2024 Fresno area of California Boysenberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Boysenberry U-Pick Orchards in Fresno area of 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.

New! As inflation remains high, see this page for reliable (tested) brands of generic canning lids at lower costs, and cost-saving measures for getting fruit and vegetables and home canning.
 If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days.

New! Road tripping and camping is a great way to have a fun, safe and inexpensive family trip. The national and state parks and monuments are open, and campgrounds usually cost between $10 and $40 per night. September to November is the best camping weather.  See our new website Road Tripping and Camping.com for tips, tricks, guides, checklists and info about parks, monuments and other places to visit.

New! We just went live with our latest website, FunFactoryTours.com - As they name implies, you can find a fun factory tour, including chocolate, automobiles, historical forts and sites, famous buildings, Active Federal facilities even fun geology: like fossils and volcanic areas

Fresno County

• Mountain Brook Ranch - apricots, cherries, blueberries, boysenberries, other vegetables, Other fruit or veg, porta-potties are available, picnic area, weddings and wedding parties
  17971 Auberry Road, Clovis, CA 93612. Phone: 559-299-8141. Email: bhook45@hotmail.com. Open: If Mother Nature allows we should be opening up around Mothers Day or a tad before, depending on the weather, Always call first for opening info before coming up to the ranch. Directions: From the intersection of CopperAuberry road. Go north on Auberry road about seven miles and we are on the left hand side. We are two miles above the rifle range and two miles below the The Roadhouse bar and the Valero gas station. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. . Alternate Phone: 559-779-4443Fax: 559-297-4665To our U-pick customers: Always call first to see if the u-pick orchard is open, usually the weekend after we open the fruit stand. See their website for hours and availability. We are looking forward to having lots of our main variety Brooks and Tulare cherries this season. We will also be having a excellent boysenberry crop, both at the fruit stand and u-pick, along with blueberries and lots of apricots. What's new? We will be selling our very own frozen pomegranate juice and dried chili peppers to spice up your cuisine!From the intersection of Copper/Auberry road. Go north on Auberry road about seven miles and we are on the left hand side. We are two miles above the rifle range and two miles below the The Roadhouse bar and the Valero gas stationPomegranates: October 12 to October 27; Cherries from the middle of May to the middle of June or so; Fresh Vegetables alsoWe also have apricots, blackberries and pomegranates. We also have a road side fruit stand on our ranch where the public has the opportunity to buy fresh cherries and other delicious fruit throughout the season. Hope to see you soon!!!.

Inyo County

• Apple Hill Ranch - CERTIFIED ORGANIC, apples, apricots, beans, beets, blackberries, boysenberries, carrots, cherries, corn (sweet), cucumbers, eggplant, figs, grapes, herbs or spices, melons, nectarines, pears, peas, peaches, peppers, plums, pomegranates, raspberries (Autumn, red), raspberries (Autumn, yellow), rhubarb, summer squash, winter squash, tomatoes, other vegetables, Fresh eggs, Cider mill fresh apple cider made on the premises, porta-potties are available, picnic area, picnic area you may bring your own food, farm animals, birthday parties
  475 Sierra Grande, Bishop, CA 93514. Phone: (760) 937_0413. Email: rdevore@schat.com. Open: Monday thru Friday 7:30 am to 4:30 pm, Sunday 10 am to 4:30 pm, cherry season 8 am to 5 pm. Directions: When traveling from Bishop Go past the Bishop Country Club on highway 395 south And about 3 miles turn right on Gerkin Road When you reach Wilkerson Turn on Sierra Grande Go to the top of the road Turn left at the Iron Gate Come on up to the house. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. Apple Hill Ranch cherry season starts Memorial DayPeaches June 30; Apples July 30; All veggies July 15/ raspberries June 30. We Are USDA Certified Organic for all crops! USDA-NOP national Organic Standards California Registration # 99-0008

Kings County

• Rancho Notso Grande - Uses natural growing practices, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, flowers, nectarines, olallieberries, other berries, peaches, pecans , raspberries, tayberries, walnuts, and prepicked produce
  5051 12th. Avenue, Hanford, CA 93230. Phone: 559-269-1152. Email: ranchonotsogrande@gmail.com. Open: We have a refrigerated, pre-picked fruit stand that is open from 7 AM to 7PM for seven days a week during the harvest season. Directions: South East corner of 12th and Excelsior Avenues in Hanford, CA. This is 30 minutes south of Fresno, 25 minutes West of Visalia. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. Fax: 559-589-0420During the season we are open for you pick and roadside sales from 7AM to 7 PM Tuesday through Saturday and all other times by appointmentCrops are usually available in May, June, July, August. We use natural practices, but are not yet certified OrganicOur roadside Farm-stand has (when they are in season) apricots, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, flowers, nectarines, olallieberries, other berries, peaches, pecans , raspberries, tayberries, walnuts, farm made wine, jams, frozen cobblers and other prepicked produce.(UPDATED: June 26, 2018)

 

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