2024 Northeast Texas Pea U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Pea U-Pick Orchards in Northeast Texas 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.

Bowie County

• Anderson Family Farms - Uses natural growing practices, apples, beans, broccoli, corn (sweet), cucumbers, herbs/spices, melons, onions, pears, peas, peaches, pecans , peppers, plums, winter squash, tomatoes, other vegetables, watermelons, Fresh eggs
  332 County Road 1107, Maud, TX 75567. Phone: (903) 276-7474. Email: frontierman1969@yahoo.com. Open: June thru August Pick your own hours 6 am to noontime Monday thru Saturday; Closed Sunday. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. Anderson Family Farms . From interstate I-30, take highway 8 south 4 miles. Take FM 2149 East go 6 miles. Look for CR. . We use natural practices, but are not seeking organic certification. We can grow just about anything you want. We also raise farm fresh eggs, chicks, and chickens. Need pasture raised meat? Call us to arrange what meat you want us to raise and how you want it raised (ADDED: April 26, 2019)
• Higgins Farm - peas, gourds, Fresh eggs
  1651 County Road 4257, De Kalb, TX 75559. Phone: 903-293-2942. Email: Lindy5109@aol.com. Open: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, from 8 am to 7 pm, June 1 to November 31. Directions: Highway 259 South of Highway 82 at De Kalb, Tx, go about 6 miles, take right onto County Road \(CR\) 4255 at the Hubbard community \(Yellow Gourd Farm sign on tree\), 1.7 miles to County Road 4257, turn left, first and only house on the right. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, WIC Vouchers. . Alternate Phone: 903-276-4168. . Highway 259 South of Highway 82 at De Kalb, Tx, go about 6 miles, take right onto County Road (CR) 4255 at the Hubbard community (Yellow Gourd Farm sign on tree), 1.7 miles to County Road 4257, turn left, first and only house on the right. Gourds.

Cherokee County

• Ruby-Farm - peas, restrooms
  1057 County Road 2732, Alto, TX 75925. Phone: 936-225-2969. Email: davidruby@ruby-farm.com. Open: May 15 thru Summer, Monday thru Saturday from 8 am to 5 pm, closed Sunday. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. . . We grow farm fresh tomatoes, purple hull peas, southern peas, pinto beans, egg plant, okra, peppers, melons, squash, figs, and other vegetables. We can shell your peas and have frozen peas in quart bags. We also have good quality square baled hay. Please see our blog for target harvest dates. We also offer pick your own peas.

Nacogdoches County

• Appleby Community Farm - Uses natural growing practices, beans, broccoli, cucumbers, herbs or spices, melons, onions, peas, peppers, pumpkins, rhubarb, summer squash, winter squash, tomatoes, U-pick and already picked
  11825 US Highway 59 N., Nacogdoches, TX 75965. Phone: 936-205-4821. Email: info@applebycommunityfarm.com. Open: Anytime! But please give a call before you come!. Directions: We are located a little north of Nacogdoches toward Garrison, 2 miles east of the Highway 259 & 59 intersectionloop. Our sign & driveway is on the north side of Highway 59. Come visit us!. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. . . We are located a little north of Nacogdoches toward Garrison, 2 miles east of the Highway 259 & 59 intersection/loop. Our sign & driveway is on the north side of Highway 59. Come visit us!. We use natural practices, but are not seeking organic certification. We have other veggies available.. check out our website, www.applebycommunityfarm.com, for the most up-to-date information available.

Rusk County

• Circle B Farm - cucumbers, peas, U-pick and already picked
  7647 Cr 132 N, Overton, TX 75684. Phone: 903-658-1560. Email: bcbundrick@aol.com. Open: Saturday and Sunday; 7 am to 6 pm. Directions: GPS directions please use 7647 Devonian Road, Overton, Texas 75684. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx. . Alternate Phone: 903-658-9824. . Purple Hull Peas: June 8, Cream Peas: June 8 Thursday, Cucumbers: May 25th. Home Canned goods will also be available for purchase. In addition to the PYO or we pick prices for peas, you may also have your peas shelled for an additional $15.00 per bushel. Pea Prices: You pick $15.00 per bushel; We pick $25.00 per bushel Cucumbers: you pick only $20.00 per bushel. We also sell homegrown-homemade jellies, pickles and garden relishes; We also have cumcumbers for the picking. Sorry about the delay of our peas. You gotta love that East Texas weather. (UPDATED: June 11, 2018)

Shelby County

• Pixie Fruits and vegetables - Minimizes chemical and pesticide use, beans, corn (sweet), eggplant, figs, onions, pears, peas, peppers, persimmons, tomatoes, Other fruit or veg, U-pick and already picked, farm animals
  1036 County Road 3505, Center, TX 75935. Phone: 936-488-0375. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. . Does anyone have current information, are they still offering pick your own or are even open? If so, please write me; last reported hours were There is always something in production from about the middle of May until late September; Please call before coming; We prefer visitors from Thursdays through Saturdays, but if someone wants to come at other times it can be arranged; My regular business is drilling and repairing water wells, so if you call don't be surprised if the voice mail says Pixie Water Wells. In our original listing we included blueberries; Unfortunately we have struggled with high pH irrigation water and have lost almost all of the blueberry plants; Until we do a deeper well with a lower pH irrigation water we won't have any blueberry production; Our experiment with olives has been disappointing. We minimize use of pesticides and other chemicals. We are bilengual English/Spanish. muscadine grapes.

 

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