Blueberry U-Pick Orchards in Boise and Southwestern Idaho 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.

Ada County

• Red Barn Blueberries - blueberries, porta-potties are available
  2190 W Burns Street, Eagle, ID 83616. Phone: (208) 841-5493. Open: New owners; hours as yet unknown. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Venmo, PayPal. . Blueberries season typically late June through late July or early August. The ONLY pyo crops offered are blueberries. 2019 Admission fee was $6 per adult, $3 per child (of walking age). Admission fee will be applied to our berry purchase. $3 per pound U-Pick. Please keep children with you at all times and if you listen to music, wear earbuds. No pets. Formerly called July Blueberries, LLC. (UPDATED: July 27, 2022) A visitor writes on June 18, 2021: "Their Facebook page says that they are no longer operating the farm. They said there are new owners, but I don't have that info. "

Canyon County

• Berry Ranch - strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and pumpkins
  7988 Highway 20/26, Nampa, ID 83686. Phone: 208-466-3860. Email: info@theberryranch.com. Open: BERRY PYO: When berries are in season, PYO runs Monday - Saturday 9 am to 2 pm. Directions: Located 4. Click here for a map and directions. . Alternate phone:800-801-3860. . .5 miles North of I-84, Northeast corner of Franklin Road & Highway 20/26 as you leave Nampa. From Boise come west on Chinden, which is Hwy. 20-26, 10 miles West after you cross Eagle Road. The offers a wide range of fruits and vegetables grown right on the ranch. You can pick your own strawberries and pumpkins on a "pickers hayride" Picnic tables, antique machinery and a petting shed are available at our store-in-a-barn. There are no sprays on the berries so you can eat as many as you'd like while you're out picking in the field. Enjoy! PUMPKIN PYO: Starts the last Friday in September through October 31. Take a hayride to the patch and pick-your-own pumpkin Monday through Friday, 4 pm to 6 p.m, Saturday 10 am to 6 p.m, Sunday 1 pm to 6 pm. (UPDATED: May 24, 2016, JBS)

Elmore County

• Deer Creek Berry Farm - No pesticides are used, blueberries, honey from hives on the farm
  467 E Johnston Ranch Ln, Pine, ID . Phone: (208) 866-3653. Open: We have a U-pick in July & August, Please just stop by April through October or call ahead. Click here for a map and directions. - . is a blueberry farm without the pesticides or herbicides. Harvesting the best fruit and honey right in the heart of Pine, Idaho. We have lots of products available all year. Thank you!!! A local pesticide free blueberry farm and raw honey set in the beautiful mountains of Pine, Idaho. (ADDED: July 12, 2018, JBS)

Gem County

• Grandma Jo's Plaza Farm Store - apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, raspberries (Autumn, red), porta-potties are available
  2850 N Plaza Rd, Emmett, ID 83617. Phone: 208-365-7255. Email: countrygrandmajo@yahoo.com. Open: Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday: 8 am to 2 pm. Directions: Driving Directions: \(from BoiseNampa areas\) Beginning at junction of highway 44 and highway 16, [Between Star and Eagle] turn onto EMMETT HWYID 16-follow 14 miles. At bottom of Freezeout hill in Emmett Valley, turn RIGHT onto SUBSTATION ROAD, \(at the light\) turn RIGHT at MAIN STREET [first stop sign]. MAIN STREET will come to a T, turn LEFT onto N. PLAZA RD follow approx. 3 12 miles, turn RIGHT onto dirt road with the big GRANDMA JO\'S sign. \(Please drive slowly.\)Follow about 38 mile. For a map to our farm, . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. Grandma Jo's Plaza Farm Store . Driving (from Boise/Nampa areas) Beginning at junction of highway 44 and highway 16, [Between Star and Eagle] turn onto EMMETT HWY/ID 16-follow 14 miles. At bottom of Freezeout hill in Emmett Valley, turn RIGHT onto SUBSTATION ROAD, (at the light) turn RIGHT at MAIN STREET [first stop sign]. MAIN STREET will come to a T, turn LEFT onto N. PLAZA RD follow approx. 3 1/2 miles, turn RIGHT onto dirt road with the big GRANDMA JO'S sign. (Please drive slowly.)Follow about 3/8 mile. For a map to our farm, Everything is early this year!! Blackberries are abundant right now; Peaches, pears, nectarine and plums will be mid-August this year instead of late August. Visit our facebook page for constant updates. Like the page to get notified of new postings. (UPDATED: July 29, 2016)
• Suyehira Farm - blueberries, Turkeys (organic, not-hormone-fed), and prepicked produce, farm animals
  777 E South Slope Road, Emmett, ID 83617. Phone: 208-365-4080. Email: oldfarm777@hotmail.com. Directions: From West- take Hwy 16 to Emmett. After you enter the valley, turn right at 2nd stop light \(S.Johns Ave\). Stay on S. Johns Ave until the road forks. Stay left at fork and we are 5 houses down on the right. Signage at light, fork and in front of house. From East-Take Hwy 52 to Emmett. Same as above only turn left at 2nd light upon entering the Emmett valley. From the east is Hwy 16 and from the west is Hwy 52. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. . Fax:. . Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 8am(only open at 7am on 100 +degree days) Call in the afternoon before coming as I sometimes get picked out; This usually happens early and late in the season. From West- take Hwy 16 to Emmett. After you enter the valley, turn right at 2nd stop light (S.Johns Ave). Stay on S. Johns Ave until the road forks. Stay left at fork and we are 5 houses down on the right. Signage at light, fork and in front of house. From East-Take Hwy 52 to Emmett. Same as above only turn left at 2nd light upon entering the Emmett valley. From the east is Hwy 16 and from the west is Hwy 52. Crops are usually available in June, July, August. Blueberries are ready the end of June and through July and lap over into August if the crop is large. We also sell free range lambs and beef in the fall and have fancy chickens and free range eggs most of the year.
• Tyler's Rocky Point Orchard - Blueberries, cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, apples (Red and Golden Delicious).
  145 E. South Slope Road, Emmett, ID 83617. Phone: (208) 365-6160. Email: scottharrisontyler@gmail.com. Open: Mid June- October 31, every day from 9am-1pm, then again from 6-8pm. Click here for a map and directions. . . In June and early July, we have Apricots, Pluots and lots of Cherries avaiable to pick. Peaches come next, Apples in the Fall. Please bring a ladder if you have one. We are closed on July 4th. 2018 prices are Cherries $2lb, Apricots and Pluots $1.50lb. (UPDATED: July 17, 2018, JBS)

 

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