2024 Alameda and Contra Costa counties in California Boysenberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Boysenberry U-Pick Orchards in Alameda and Contra Costa counties in California in 2024, by county

Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for boysenberries that we know of in this area.

Not all areas of a state have boysenberries 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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Contra Costa County

• Berry Best Family Farm - strawberries, boysenberries, Olalliberries, blackberries,
  7450 Balfour Rd, Brentwood, CA 94513. Phone: (209) 601-6460. Open: Their fruit-stand is open Monday-Sunday from 9 am to 5:30 pm for pre-picked strawberries, U-Pick varies considerably, so always check their Facebook page for updates or call for U-Pick times. Click here for a map and directions. . Alternate phone: (209) 622-1677. U-Pick and Picked sweet strawberries, blackberries, and Boysenberries. We also offer a variety of fresh picked produce, peaches, apricots, pluots, tomatoes, sweet corn, blueberries, local honey, plums, cherries and more. We also offer a variety of fresh picked produce, peaches, apricots, pluots, tomatoes, sweet corn, blueberries, local honey, plums, cherries and more. (UPDATED: June 30, 2019, JBS) (ADDED: April 29, 2015, JBS)
• Pease Ranch - cherries, tayberries, boysenberries, loganberries, and olallieberries, Picnic area
  Marsh Creek Road, Brentwood, CA . Phone: 925-634-4646. Open: It is always best to call for hours before coming; typicall hours are Wednesday to Friday: 8 AM to 5 PM or until ripe fruit is gone each day; Saturday and Sunday 8 AM to 4:30 PM or until ripe fruit is gone each day; we are closed on Monday and Tuesday. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only.
  Pease Ranch Facebook page. We are exclusively a YOU-PICK Ranch. All of our trees have been pruned and kept low to the ground for convenient picking even for the little ones. Pease Cherry Picking Farm Facebook page. Our ranch has been created to allow a memorable and pleasurable outing for you and your family. At you can find Bing, White Rainier, Chinook, Early Burlats, Coral Champagnes, and vans just to name a few of our cherries. If berries are what you are after, you can U-pick Boysenberries, Olallieberries, Blackberries, and Loganberries
• Smith Family Farms - boysenberries, tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, pumpkin patch, tunnel of hay, a barnyard where kids can pet the farm animals, picnic area, and a replica of a Miwok Indian village.
  4430 Sellers Road, Brentwood, CA . Phone: 925-625-5966. Open: daily 8 am to 6 pm for Upick from May call for exact opening date through October and throughout the month of December for Christmas trees. Directions: in Eastern Contra Costa County, about 45 minutes east of Oakland or one hour from San Francisco; call for detailed directions. U-pick and picked boysenberries, tomatoes \(50 varieties including Roma, beefsteak, and heirloom\), peppers \(15 types of hot and sweet\), and a wide selection of other vegetables, herbs, stone fruits, apples, and fresh-cut flowers. Fall pumpkin harvest hayrides and special events offered. Picnic area. . Click here for a map and directions.
  Smith Family Farms Facebook page. daily 8 am to 6 pm for Upick from May (call for exact opening date) through October and throughout the month of December for Christmas treesin Eastern Contra Costa County, about 45 minutes east of Oakland or one hour from San Francisco; call for detailed directions. U-pick and picked boysenberries, tomatoes (50 varieties including Roma, beefsteak, and heirloom), peppers (15 types of hot and sweet), and a wide selection of other vegetables, herbs, stone fruits, apples, and fresh-cut flowers. Fall pumpkin harvest hayrides and special events offered. Picnic area. Click here for their Facebook page. (UPDATED: April 28, 2015, JBS)
  Comments from a visitor on July 12, 2009: "They have a marvelous collection of unusual heirloom tomatoes, all kinds of other vegetables, Brentwood sweet corn. They also have seasonal fruits. You can pick or they have a stand you can buy from with very reasonable hours. Their prices are very good also. At Halloween and Christmas they have special hayrides and barn activities for the kids along with corn and hay mazes. I am a very satisfied customer. "

 

Boysenberry

Boysenberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

Boysenberries originated in Anaheim, California, in the 1920s when horticulturist Rudolph Boysen, a Swedish immigrant with a ranch there in the Napa Valley, developed the boysenberry by crossing a dewberry-loganberry hybrid with raspberries and blackberries. The plant is hardy, vigorous and thornless. The history is still a bit muddled, but this is the most accepted genealogy. Boysen later gave the boysenberry to Walter Knott of Knott's Berry Farm who popularized it.

Boysenberries look like small blackberries, about 1/2 inch to 1 inch across, but have a sweeter, flavor with fewer smaller seeds and hints of raspberry flavor. Boysenberries prefer a mild, damp climate, but still survive in hot climates, although it they do not get enough water, the berries will be more dense, like a raison, rather than plump and juicy. This is probably the easiest berry to grow, bar none.

 They typically peak during June in the South of the U.S., and in July in the north and in Canada. Crops are ready at various times of the month depending on which part of the state you are located. In order to produce good local Boysenberries, producers depend on ideal spring and early summer weather conditions. See this page for a list of blackberry festivals around the U.S. (Yeah, boysenberries are lumped in with blackberries)

See this page for a master list and guide to all blackberry varieties and hybrids

Before you leave to go to the farm:

1. 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!
2. Leave early.  On weekends, then fields may be picked clean by NOON!
   
3. Most growers furnish picking containers designed for Boysenberries, 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 Boysenberries 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.
4. 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 Boysenberries

1. I've only ever seen thornless Boysenberries, although, I suppose somewhere, someone has one with thorns (but its' probably not a true Boysenberry)! Obviously, the thornless are easier to pick,
2. A ripe boysenberry is deep black with a plump, full feel. It will pull free from the plant with only a slight tug.  If the berry is red or purple, it's not ripe yet.
3. Repeat these operations using both hands until each holds 3 or 4 berries. Unlike strawberries, boysenberries are usually pretty tough, I dump mine into the bucket. Repeat the picking process with both hands.
4. Don't overfill your containers or try to pack the berries down.

General Picking Tips

Whether you pick Boysenberries from your garden or at a Pick-Your-Own farm, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Pick only the berries that are fully black. 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!
2. 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. Boysenberries may be kept fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week, depending upon the initial quality of the berry. After a few days in storage, however, the fruit loses its bright color and fresh flavor and tends to shrivel.

When you get home

1. DON'T wash the berries until you are ready to use them or freeze them.  Washing makes them more prone to spoiling.
2. Pour them out into shallow pans and remove any mushed, soft or rotting berries
3. 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) Boysenberries 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 boysenberries (while they are in the fridge)!
4. Even under ideal conditions boysenberries will only keep for a week in a refrigerator, so for best flavor and texture, use them as soon as possible after purchase

Boysenberry Recipes, Freezing and Jam directions

Blackberry recipes work exactly the same with Boysenberries

1. How to make Boysenberry jam - It is VERY easy - especially with our free Boysenberry jam directions - very easy!
2. How to make Boysenberry jelly
3. How to freeze berries
4. Boysenberry syrup, make and can it! 
5. Seedless boysenberry pie!
6. Boysenberry Festivals: Where, When and More to Find an Boysenberry Festival Near You this year:

Boysenberry Facts and Tips

• Black Raspberries, also known as "black caps" are a very healthy food; packed with anthocyanins!
• The USDA says 1 cup of boysenberries has about 62 calories.
• 1 cup of boysenberries, not packed down weighs about 140 grams.
• Select plump, firm, fully boysenberries. Unripe berries will not ripen once picked.
• Ohio State University's Article Regarding Their Prevention of Cancer
• OOregon Berry Black Raspberry Brochure
• Guide to blackberry varieties
• Researchers have known for quite some time that all blackberries varieties contain antioxidants which help to fight cancer causing free radicals.  A study at the University of Ohio has found that boysenberries are the most potent cancer fighting berries of them all, by nearly 40 percent!
• U-pick Boysenberry farms typically sell berries by the pound. A quart equals 1 and 1/2 pounds of fresh berries.
• 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.

 

 

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