allows customers to harvest food directly from the source. Sometimes it’s not even food, & it could easily be a Christmas tree or flower farm. Either way, they are a great excuse to get outside & enjoy nature while also supporting local communities through these self-sufficient, sustainable farms.
Here in Oregon, there are well over 250+ U-pick farms scattered across the state. Don’t worry though, when it comes to finding one it is a lot easier than you think & chances are closer than you realize.
First off, though, you got to know what exactly is in season throughout the year. Harvesting seasons range depending on the type of food but can be as early as April all the way into December. However, prime time for a lot of foods are from June through September. Here is a general idea of what exactly you might find in certain months.
June – July
During these months you will find the start of a variety of fruits & vegetables:
- Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, marionberries, blueberries, cherries.
- Asparagus, certain herbs, rhubarb, tomatoes, summer squash, peas, peaches, nectarines, cucumbers, & more showing up periodically thought the coming months.
August – September
Heading into the ending months of summer, you will find many of the previous fruits & vegetables reaching more ideal harvesting times, along with the introduction of some new harvest:
- Peppers, potatoes, pears, cantaloupes, apples, & more.
October – December
Throughout these months, the spring & summer harvest begins to die down. With the exception of certain seasonal fall varieties starting up:
- Pumpkins, squash, beets, fennel, carrots, cabbage, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, grapes, & more.
- Let’s not forget about the December fun of Christmas trees too!
Heads Up!
Even though you now know what to expect in certain harvesting months, we want to remind you that in many areas across Oregon, there are still COVID-19 restrictions going on. So, if you find yourself heading off to a U-pick farm, make sure to adhere to any changes & rules that may be posted. Or go a step further & give them a call to check & make sure they are open.
Finding a U-pick Farm
For more detailed information regarding the harvesting seasons, we recommend checking out this fantastic website, PickYourOwn. PickYourOwn makes finding U-pick farms near your location easier than ever before with the help of a regional map. This map shows the location of farms & orchards for various regions throughout Oregon, further breaking them down into specific counties. All you have to do is click on an area and it will pull up a list. They also break down in more detail about what to expect in certain harvesting months with their own harvesting calendar. As well as the site has a few other fun additives such as instructions & recipes on canning your harvest.
Green Eats 