Blueberry U-Pick Orchards in Hamilton County, North Florida in 2024, by county

Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for blueberries that we know of in this area. Not all areas of any state, nor even every state, have blueberries 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.

Hamilton County

• Lacefield Farms - blueberries, grapes, grapefruit, lemons, pears, Fresh eggs, U-pick and already picked, farm animals
  7340 Southeast County Road 135, Jasper, FL 32052. Phone: (386) 397-1827. Email: lacefieldfarms@aol.com. Open: Email or call to arrange date and time. Directions: We are 9 miles north of White Springs on CR 135. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. . . (ADDED: June 14, 2016)
• Steichen's Blueberry Farm (also called Al and Linda's) - Minimizes chemical and pesticide use, blueberries, U-pick and already picked, porta potties
  9063 Se 143rd Ave, White Springs, FL 32096. Phone: 386-623-6830. Email: steichenblueberryfarm@yahoo.com. Open: with 9 acres to pick. Directions: We are located 5 miles West of White Springs, FL on County Road 25 A. Follow the signs; From Jacksonville, take I 10 west to 41 North through White Springs. Go left on County Road 25 A for 5 miles. Turn Right on 143rd Avenue Go 1-12 miles and our farm is on the left. Signs will show you where to go. Call if you need further assistance. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard. . Alternate Phone: 386-397-2830. . Tuesday to Saturday from 7am to 2 pm; (We won't throw you out if you're finishing up your picking) closed on Sunday and Monday. We are located 5 miles West of White Springs, FL on County Road 25 A. Follow the signs; From Jacksonville, take I 10 west to 41 North through White Springs. Go left on County Road 25 A for 5 miles. Turn Right on 143rd Avenue Go 1-1/2 miles and our farm is on the left. Signs will show you where to go. Call if you need further assistance. We have 7 acres of blueberries; There are several different varieties and you can pick until you drop!! Blueberries are in full swing, but we will be estimating closing about June 25th as the crops have come in early this year and the heat is shortening the season; Come now! We have water and porta potties so you don't expire; Pack a lunch and bring your drinks, your family and your pickin' fingers. Picking begins June 1 and pricing in 2014 is: U pick $9.00 per gal.. We pick for $14.00 per gal. We have oversized buckets and we filter out the buckets for sticks etc when you are finished. Our bushes are about 4-7 feet tall and able to be picked by hand. Please bring your own bug spray and sun screen if needed. Cash if preferred, Checks accepted with proper ID. We do have porta potties and clean drinking water is available. We have wholesale available also. Please contact us directly for wholesale picking.
  Comments from a visitor on June 01, 2012: "On May 31, 2012 I went blueberry picking at Steichen's Farm. I wish I had known how much of the drive was on dirt road as I was getting nervous that we weren't going to find a farm. Other than that, I have no complaints. The farm was great! The blueberries were great. Each gallon we picked was $7.50. I will definitely go back! "
  Comments from a visitor on May 15, 2012: "What a fabulous place to go!! Al even calles me each year to advise me when they start picking. They open May 22nd and the prices are lower rthis year than last!! U-Pick is $1.17 per pound, If he picks, they are $13.50 per bucket (about 1 gal) or about $2.17 per pound. Wide open . Great place for a family to go. . Al Steichen is a great guy. They have buckets and strings. Bring a lunch. You can pick until you drop and hardly move. Wear a hat, take bug spray, just in case! A great way to spend a day. We've gone for 2 years and this will be the 3rd! Go early. they close about 2-3 pm. Best place on earth to pick blueberries!!!"
  Comments from a visitor on June 10, 2010: "After several calls, I found this farm thru a referral. After a brief visit, we are driving the 1-1/2 hours to get there. .Talk about blueberries..He has 9 acres of berries and they are wonderful. Picking is 7 days a week and you can pick until you can't. Mr Steichen is wonderful and so accommodating. His prices are the BEST around. ..about $1.20 / pound, but he charges by the gallon. $7.50 u pick or $12.50 they pick. The bushes are all within reach and you can just turn around and help yourself to all you can put into your bucket. This is wide open territory, so wear a hat, bring bug spray if you need it, and be prepared to pick pick pick. They also sell wholesale if you are interested.. Millions and millions of blueberries, but they will be finished about end of June..maybe first week of July this year due to the late start. There are porta potties and fresh drinking water available. GET READY TO PICK!!" For availability of other crops (berries, vegetables, etc.) in Florida, click here!

 

Blueberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

Blueberries are one of the easiest fruit to prepare and serve. There's no peeling, pitting, coring or cutting. They have few natural pests, (other than birds), so pesticides are generally unnecessary! This year's crop is fantastic (see related news story), thanks both to the weather and to more farms planting more blueberry bushes due to increased consumer demand over the past few years as more studies proclaim the anti-oxidant and other health properties of blueberries.

Click here to find a local Blueberry Festival (usually held between April and July).

If you are looking for information about a similar berry, the saskatoon (also called the June berry or Serviceberry) see this page about saskatoons.

Picking tips:

Select plump, full blueberries with a light gray-blue color. A berry with any hint of red isn't fully ripened.

Ripening AFTER picking?

First, it is key to know that once picked, blueberries will NOT become any sweeter, nor will the flavor improve. The only change that occurs is the color. They will APPEAR to ripen, but it is only a color change, from white to green to rose to red to pale blue to fully blue. So, white and green colored blueberries will not "ripen" after they are picked; while blueberries that have already turned purple, red or blue-ish usually DO change color after they are picked (if they are kept at room temperature to "ripen").

As the blueberries ripen ON THE BUSH, the flavor goes from tastless to bitter to tasteless tart to tart blueberry flavor to sweet blueberry flavor.

Grocery stores sell blueberries that are tart, not sweet because they had them picked unripe by machine so they are very firm and can handled being bumped around in shipping. They may look good, but are not as tasty as those picked when actually ripe.

So, the key is, PICK ONLY RIPE BERRIES!

How to pick blueberries

Since blueberries hang on the bushes in bunches a but like grapes do, the easiest and fastest way to pick them is hold your bucket under them in one hand and with your other hand, cup a ripe bunch and gently rub them with your fingers. The ripe berries will drop into your bucket, while the unripe ones will remain attached to the bush.

When the bushes are at peak, I can easily pick 2 gallons per hour (if I'm not being distracted by the kids and the sun isn't too hot!). A newbie might do 1 gallon per hour.and at the beginning or end of the season it takes more time as the berries are not as plentiful nor concentrated in clusters.

Tips for storing blueberries after harvesting:

• Once picked, don't place the berries, still warm from the sun, in a closed bag or container. Leave the container open so moisture doesn't form in the container.
• Don't wash berries until just before using, to prevent berries from becoming mushy.
• Chill berries soon after picking to increase shelf life. Store your fresh blueberries in the refrigerator as soon as you get them home, without washing them, in a covered bowl or storage container. If refrigerated, fresh-picked blueberries will keep 10 to 14 days.
• Freeze berries in freezer containers without washing to keep the skins from toughening. Place berries one layer deep. Freeze, then pour the frozen berries into freezer containers. Because unwashed blueberries freeze individually, they can be easily poured from containers in desired amounts. Remember both frozen and fresh berries should be rinsed and drained just before serving. Just before using, wash the berries in cold water.

Blueberry Measurements and Conversions

Keep in mind that blueberries vary considerably in density and moisture content, so these ranges are approximates.

• 1 gallon of blueberries weighs about 7.5 lbs or (4 liters of blueberries is about 3.5 kg)

• 1 pint of fresh blueberries weights about 3/4 of a pound. (1 liter of blueberries is about 700 grams)

• 1 pound of fresh blueberries is usually between about 2 and 3 cups of berries.

• It takes about 4 cups (about of blueberries to make a blueberry pie (see this fantastic and easy blueberry pie recipe)

• A normal batch of blueberry preserves, jam or jelly requires 5 pints of berries.

• Blueberries do come in a variety of sizes from small (190-250 berries per cup) to extra large (<90 berries per cup).

Blueberry Recipes, Canning and Freezing Blueberries

Recipes

• The world's best Blueberry pie, recipe and directions and illustrated!
• Blueberry buckle coffee cake: illustrated directions for this great crumb-topping blueberry coffee cake
• Other easy directions to make blueberry desserts: cobblers, etc.

Canning, freezing and other blueberry recipes:

• How to Freeze Blueberries
• How to Can Blueberries
• How to Make Homemade Blueberry Jam
• How to make blueberry jelly
• How to make and can blueberry syrup (it works for strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, too)
• blueberry pie filling to use later,
• blueberry butter

Baking tips

If you have trouble with blueberries settling to the bottom of muffins and blueberry breads, try one or more of these tips:

• Coat them with flour before adding to the batter. Just gently shake the blueberries in a bag (plastic or paper) with 1/2 cup of flour, then dump them mix in a sieve to remove excess flour.
• It may just be that your batter is too thin. try making the batter a little thicker!
• Fill the muffin cups or baking pan up to 1/4 full with batter (which hasn't had blueberries added to it yet); then stir the blueberries into the remaining batter, and continue to fill the muffin cups or bread pan. The blueberries will start off higher in the mix!

Other Local Farm Products (Honey, Horses, Milk, Meat, Eggs, Etc.)
(NOT pick-your-own, unless they are also listed above)

• Farm markets and roadside stands
• Local Honey Finder
• Local Meat, Milk and Eggs
• Venues: Farms, Wineries, Orchards for your event, wedding or party
• Easter egg hunts
• Children"s consignment sales
• Fruit and vegetable festivals
• Winery tours and wine tastings
• Horse rides, stables, lessons, trails
• Maple Syrup farms and sugarworks
• Bed & Breakfasts on Farms, Wineries, Ranches and Orchards
• Pumpkin patches
• Corn mazes
• Zombie Paintball venues
• Christmas Tree Farms & lots
• Environmental resources
• Consumer fraud information
• Wholesale food sources
• Resources for Farmers