2024 San Bernardino County, California Strawberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org
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Strawberry U-Pick Orchards in San Bernardino County, California in 2024, by county
Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for strawberriesthat we know of in this area.
Not all areas of a state have strawberries farms that are open to the public. If you know of any others, please tell us using theadd a farmform!
Remember to always check with the farm's own website or Facebook page before you go - or call or email themif 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 infousing the "Report Corrections" form below.
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San Bernardino County
Riley's Farm- Apples, corn (sweet), olallieberries, cherries, pears, peaches, pumpkins, strawberries, cucumbers, flowers, raspberries, zucchini, pumpkin patch-pick in the field, and prepicked produce, tractor-pulled hay rides 12261 S. Oak Glen Road, Oak Glen, CA 92399. Phone: 909-797-7534. Email:info@rileysfarm.com. Open: Monday to Saturday 10 am to 5 PM. Directions: .Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx. Fax: 909-790-2552 Crops are usually available in May, June, July, August, September, October, November Living History, Revolutionary War and Civil War field trips, Banquets, Dances, General Store. The cherries are at a different location/entrance; see this page. Riley's Farm is a working apple orchard and living history farm featuring pick-your-own fruit, living history education, dinner theatre, group banquet facilities and extended, historically-themed overnight stays. And if you're a teacher or a youth group leader, we have educational day trips of all sorts to meet your needs
Rileys At Los Rios Rancho- Uses natural growing practices, strawberries, apples, chestnuts, pears, pumpkins, blackberries, raspberries, Cider mill fresh apple cider made on the premises, prepicked produce, gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, petting zoo, birthday parties, weddings and wedding parties, school tours 39611 Oak Glen Road, Oak Glen, CA 92399. Phone: 909-797-1005. Email:info@losriosrancho.com. Open: 7 Days a Week, 10 am to 5 pm. Directions: From the I-10 Freeway Exit Yucaipa Blvd and go north Make a Left onto Oak Glen Road Follow Oak Glen Road to Los Rios Rancho. .Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard, Discover. Fax: 909-797-2207Blackberries are one of our first U-Pick crops of the summer season, starting at the end of June or beginning of July. It's also one of our fastest picked, usually lasting only about three weeks. Our blackberries are on line vines without too many thorns, which makes them very picker-friendly. One of the varieties we have (olallieberries) are completely thornless! Raspberry Season Begins in late July and Ends in October. Apple Season Begins in August and Ends in November Raspberries: Late July through 1st frost Apples: August - November; Chestnuts: November - December Pears: August - September; Berries - Available from mid-August until the end of September. Pumpkins - Available from the end of September through the end of October We use natural practices, but are not yet certified OrganicWe value traditional farming methods and thus do not use pesticides or harmful chemicals on our produce. We are home to 8,000+ heirloom fruit trees and proudly produce 32 different unique apple varieties. We find that quality fruit tastes best when it is consumed as closely to it's picking season as possibleBerries: During the summer we offer over 3 acres of farm fresh raspberries and strawberries for U-pickPumpkins - Farm grown pumpkins are available for picking October and November. Supper Shows and Hoedowns Apple Butter Hoedown Currier and Ives Christmas Dinner and Dance Chuckwagon Supper Shows. Picking: Apples mid-August until they are picked out (call!); Berries - Available from mid-August until the end of September and Pumpkins - Available from the end of September through the end of October; U-Press Cider 12-4, (7 days a week)And, on weekends only: Horse-drawn Hayrides from 11-4, Little Seedling Ranch from 11 -4, Large cider press in operation from 11 - 2 and Packing House Tours at 1 pm. They have an annual Thanksgiving weekend Apple Butter Festival celebrates this fine old tradition, and we invite families to come up and share in it. We will have a hands-on demonstration of apple butter making the old-time (and slow!) way - outdoors in a big copper kettle; plus many more activities. There are restrooms, picnic, hiking, take credit cards, offer tours to groups, cider pressing, hay rides, petting zoo, and a great barbeque and gift shop. Also offer up public dinners with a live band that plays bluegrass. Also called Los Rios Rancho, a Riley Family Enterprise Comments from a visitoron October 05, 2009: "I love this place. I am addicted to it. I have to go back every fall."
Strawberry
Strawberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information
In the U.S. strawberries typically peak during April in Florida and Texas,
May in the deep South, and in early June in middle sections and later June in the
far North and Canada. Keep in mind that crops are ready at various times of the
month depending on which part of the state you are located. In order to produce
good local strawberries, producers depend on ideal spring weather conditions.
Before you leave to go to the farm:
Always call before you go to the farm - strawberries are affected by weather
(both rain and cooler temperature) more than most crops. And when they are
in season, a large turnout can pick a field clean before noon, so CALL
first!
Leave
early. On weekends, then fields may be picked clean by NOON!
Most growers furnish picking containers designed
for strawberries, 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
strawberries more than 5 inches deep will bruise the lower berries.
Plastic
dishpans, metal oven pans with 3 inch tall sidesand large pots make good
containers. I like the Glad storage containers like the one at right.
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 Strawberries
Grasp the stem just above the berry between the
forefinger and the thumbnail and pull with a slight twisting motion.
With the stem broken about one-half inch from
the berry, allow it to roll into the palm of your hand.
Repeat these operations using both hands until
each holds 3 or 4 berries.
Carefully place - don't throw - the fruit into
your containers. Repeat the picking process with both hands.
Don't overfill your containers or try to pack
the berries down.
General Picking Tips
Whether you pick strawberries from your garden or at
a Pick-Your-Own farm, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Be careful that your feet and knees do not
damage plants or fruit in or along the edge of the row.
Pick only the berries that are fully red. Part
the leaves with your hands to look for hidden berries ready for harvest.
To help the farmers, also remove from the plants
berries showing rot, sunburn, insect injury or other defects and place them
between the rows behind you. If they are left in the plants, the rot will
quickly spread to other berries.
Berries to be used immediately may be picked any
time, but if you plan to hold the fruit for a few days, try to pick in the
early morning or on cool, cloudy days. Berries picked during the heat of the
day become soft, are easily bruised and will not keep well.
Avoid placing the picked berries in the sunshine 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. Strawberries may be kept fresh in the refrigerator for two or three, depending upon the initial quality of the berry. After a few
days in storage, however, the fruit loses its bright color and fresh flavor
and tends to shrivel.
For interesting and fun strawberry facts and
trivia from the California Strawberry Commission,click
here!
When you get home
DON'T wash the berries until you are ready to use them. Washing
makes them more prone to spoiling.
Pour them out into shallow pans and remove any mushed, soft or rotting
berries
Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash and cut the caps
(green tops) off the others and freeze them up! (Unless you're going to make
jam right away)See this
page about how to freeze strawberries.
If you like the strawberries you picked, ask the farm what variety they
planted, and not the weather conditions the week or two before. The flavor
of a strawberry is affected by the variety, the weather and the degree of
ripeness when picked.
Picking the best strawberries:Select firm, fully red berries. Strawberries DO NOT continue ripen after
they are picked! In the photo, only the berry onthe far right is
completely ripe.
Strawberry festivals:Most areas that grow strawberries have a strawberry festival, at which you
can taste all kinds of fresh strawberry foods, pies, jams, cakes - and most
commonly, fresh strawberry shortcake. To find out where and when there
is one near you,see this
page for a list of strawberry festivals, sorted by state!
Strawberries measurements:government agriculture
websites tell us that 1 quart = 2 pints = 4 cups and is about the
same as 1 liter and 1 quart of fresh strawberries weighs 1 lbs to 1.25 lbs (or
450 to 600 g).
Of course, the weight
varies on variety and weather conditions. 1 quart is normally
enough for 4
servings, although I'll admit my son can eat 1 pint by himself!
How much to pick?In general, 1 quart of fresh, whole, just-picked strawberries =
approximately 3.5 cups hulled, whole berries. In other words, removing
the caps/hulls and the occasional mushy berry means you lose 1/4 cup to 1/2 (it depends how much fruit you remove with the hull) or
about 7 to 12% of every quart you pick.
One cup of strawberries contains only about 50 calories
U-pick strawberries are much healthier than store-bought. Consumer
reports says store bought strawberries have so many pesticide and fungicide
residues on they, that they don't recommend you eat them at all!
U-pick strawberry farms typically sell berries by the
pound. 1 lbs of fresh strawberries is about 2/3 of a quart.
It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to pick a quart, if the berries
are reasonably plentiful
The strawberry plant adapts to wide variety of soil conditions, but does
not tolerate drought well, and the berries quickly rot if the weather is
rainy. For this reason, the plants are usually grown on raised beds through
plastic mulch!
Cultivation of strawberries began in Europe in the 1300's, but the berry
only became very popular in the early 1900's in California.
Do the math and be careful not to over-purchase
as strawberries 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.
Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside.
Strawberries were originally called strewberries because the fruit was
'strewn' amongst the leaves of the plant.
California is king of strawberry productions because: California
produces 75 percent of the nation's strawberry crops; one billion pounds
of strawberries each year. If all the strawberries produced in
California in one year were laid berry to berry, they would go around
the world 15 times. Each acre of land in California in strawberry
production produces an average of 21 tons of strawberries annually, with
a total of 23,000 acres of strawberries planted in California each year.
More conversions
1 pint (2 cups) of fresh whole strawberries
= about 8 oz (1/2 lb) of strawberries
= 2.25 cups of sliced strawberries
= 1cup pureed strawberries
= 12-14 large strawberries
2 quarts of fresh strawberries are needed for a 9" pie
A 10 oz package of frozen berries is about the same as 1 cup of sliced
fresh strawberries