2024 Riverside County, California Peach U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org
Find a pick-your-own farm near you! Then learn to can and freeze! Since 2002! We update continuously; Beware the copycat websites!
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Peach U-Pick Orchards in Riverside County, California in 2024, by county
Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for peaches that we know of in this area. Not all areas of any state, nor even every state, have peaches orchards that are open to the public. If you know of any others, please tell us using the add a farm form!
Remember to always check with the farm's own website or Facebook page before you go - or call or email them if 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 info using the "Report Corrections" form below.
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Riverside County
Providence Farm - Uses natural growing practices, cherries, grapes, pears, peaches, Honey from hives on the farm, and prepicked produce, gift shop, restrooms, picnic area, farm animals, birthday parties 40376 Brookside Avenue, Cherry Valley, CA 92223. Phone: (951) 845-1210. Email: mycherryfarm@yahoo.com. Open: Saturdays and Sundays, 10am to 5 pm. Directions: From Los Angeles, take either the 60 Freeway East or the 10 Freeway East. Exit off the 10 Freeway on Beaumont Avenue. Turn left and head north on Beaumont. Turn right on Brookside Avenue. From Palm Springs, take the 10 Freeway West and exit onto Highland Springs Blvd. Turn right and travel north on Highland Springs Blvd. until you reach the country club. Turn left onto Brookside Avenue. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. Providence Farm Fax: (9510 845-1210. . Crops are usually available in June, July, August, September. We use natural practices, but are not yet certified Organic. We are a small, family owned farm. We sustainably grow wall of our crops and never use any chemicals. Weeds are controlled with our sheep and pests with natural predation. We also harvest and sell Asian pears, Shiro plums, Meyer Lemons, English walnuts, Fuji apples, apricots, a variety of fresh and dry herbs, farm fresh eggs, honey, and smoking chips in our country stand. An admission fee applies during the cherry season. Hold your next private outdoor function at our farm. Below are examples of some of the events hosts. Parties - When you celebrate a birthday at, you and your guests will enjoy a country ambience complete with hay rides for you and your guests and interaction with farm animals. Your reservation ($100 minimum) will provide you with use of two picnic tables for up to 15 guests for two hours. Additional guests $6 each. Extra options available include a clown, treat bags, fruit picking experience, and more. Please call or email to inquire. Special Events- provides you and your guests with a fun, relaxed country atmosphere. has hosted weddings, anniversary parties, and community barbecues, all customized. Let us know how we can help make your next event a memorable one. We grow 6 grape varieties on site. You can also generally pick other fruits such as Asian pears, bartlett pears, and Italian plums. You may eat all you want in the orchard, access our petting corral, picnic in our picnic area, and have free on site parking all for a nominal per person entrance fee. Season usually starts late August. Check our website or add your name to our mailing list to be notified of opening day. (UPDATED: April 30, 2018, JBS)
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Peach Picking Tips, Recipes and Information
In
the U.S., Peaches typically peak during late June through July in the South, and
July and August in the North. In order to produce good local peaches, producers
depend on ideal spring and early summer weather conditions, and no late frosts.
If you want to know
which are the best varieties of
peaches for home canning, see this page!
Before you leave to go to the farm:
Always call before you go to the farm - Peaches 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 peaches, 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 Peaches more than 14
inches deep will bruise the fruit on the bottom.
Plastic dishpans, metal oven pans with 3 inch tall sides and large
pots make good containers.
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.
You might want to ask whether the peaches are! There are two major types of
peaches: "Freestone" and. "Clingstone". Freestone peaches and nectarines
have flesh that slips easily away from the pit. Clingstones are a REAL pain,
because the fruit tenaciously clings to the stone or pit! Most peach
varieties grown today are freestone and are usually available (depending
upon your location) from June through September. Some nectarines are
freestone and some are clingstone. Freestone nectarines are available in
June and July. Most plum varieties are clingstone.
When you get home
Spread the fruit out on towels or newspapers and separate any mushy or
damaged fruit to use immediately.
Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash and cut the others and
freeze them up!
Even under ideal conditions peaches will only keep for a week in a
refrigerator, so for best flavor and texture, use them as soon as possible
after purchase
Ripe peaches have a creamy or golden undertone and "peachy-sweet"
fragrance.
Peaches should be refrigerated and used within a few days.
Putting peaches and nectarines in a loosely closed paper bag at room
temperature for a day or two can help soften firm fruit - but they won't
become sweeter or ripen further - that stopped when they were removed from
th etree.
For best flavor, allow the fruit to ripen fully on the tree.
Store at 33�F to 40�F and high humidity (a vegetable drawer in the
fridge).
How to tell if the peaches are ripe!
Attached to the tree: Peaches are best picked when the fruit
separates easily from the twigs. If it is hard to pull off the tree, it
isn't ripe! Peaches will not ripen further once removed from the tree (they
only "soften")
Color: Green is definitely unripe, but you can't use red color as
an indicator of how ripe a peach is. Different peach varieties have
differing amounts of red blush in their natural coloring. Pick them when the
ground color changes from green to yellow, orange, red (or a combination).
The skin of yellow-fleshed varieties ripens to an orange tint, while the
skin of white-fleshed varieties changes from greenish- to yellow-white.
Softness: unless you
like your peaches very firm, pick your peaches with just a little "give"
when gently pressed. Peaches at this stage are great for eating, freezing,
and baking. Peaches won't ripen very much after picking!
Odor: It should smell sweet and ripe!
Tips on How to Pick Peaches
A
peach is softer than most fruit, so it is important to pick a peach gently, with
little pressure. Using the sides of your fingers rather your fingertips helps to
avoid bruising. Grab the peach firmly and pull it straight off the branch.
DON'T drop the peach into the basket, but set it in gently!
Marks on the Peachs: Bugs (particularly squash bugs and stink bugs)
bite fruit during development and this results in some imperfections in the
peach. This is especially the case with organically raised fruit. These
look like dents in the peaches if the peaches were bitten by a bug when they
were young. This causes a spot that does not grow properly and makes a wrinkle
in the peach. There's nothing wrong with these peaches. They may look funny, but
they will taste just as good as blemish-free peaches, and it's better not to
have the pesticides!
How much do you need?
Raw measures:
About 2 medium peaches = 1 cup sliced peaches.
About 4 medium peaches = 1 cup pureed peach.
About 3 medium peaches = 1 pound of peaches
Process yields (Raw amounts to processed amounts)
2 to 21/2 pounds of fresh peaches yields 1 quart canned
1 lb of fresh peaches typically yields 3 cups of peeled, sliced peaches
or 2 cups or puree.
It takes about 5 good sizes peaches or nectarines (or about 10 plums) to
fill one quart jar of canned peaches.
An average of 171/2 pounds of fresh peaches are needed per canner load of
7 quarts;
An average of 11 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints.
1 bushel = 48 to 50 pounds, yields approximately 18 to 25 quart jars.
And a visitor contributes this: 6-7 peaches makes about 4 cups puree, so 2-3
peaches make about 2 cups puree. 1 peach equals about 1 cup puree.
It's best to remove peach pits before you cook the peaches. Cherry, peach,
and apricot pits also contain amygdalin; the latter two, in potentially harmful
amounts. Fortunately, peach and apricot pits are sufficiently large and hard
that few people intentionally swallow or chew them. (The unapproved anti-cancer
drug See this page for more
information&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/cam/laetrile">Laetrile is a semisynthetic derivative of amygdalin; a cheaper version of
laetrile produced in Mexico came from crushed apricot pits.)
See this page for more
information.