Looking for a local, pick-your-own farm in Australia Capital Territory (ACT), Australia,? Scroll down this page and you will see the U-Pick farms in Australia Capital Territory (ACT), Australia,, sorted by area. Those that offer organic or sustainably grown produce are identified by the words "organic" and/or "sustainable" in Green, next to their name. The U-pick crops they offer follow the name of the farm. To search the page for a specific crop, use Ctrl-F (or on an ipad or Mac, use their "search on this page" function) If they have a website, the name will be in blue and underlined; click on it and it will open their website. Updated frequently during the growing season, I've been maintaining this for 20 years. Help me keep this up to date, please tell me via the let me know of any changes, corrections and updates!
And if you know of any I missed and want to add them or correct the information, please let me know!
What's in season in December 2024, and other timely information:
Notes for December 2024:Apples are usually January to May; Blueberries are ready in December to mid January in MOST areas of Australia. Strawberries can have a long season, November to April - depending on the variety. See your area's crop availability calendar for more specific dates of upcoming crops. The U-pick crops they offer follow the name of the farm. To search the page for a specific crop, use Ctrl-F (or on an ipad or Mac, use their "search on this page" function) If they have a website, the name will be in blue and underlined; click on it and it will open their website.
Home canning and freezing directions. You can access it from the drop down menus at the top of the page or the site search. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to write me!
Australia Capital Territory (ACT), Australia, U-Pick Farms and Orchards in 2024, by county
Click on the resources drop-down above, if you need a county map. If you know of any other PYO farms I've missed, please write me via the Suggest a farm form (or if you own the farm, use the Add My Farm form).
Australia Harvest Calendar / Typical Crop Ripening Dates for Australia
If you want to start your own food business in Australia, at home or otherwise, see this page.
Keep in mind that the wildfires have devastated many farms and orchards. That, along with COVID, means many farms may not be open this year, or have restrictions. Give them your support!
Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
- Christmas Tree Keng - Christmas trees,
Choose Your Own Christmas tree
242 Shingle Hill Way Federal Highway, Canberra, ACT 2621. Phone: 62369689. Email: christmastreekeng@bigpond.com. Directions: From Canberra: We are 15 mins from Canberra. To get here take the Federal Highway towards Goulburn. Go past the 2 overhead bridges. Immediately after Middleton VC Rest Area turn left onto Shingle Hill Way. We are 2.4 km on the right (242 Shingle Hill Way). Open: Weekends: 9am to 5pm Weekdays: 3pm to 6pm All other times please ring 62369689 for appointment or email us Christmas Trees: December 1 to December 24. Payment: Please email or ring us for this year's prices -
Riverview Homestead And Hazelnuts - Uses natural growing practices,
Hazelnuts
UPDATE for 2023 - they may have permanently closed!
1173 Wallaroo Rd Via Hall , Canberra , ACT 2618. Phone: 026-230-2637. Email: lesrobdj@bigpond.net.au. Open: UPDATE for 2023, Their website is gone and there's nothing else about them that is current on the internet - I presume they have closed. Does anyone have current information, are they still offering pick your own or are even open? If so, please write me. Weekends from 7am to 7pm and weekdays by prior appointment. Fresh pick-your-own hazelnuts from late January to February each year. Directions: At Hall, ACT; Wallaroo Road is off Barton Highway. Riverview Hazelnuts is 11.73 kms from the Barton Highway. We use natural practices, but are not seeking organic certification. Payment: Cash, Visa, MasterCard. - Tanbella Orchard - apples and other fruit
20A Beltana Road, Pialligo, ACT 2609. Phone: +61 0490401 683. Email: apples@tanbellaorchard.com. Open: Late January to late May,Thursday to Monday from 10am to 4pm, find us at 20a Beltana Road in Pialligo, pick up a bucket ($5) and start foraging for your fruit bowl ($7/kilo). (Prices are 2021). Honesty cart open all other days. Mainly apples but also some peaches, plums, quince and pears. (UPDATED: May 27, 2010, by a visitor)
The listings are frequently updated, but often they don't tell us current prices, so the prices unless you see this year's update date.
Other Local Farm Products (Honey, Horses, Milk, Meat, Eggs, Etc.)
(NOT pick-your-own, unless they are also listed above)
In addition to listings of farms, I hope the following pages are helpful to you!
Picking Tips!
General picking tips and a guide to each fruit and vegetable
How much do I need to pick? (Yields - how much raw makes how much cooked or frozen)
Selecting the right varieties to pick
All about apple varieties - which to pick and why!
Simple instructions:
Canning and Freezing
FAQs - Answers to common questions and problems
Comprehensive addition resources
Free publications to download and print
Canning equipment
To can (bottle, jar) most acidic foods, like jams, jellies, salsa, fruit products like applesauce, apple butter,
peaches, etc, you need the following:
A canner - a large pot, usually 33 qts, which can hold 7 quart jars or 12 8 ounce jars. And large pot with a lid will work, so long
as each jar will be submerged by at least 1 inch of boiling water.
This is a good canner,
and here is a canning kit, but Amazon seems to have difficulty keeping them in stock.
If
you want to can low acid foods like canned green beans, sweet corn, meats, etc., you MUST use a
pressure canner. It reaches higher temperatures which are needed to kill mold and botulism. The jars, lids and other equipment are the
same.
Canning rack - The canning rack is critical, just be sure it fits inside your canning pot. It allows you to safely and easily lift the jars in and out of the canner.
Miscellaneous tools - Some kits contain most of the tools you'll need like this
canning
tools kit.
Jar tongs (to pick up hot jars)
Jar funnel - good ones also help you measure the headspace and cover the rim from splashes
Canning Lid rack - to hold the lids while they are sanitizing in a small pot of boiling water
Supplies -
canning jars - these come in the modern lid and ring system and some
older version. Most have change to the two piece lid and ring method since it ENORMOUSLY reduces spoilage. Like everything else, jars can be hard to
obtain. Some commercial products, like spaghetti sauce, sometimes come in a sturdy jar that fits the standard lid and ring.
lids and rings (a.k.a, "bands")
Pectin (if you are making jam or
jelly)
WECK Small-Batch Preserving: Recipes for Canning, Fermenting, Pickling, and More