2024 Central New Jersey Pea U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Pea U-Pick Orchards in Central New Jersey in 2024, by county

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

Mercer County

• Lee Turkey Farm - Pick Your Own: Apples, cherries, nectarines, peaches, beans, peas, squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, eggplant, peppers, broccoli, pumpkins, other vegetables, flowers, hayrides, corn maze
  201 Hickory Corner Road, East Windsor, NJ . Phone: (609) 448-0629. Open: May - December, 9:00am till 6:00pm Monday through Saturday and on Sundays from 2:00pm till 6:00pm; Please keep in mind that if you are coming to pick you must be at the farm no later than 5:15pm to enter the fields and orchards. Directions: On Hickory Corner Road, 1 mile W of Route 130. We also have a roadside market farm stand with Apples, cucumbers, cabbage, fruits, vegetables. Our apple varieties are Cortland, Empire, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Red Delicious, Red Delicious, Red Delicious, StaymaWinesap. We also have Hay rides; walking tours; corn maze; oven-ready turkeys. We also have Hay rides; walking tours; corn maze; oven-ready turkeys. Strawberries are usually available from mid May through mid June. . Click here for a map and directions.
  Lee Turkey Farm Facebook page. . On Hickory Corner Road, 1 mile W of Route 130. We also have a roadside market / farm stand with Apples, cucumbers, cabbage, fruits, vegetables. Our apple varieties are Cortland, Empire, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Red Delicious, Red Delicious, Red Delicious, Stayma/Winesap. We also have Hay rides; walking tours; corn maze; oven-ready turkeys. We also have Hay rides; walking tours; corn maze; oven-ready turkeys. Strawberries are usually available from mid May through mid June. Facebook page. Pick Your Own Club/Picking Card: Before entering our fields and orchards, you must be a member of the Pick Your Own Club. The "Club" is nothing new. We have been doing this since 1972. The purpose of our Pick Your Own Club is to ensure that all of our customers understand the rules of our farm. We realize that no one particularly likes to follow rules, but ours are pretty easy to follow. After the form is filled out, there is a $2 charge for membership, and you will receive a picking card that acts as your pass for the entire season and shows that you filled out the liability form. Just $2 for the entire family for the entire year. Bring your picking pass with you whenever you come to pick, or you will be required to fill out the form again and purchase a new one. A visitor writes on September 06, 2014: "The blackberries that I got form the farm, worth $5, were a waste of money. It had plenty of worms..oh god! thrown them all.. please never bring berries from this farm. Also, last time I bought Nectarines from market, they were super sour. If you need Nectarines, pick by yourself (they are good), but the one in the market are not ripened.Peaches are good; apples are not so sweet.(while some are super sour, taste and then pick). EGG PLANTS ARE TOO GOOD. Please, never pick blackberries, they are just so suspicious to eat..eaweeeee. I have been to this farm twice,in future will go only for necters and peaches. good luck for your next pick up."
  Comments from a visitor on September 19, 2009: "My fiancee and I love to pick your own fruit. I was searching your website for a place that was close to home and we found . It's a GREAT place. It has a mom and pop feel. The staff is very friendly and are always willing to help you. The fruit was delicious and very plentiful. We went peach picking in September and there were so very many trees that still had so much fruit on them. I enjoyed the low prices on the pick your own. This is a GREAT find. People should check this place out!!"

Middlesex County

• Giamarese Farm - apples, nectarines, peas, peaches, pumpkins, strawberries, greens, Other fruit or veg, Honey from hives on the farm, Fresh eggs
  155 Fresh Ponds Road, East Brunswick, NJ 8816. Phone: 732-821-9494. Email: GiamareseFarm@gmail.com. Open: Tuesday - Saturday 10 am - 6 pm, Sunday 10 am - 3 pm, Closed Mondays, Pick-Your-Own Apples & Pumpkins 7 Days a Week in October, 10am to 6pm; Farm Market and pick - you - own hours vary. Directions: Route 1 to Main Street Milltown, 3rd Traffic Light, Right onto Kulthauvenue bear right at fork onto Fresh Ponds Road. GPS: 40.429202-74.451783.Avenue bear right at fork onto Fresh Ponds Road. GPS: 40.429202-74.451783. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, WIC Vouchers.
  Giamarese Farm Facebook page. . . Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. We also have Free hay rides on weekends in Oct.; education farm tours (September & Oct.); corn maze; Indian corn, jams; jellies; milk; bread; Christmas trees (6 varieties); baked goods; Halloween & Christmas decorations.
• Indyks Farm - strawberries, snap peas
  595 Spotswood Englishtown Road, Monroe Township, NJ 8831. Phone: 732-763-0919. Email: indyksfarm@verizon.net. Open: Monday to Friday, from 8 am to 7 pm, Saturday to Sunday, 8 am to 5 pm. Directions: 2 miles W of Raceway Park, across from the Stone Museum Middlesex Co. Route 613. Or call for directions. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. Indyks Farm . We also have a roadside market / farm stand with Watermelon; pumpkins; cabbage; cauliflower; tomatoes; collards; turnips; mustard; kale; strawberries. We also have Rye Straw. There is an article about the farm being perserved here.
  Comments from a visitor on June 04, 2010: "They are picking strawberries now, as well as sugar snap peas. He also has lettuces for sale and other vegetables. happy patron of Indyk'sarm every year "Farm every year "
  Comments from a visitor on July 02, 2016: This farm is up and running. I was there yesterday to pick strawberries. they still have fields filled with other vegetables.
• Von Thun's Country Farm Market - Pick Your Own: Strawberries; raspberries; pumpkins; peas (snap, pod), blackberries; apples; onions; cucumbers; yellow squash; green zucchini; and yellow zucchini.
  519 Ridge Road (Route 522), Monmouth Junction, NJ . Phone: (732) 329-8656. Email: Cindy@VonThunFarms.com. Open: May through August, weekdays, 10am to 6:00pm; Weekends 9am to 5:30pm U-pick fields close a half hour before the farm market closes. Directions: Located on Route 522, minutes from NJTPK, GSP, Route 1, Route 130, Route 18, Route 33, Route 27. We also have a roadside market farm stand with Sweet corn; tomatoes; peppers; strawberries; raspberries; string beans; melons; pumpkins; other assorted home-grown fruits & vegetables. We also have Jersey Fresh Cooks cookbook; cut flowers; mums; Indian corn; perennials; annuals; hanging baskets; vegetable plants; fall festival with pyo pumpkins & free hay rides; WIC and Senior FMNP checks accepted. The availability of all . Click here for a map and directions.
  Von Thun's Country Farm Market Facebook page. . info@stultsfarm.com. May through August, weekdays, 10am to 6:00pm; Weekends 9am to 5:30pm (U-pick fields close a half hour before the farm market closes). Located on Route 522, minutes from NJTPK, GSP, Route 1, Route 130, Route 18, Route 33, Route 27. We also have a roadside market / farm stand with Sweet corn; tomatoes; peppers; strawberries; raspberries; string beans; melons; pumpkins; other assorted home-grown fruits & vegetables. We also have Jersey Fresh Cooks cookbook; cut flowers; mums; Indian corn; perennials; annuals; hanging baskets; vegetable plants; fall festival with pyo pumpkins & free hay rides; WIC and Senior FMNP checks accepted. The availability of all crops depends on the weather and seasons are approximate. Always call for current crop availability before heading out to the farm. Facebook page. Strawberries: mid May thru mid JuneBlueberries: mid June thru mid JulyBlackberries: mid July thru mid AugustAssorted seasonal vegetables: early July through AugustPumpkins: mid September thru OctoberApples: mid September thru October. We have welcomed visitors to our scenic farm in central New Jersey for five generations. Open spring through fall, our South Brunswick location offers u-pick apples, berries, and pumpkins, educational farm field trips, spring greenhouse flowers, a farm market with homegrown angus beef and produce, and a CSA program. Our fall season offers a corn maze, fall harvest weekends, and old-fashioned fall fun!

Monmouth County

• Ogule's Farm - Tomatoes; watermelons; okra; sweet pot cantaloupe; assorted peas; assorted beans.
  39 McCaffery Rd., Englishtown, NJ . Phone: (732) 446-7342. Email: sogule1586@aol.com. Open: Daily, day-light hours. Click here for a map and directions. . From Rt. 33, take Rt. 527 towards Englishtown, turn left at 4-way stop onto Woodward Rd., first right onto McCaffery Rd., farm is on left down the long driveway.

 

Pea Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

Peas (English, Snap peas, Snow Peas, Crowder Peas, etc.) are very easy to grow.  They thrive even in poor soil. In fact, as a legume, pea plants are able to take nitrogen from the air and fix it in nodules in their roots with bacteria to enrich the soil. Whether you grow them yourself or pick them at a PYO farm, or buy them at the market, they're available fresh almost everywhere.

Here's what to look for!

English peas

Pick English Peas when the pod is full and green and the peas are still tender and sweet. Test for maturity frequently by picking a couple of pods and examining them for firmness. Harvest the Chinese and snow peas, which are eaten pod and all, when the pods are 1-1/2 to 2 inches long and the peas are about the size of BB's. The pods are usually picked 5 to 7 days after flowering.

 

Snap Peas - aka, edible-podded peas

Similar to English peas, except the pod itself is also sweet and tender, like the peas inside.

Snow peas, aka Chinese peas

Like snap peas, the pod is edible, except you want to pick them while they are still flat, before the pod starts to swell with peas inside. Harvest Chinese and snow peas, which are eaten pod and all, when the pods are 1-1/2 to 2 inches long and the peas are about the size of BB's.

Specialty Peas

There are many varieties, like purple hulled peas, crowder peas, black-eyed- peas. Each has their followers!

 

When are peas available?

Peas are a cool, even cold weather crop, and can tolerate frost and cold soil. In the U.S. Peas typically peak during February (in the Deep South) through October in the North. Peak season is February through June before the weather gets hot.  Some farms plant a Fall crop too, as they only take 45 to 60 days from the time the seed is planted!

Before you leave to go to the farm:

1. Always call before you go to the farm - it's hard to pick in a muddy field!
2. Most growers furnish picking containers designed for Peas, but they may charge you for them; be sure to call before you go to see if you need to bring containers.
3. 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 while the weather is still cool, but some deet might be good to bring along if it has been rainy.

General Picking Tips

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

Look for Peas that are :

1. firm
2. Bright green (not yellowish!)
3. smooth, shiny pods, not wrinkly on the surface - that's an old or dried out pea.
4. The Peas in the photo at right are, from left:
   - old and yellowing,
   - overripe and lumpy; and
   - dried out and damaged.
5. Avoid placing the picked Peas 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. I prefer to bring a cooler with ice in it. Peas may be kept fresh in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days
6. It is best to shell English peas and either freeze them or use them promptly.

When you get home

1. Put them in the vegetable crisper in the fridge, in a loose plastic bag.
2. Now, get ready to can or freeze the extra Peas - It is VERY easy! Click on the links for easy instructions.
   • How to can Peas
   • How to freeze English peas, Crowder peas and other shelled peas
   • How to freeze snap peas and snow peas
3. Pea shellers - simple inexpensive devices to quickly shell English peas
    

1. 
2. The Peas in the photo at right are, from left:
   - old and yellowing,
   - overripe and lumpy; and
   - dried out and damaged.
3. Avoid placing the picked Peas 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. I prefer to bring a cooler with ice in it. Peas may be kept fresh in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days
4. It is best to shell English peas and either freeze them or use them promptly.

When you get home

1. Put them in the vegetable crisper in the fridge, in a loose plastic bag.
2. Now, get ready to can or freeze the extra Peas - It is VERY easy! Click on the links for easy instructions.
   • How to can Peas
   • How to freeze English peas, Crowder peas and other shelled peas
   • How to freeze snap peas and snow peas
3. Pea shellers - simple inexpensive devices to quickly shell English peas
    

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