Looking to have some outdoor fun? Engaging in the activity of picking your own fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits can create a memorable experience, while also allowing you to buy locally sourced produce at a reasonable cost.
Various farms across the nation provide opportunities for visitors to pick their own strawberries, rhubarb, peas, blueberries, peaches, apples, and more. As someone who has been a fan of U-pick farms for a long time, I have gathered garlic scapes, harvested asparagus spears, and even dug up my own potatoes, which was quite messy.
Many of these farms offer additional entertainment suitable for all age groups. From corn mazes to playgrounds, petting zoos, and wagon rides, there are plenty of activities to turn your visit into a full day of countryside enjoyment.
The timing for each crop can differ significantly each year and across regions. Hence, it is advisable to refer to the harvest calendar for your locality and contact or check the social media pages of local farms to confirm availability before making your trip.
Here are 15 U-pick farms in Canada worth exploring this year:
1. Maan Farms, Abbotsford, B.C.: Offers raspberry, blueberry, and strawberry picking, with strawberries grown at a convenient standing height. The farm also produces wine from its own berries and features the Barnyard Adventureland for kids.
2. Taves Family Farms, Abbotsford, B.C.: Visitors can pick strawberries, apples, goji berries, pears, plums, and pumpkins, along with enjoying attractions like a petting barn, sunflower garden, and hay rides.
3. Twin Oaks Organic Orchard, Kelowna, B.C.: An organic orchard providing various U-pick fruits such as apples, cherries, apricots, peaches, and pears, with a shop selling honey, eggs, and fresh hazelnuts.
4. The Saskatoon Farm, Foothills County, Alta.: A family-run farm near Calgary offering saskatoon berries, sour cherries, apples, and blackcurrants, along with a market, garden center, restaurant, bakery, and other amenities.
5. Eagle Creek Farms, Red Deer County, Alta.: Located north of Calgary, this farm allows visitors to pick potatoes, carrots, peas, beans, onions, zucchinis, and fresh flowers like gladioli, sunflowers, and zinnias, with a sunflower maze opening in mid-August.
6. Rhodes’ Raspberries and Blackcurrants, Saskatoon: Offers a variety of berries for picking, including raspberries, blackcurrants, and saskatoon berries, along with selling frozen berries, juice, jams, and sorbet.
7. Riverbend Orchards, Portage la Prairie, Man.: Features U-picks for cherries, saskatoon berries, haskap berries, gooseberries, and later in summer, apples, with options to pre-order pies, plants, and berries.
8. Andrews Farm Market and Winery, Milton, Ont.: A popular farm near Toronto where visitors can pick rhubarb, asparagus, strawberries, currants, raspberries, blueberries, apples, and pumpkins, and enjoy attractions like U-pick peonies, dahlias, and sunflowers.
9. Dutchyn Farms, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.: A third-generation farm offering pick-your-own peaches, nectarines, plums, and seedless grapes, with a tractor-drawn wagon for orchard tours and a market selling pre-picked fruits.
10. Pingle’s Farm Market, Hampton, Ont.: A family-friendly farm market with activities like fruit and vegetable picking, visiting farm animals, wagon rides, corn mazes, and a pumpkin patch.
11. Quinn Farm, Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que.: A U-pick farm near Montreal with apple orchards, strawberry fields, blueberry patches, pumpkin patches, corn fields, and a farm shop offering various local products.
12. Trueman Blueberry Farms, Sackville, N.B.: A family-owned farm providing pick-your-own high-bush and wild blueberries, along with options for tulips, rhubarb, raspberries, pumpkins, and a variety of homemade treats at their retail store.
13. Dempsey Corner Orchard, Aylesford, N.S.: Located in the Annapolis Valley, this orchard offers U-pick opportunities for strawberries, raspberries, peaches, pumpkins, and potatoes, with additional amenities like a market, gift shop, café, and petting zoo.
14. The Grove Orchard and U-Pick, Cornwall, P.E.I.: An orchard offering U-pick options for Asian pears and various apple varieties, with fall treats like coffee, apple cider, and mini doughnuts available for visitors.
15. Lester’s
