Berry picking season is here! 8 Indiana spots to pick your own fruit
With summer finally here, many of us are feeling picky about produce; eager to get on onto local farms and pluck our own berries and other fruit from patches, trees and vines.
It’s an activity that combines exercise, fresh air, and transparency with regard to where our food is coming from, local farmers say.
Indiana’s U-pick farms fall among about 300 agritourism facilities in the state, said Regan Herr, communications manager for the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.
“Some of these destinations have turned into an experience where you can take your kids and they can shoot apples out of cannons or they can do a hayride through a corn maze or one thing after the other," she said.
Visitors typically prefer the locally-grown berries because they are juicier and more flavorful than the produce in the supermarket grown to withstand shipping, farmers say.
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And in some cases, it could mean savings for shoppers. Customers can save up to 30% by picking their own at Chandler’s Orchard and Country Market in Fillmore, said Jerry Chandler. About 50% of the sales at Chandler's come from pick-your-own produce.
For many, it’s about family time.
“There’s lots of interest with parents bringing young children out here to show them and have the experience of the farm and show them where food comes from,” said Carol Waterman, owner of Waterman’s Family Farm in Indianapolis.
Parties of extended families show up to pick tiny peppers, a time-consuming process.
Waterman’s this year planted flower patches specifically to get kiddos more involved with picking.
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Now, interest is focused on strawberries in its all-too-short season. Indiana-grown strawberries are available for only a few weeks.
Although a late April freeze destroyed some crops and some farms are still waiting to let folks know about their berry availability for 2023, there are places to fill your baskets with the freshest from the farm pickings.
Here are local farms that allow visitors to pick their own produce.
Most advise customers to check their social media accounts for updates on when they open for the season and what their hours will be.
Where to pick your own fruit in Indiana
Bell's Strawberry Farm
16447 State Road 38, Hagerstown, 765-238-9359, eatmorestrawberries.com
Harvesting of strawberries is expected to commence just before or after Memorial Day.
About half of the farm’s daily customers are folks looking to pick their own berries.
Chandler's Orchard & Country Market
2849 South County Road 825 East, Fillmore, 317-539-6255, chandlersfarmmarket.com
U-Pick strawberry season begins May 29 with hours adjusting to the season. The U-Pick price is $4.49 a pound. A quart of picked strawberries is $6.25.
The farm is open for strawberry season Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. It also sells prepared strawberry shortcakes.
David Doud's Countyline Orchard
7877 W. 400 North, Wabash, 765-833-6122
The orchard is closed through May as strawberries are still ripening but the orchard expects them to be ready starting in mid-June, according to a Facebook post.
It also grows peaches, Asian pears and various apple varieties, which are not U-pick. Peaches and early apples are available in August. Pears and other apple varieties are available from September through December. The farm accepts cash and personal checks only.
Driving Wind Farm
6410 Michigan Road, Indianapolis, 317-257-3000, drivingwindberryfarm.com
Blueberries and blackberries typically are ready in late June and available into August.
The farm expands into inground-grown strawberries with a crop this year, expected to be ready in June for U-pick. They teased the growing crop of strawberries on their Facebook page.
Pumpkins will be ready in the fall. It will welcome an apple crop in 2024.
Spencer Farm
7177 E. 161st St., Noblesville, 317-776-1560 , spencerberryfarm.com
Its strawberries are typically available from late May/early June. On Saturday the farm announced it pre-picked strawberries are ready.
"The you-pick season has not started yet, but there (are) enough berries in the fields to have pre-picked strawberries in the market," the farm posted on Facebook. "Our employees will be picking all day so we plan to have berries available all day today and tomorrow."
Asparagus also is available for picking now.
It also will have red raspberries and in the fall, pumpkins, for picking.
Tuttle Orchards
5717 N. 300 West, Greenfield, 317-326-2278, indianapolisorchard.com
The fourth-generation family-owned farm is operational year-round with crops available for U-pick, including several varieties of apples (September-October), pumpkins (October), and sunflowers and wildflowers (select fall dates). Other produce that is grown at Tuttle, including southern strawberries, is available in the Farm Store but is not available for pick-your-own.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Waterman’s Farm Market
7010 E. Raymond St., Indianapolis, 317-357-2989, watermansfamilyfarm.com
The farm opened for strawberry picking May 22 last year, but hadn't announced an opening date for 2023 as of Saturday morning.
Strawberries are the first crop of the season. Customers also will be able to pick their own greens and hot peppers as well as select flowers from a new patch in 2023. Waterman’s welcomes customers to pick pumpkins each fall with activities loaded in October.
Waterman's will host its strawberry festival, with food trucks, kid activities and dozens of vendors on June 3-4.
Zink Berry Farm
5878 S. Skinner Road, Morgantown, 765-346-9813, zinkberryfarm.com
Blueberries here are grown without pesticides or herbicides.
The berries aren’t likely to be ready until the first week or middle of June, depending on the weather. When they are, they’ll cost $4 a pound.
The farm is open from daylight to dark seven days a week. Customers can pick even if owners are away from the area. Just leave the payment in the money box.
Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at [email protected] or 317-444-6264. Follow her on Twitter:@cherylvjackson.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana berry picking season: Where to pick your own fruit
