Looking for a local, pick-your-own farm in New South Wales and ACT, Australia,? Scroll down this page and you will see the U-Pick farms in New South Wales and 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!
New South Wales and 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
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!
Highlands and southern NSW
- Clyde River Berry Farm - blueberries, youngberries,
boysenberries, blackberries, raspberries and marionberries
River Road, South Brooman, near Ulladulla, NSW 4478. Phone: 02 4478 1057. Email: info@clyderiverberryfarm.com.au. Pick your own berries during December and January at Clyde River Berry Farm, located near Ulladulla and Batemans Bay on the NSW South Coast. Our 10 acre orchard is mainly blueberries but have short periods when other berries are available as well. Picking your own berries at Clyde River Berry Farm. Nothing tastes better than berries picked freshly in the height of summer by your own hands! On Arrival We will give you picking buckets and direct you to the 'berries of the day' in the ripest section of the farm. Here you can 'hunt and gather' berries of your choice.December and Jan, blueberries) as well as some youngberries, boysenberries, blackberries, raspberries and marionberries, (UPDATED: February 16, 2019, JBS)
A visitor writes on December 06, 2015: "Went to Clyde River Berry Farm. Plentiful trees with large blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, amazing mixed fruit berry ice-cream and 2 dogs that know how to win the hearts of visitors for a treat of ice-cream. $16kg for blueberries, $25kg for black/raspberries." - Kembla Cherry Orchard - cherries, U-pick
and already picked, picnic area
185 Shearer Drive, Royalla, NSW 2620. Phone: 0402 442 068. Open: Early December to early January, open 9am to 4pm daily; Closed Christmas day. Directions: Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. Established in 2001, Kembla Cherry Orchard consists of 2000 trees with 6 different varieties. (ADDED: December 29, 2015) - Montrose Berry Farm - Uses
natural growing practices, blueberries, red raspberries, loganberries, boysenberries, autumn raspberries, red currants and
hazelnuts, weddings
Ormond Street, Sutton Forest, NSW 2577. Phone: 248681544. Email: tim@montroseberryfarm.com.au. Open: October to late March, from 9.30 am to 4.00 pm on Tuesdays to Saturdays. asparagus, strawberries, English gooseberries, currants, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries. Also some apples and plums. Organic. Click here for a link to our Facebook page. In season freshly picked berries or when available out of season frozen berries may be available from the produce shop. When picking becomes available to the public changes to berry availability will be updated on their website by 7pm each day. Please check their website going to the farm. Please note they do not have picnic facilities at the farm but their staff can readily recommend to you some beautiful places nearby that cater for picnicers.. PLEASE DO NOT BRING ANY PETS TO OUR FARM. THEY PROVIDE ALL CONTAINERS FOR BERRY PICKING. Please bring your camera and a water bottle as most of our taps are bore water, personal containers, handbags, backpacks and prams are not allowed in the berry patches. If its a hot day bring an esky to take your berries home. During season when stocks permit visitors are invited to pick (conditions apply) their own blueberries, red raspberries, loganberries, boysenberries, autumn raspberries, red currants and hazelnuts during season. Go to the "Home Page" and register for our news letter to be notified at the beginning of the season when berries are available for pick your own.
Weddings Montrose... an elegant country experience since 1988 - in following tradition of the last quarter century or so, since purchasing the business and property in May 2009 the Robertson's have pleasure in continuing the availability of the Estate as a venue for weddings approved by Wingecarribee Shire Council through a valid development consent. This magnificent Estate with lovely gardens and rolling pastures provides you a great venue for that special day. (UPDATED: February 16, 2019, JBS)
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