2024 central Virginia, Charlottesville, etc. Raspberry 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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Raspberry U-Pick Orchards in central Virginia, Charlottesville, etc. in 2024, by county
Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for raspberries that we know of in this area.
Not all areas of a state have raspberries 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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Orange County
Liberty Mills Farm - Minimizes chemical and pesticide use, corn (sweet), cucumbers, herbs or spices, peas, peppers, pumpkins, raspberries (red), raspberries (black), winter squash, strawberries, tomatoes, Honey from hives on the farm, picnic area you may bring your own food, school tours, group reservations 9166 Liberty Mills Road, Somerset, VA 22972. Phone: 434-882-6293. Email: info@libertymillsfarm.com. Open: Visit our website for PYO hours, which vary by crop. Directions: From Charlottesville, VA Take Route 29 north to Ruckersville, then take a right onto Route 33 east. At Barboursville, take a left onto Route 20 north toward Orange. At the Somerset Store, take a left onto 231. Turn right onto Liberty Mills Road, 641. Liberty Mills Farm will be on your right. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard. Liberty Mills Farm Facebook page. . Alternate Phone: 434-882-MAZE Picking updates: Click here for picking updatesStrawberries: May to June; Contact for hours and days. We minimize use of pesticides and other chemicals. Check our website and Facebook pages often for specials, events, coupons and more!Click here for our Facebook page. No pets, smoking or alcohol allowed on the farm at any time. Strawberries: May to June; Contact for hours and days. We minimize use of pesticides and other chemicalsNo pets, smoking or alcohol allowed on the farm at any time. Located in Central Virginia, just 30 minutes northeast of Charlottesville, would LOVE for you to have an A-Maze-ing Adventure. Wind your way through our 33 acre Fall Corn Maze, pick Flowers, attend our Sunflower Festival, pick Strawberries or Pumpkins, explore our Farm Market and view our antique tractor collection. No pets, smoking or alcohol permitted on the farm.(UPDATED: October 14, 2019, JBS)
The Market at Grelen - Uses integrated pest management practices, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries (red), raspberries (yellow), raspberries (black), gift shop, concessions or refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, birthday parties, weddings and wedding parties, school tours 15111 Yager Road, Somerset, VA 22972. Phone: 540-672-7268. Email: info@themarketatgrelen.com. Open: June thru September, Tuesday thru Sunday, 9am to 4pm. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard, AmEx. The Market at Grelen Facebook page. . Alternate Phone: 540-672-5462Be sure to see their page for updates and changesPicking updates: Click here for picking updatesWe use integrated pest management practicesPick-Your-Own options vary by season. Starting with blueberries, the berry picking starts late May/early June and typically goes thru September. Peaches ripen in early June & Apples are in the Fall (Sept-Nov). To stay up-to-date on what is ripe for picking, please join our email list to receive our e-newsletters. You can also follow us on Facebook. is a year-round destination farm market and garden shop on a 600-acre tree nursery in Somerset, VA (Grelen Nursery, Inc). In addition to produce, honey, flowers, plants, shrubs, we carry high-quality gardening gifts and supplies. Grelen Nursery offers superior landscaping, hardscaping, planting, and maintenance services. For more information, please email us. Available also are herbs, flowering perennials and a variety of trees and shrubs. Pre-picked produce includes Freestone Peaches, Apples, Asian Pears, Log Grown Shiitake and Oyster Mushrooms, and a variety of Seasonal Vegetables. We will be hosting berry picking field trips this summer for preschools, private and public schools, home schools, and other organizations. For more info on group outings, please email us
Raspberry
Raspberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information
Raspberries can produce an early summer crop or a late summer and Fall
crop.
In
the U.S. Spring / Summer raspberries (called florocanes) typically peak during June in the South, and in July in
the North. The primocane varieties, which produce raspberries on shoots that
come up each Spring are typically read from August until frost.
And for those of you from the upper midwest through the west and up
to Canada, if you are interested in
Thimbleberries, see this
page.
Before you leave to go to the farm:
Always call before you go to the farm - 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 raspberries, 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 raspberries more than
5 inches deep will bruise the lower berries.
Plastic dishpans, metal oven pans with 3 inch tall sides and 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 raspberries
Raspberry bushes don't have thorns, but they are a pick prickly, so if you
want to hold the stem while picking, a pair of lightweight gloves is
helpful.
A ripe raspberry is deep color with a
plump, soft but firm feel. It will pull free from the plant with only a slight tug. The
center will remain on the plant. Keep in mind, raspberries come in many
colors: red, yellow, black, purple, so you want to pick the darker shade of
whichever it is.
Pick only the berries that are fully ripe. Reach in between the stems to
grab for hidden berries ready for harvest. Bend down and look up into the
plant and you will find loads of berries that other people missed!
I find it helps to hold the stem with one hand, while picking with the
other.
Repeat these
operations using both hands until each holds 3 or 4 berries. Repeat the picking process with both hands.
Don't overfill
your containers or try to pack the berries down. Ideally, the collection
containers should be wide so the pberries aren't more than a few deep.
Pick berries into a shallow container. If they get piled too
deep they will crush each other.
Avoid placing the picked berries in the sunlight 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.
When you get home
DON'T
wash the berries until you are ready to use them or freeze them. Washing
makes them more prone to spoiling.
DO refrigerate! Right after picking, place raspberries in
the fridge. If your fridge tends to dry out produce, lightly cover the
container.
Raspberries don't store for very long, usually just a few days. The reason
the ones from the grocery store last longer is they are covered with
fungicides!
Pour them out into shallow pans and remove any mushed, soft or rotting
berries
Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash off the others, drain
them and freeze them up! (Unless you're going to make jam right away)
raspberries are less perishable than blueberries or strawberries, but
refrigerate them as soon as possible after picking. Temperatures between 34
F and 38 F are best, but, be careful not to freeze the raspberries (while
they are in the fridge)!
Even under ideal conditions raspberries will only keep for a week in a
refrigerator, so for best flavor and texture, use them as soon as possible
after purchase
Raspberries are a very healthy food;
packed with anthocyanins!
Raspberries contain more vitamin C than oranges, are super high in fibre,
lhave a good amount of folic acid, are high in potassium, vitamin A and
calcium.
The USDA says 1 cup of raspberries has about 62 calories.
11 cup of raspberries, not packed down weighs about 140 grams.
An average raspberry has 100 to 120 seeds.
Select plump, firm, fully raspberries. Unripe berries will not
ripen once picked.
Raspberries belong to a large group of fruits known as brambles, such as
blackberries, in the plant genus Rubus.
Raspberries come in red, yellow, orange, purple and black colors.
Yellow raspberries are red raspberries that don't make red pigment.)
In most areas, raspberries begin to bloom in late May or early June.
Bumblebees, honeybees, and other wild bees love to visit brambles.
60-70 pints of fruits can be
harvested from 100 feet row. Raspberries can be harvested from early
summer through fall, usually right up until a freeze
The United States is the world's third-largest
producer of raspberries (FAOSTAT, 2013).
Production occurs across
much of the country, although most of it is concentrated in California,
Oregon and Washington. California leads the nation in both black and red
raspberry production (NASS, 2015).
According to the most recent Census of Agriculture, the United States
has 8,052 raspberry farms totaling 23,104 acres (Census of Ag, USDA, 2012).
U-pick raspberry farms typically sell berries by the pound. A quart
equals 1 and 1/4 pounds of fresh berries.
Do the math and be careful not to over-purchase as raspberries 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.