2024 Vermont Raspberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Raspberry U-Pick Orchards in Vermont in 2024, by county

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

Bennington County

• Apple Barn & Country Bake Shop - strawberries, blueberries, Fall red raspberries
  Rt 7 South, Bennington, VT 5201. Phone: (888) 827-7537. Email: customerservice@theapplebarn.com. Open: Call for PYO hours and availability; the Local Farm Market is open Daily, May through November from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm Monday - Sunday. Click here for a map and directions.
  Apple Barn & Country Bake Shop Facebook page. . Alternate phone: 447-7780. . Pick Your Own, Weather Permitting; Everbearing Strawberries - Mid June until October; Blueberries - Early July - Early August; Red Raspberries - Mid August to late September. (UPDATED: May 4, 2015, JBS)
• Mad Tom Orchard - raspberries, apples
  2615 Mad Tom Road, East Dorset, VT 5253. Phone: 802-366-8107. Email: tom@madtomorchard.com. Open: July and September for Raspberries and mid September to mid October for apples. Directions: 2.5 miles on Mad Tom Road from Route 7 at East Dorset General Store. . Click here for a map and directions. . Pick your own .
• Merck Forest and Farmland Center - blueberries, raspberries (red), raspberries (Spring, red), Maple Syrup from trees on the farm, Fresh eggs, gift shop, restrooms, picnic area, farm animals, birthday parties, weddings and wedding parties, school tours, events at your location (call for info)
  3270 Route 315, Rupert, VT 5768. Phone: 802-394-7836. Email: info@merckforest.org. Open: Call ahead for berry availability, The farm offers pick-your-own blueberries and raspberries during the summer and into the fall as the season allows. Directions: From Manchester, Vermont, travel north on Route 30 for 8 miles. Turn left on Route 315 for 2 miles. At the top of the hill, turn left into the Merck Forest access road. From New York travel on Washington County Route 22 to Salem, New York. Turn east on route 153. In Rupert, continue straight on route 315 for 2 miles. At the top of the hill, turn right into the Merck Forest access road. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, WIC Vouchers.
  Merck Forest and Farmland Center Facebook page. . . Call ahead for berry availability, The farm offers pick-your-own blueberries and raspberries during the summer and into the fall (as the season allows). You-Pick hours are 9 am - 3:30 pm during the season. Berries are sold by the pound. Bring your own containers or stop by the Visitor Center to borrow a pint or quart container. Grounds are open daily from dawn to dusk; Visitor Center is open daily from 9am to 4pm excepting major holidays. In March, our annual maple festival breakfast is famous throughout the area. In July, our Sheep Dog Trial draws the nation's top competitors. We offer camping in our popular "walk-in" cabins, hiking on 30 miles of trails, skiing, snowshoeing and special programs.

Rutland County

• Liebig Berries - blueberries, raspberries (red), strawberries, U-pick and already picked, porta-potties
  1482 Button Falls Road, West Pawlet, VT 5775. Phone: (802) 645-0888. Email: liebigberries@gmail.com. Open: Monday through Sunday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm weather permitting. Directions: Enter 1482 Button Falls Road, West Pawlet, Vermont in your GPS. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. . Monday through Sunday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (weather permitting). Early-Mid July through Mid-September depending on weather and season;. Seasonal sweet corn is also available. Customers may purchase pre-picked or pick-your-own berries. Liebig Berry Farm (aka or Liebig Strawberries) is located in West Pawlet, Vermont, just across the border from Granville, New York. (UPDATED: July 20, 2020)
• Sugar Hill Berry Farm, LLC - Uses integrated pest management practices, blueberries, raspberries
  3237 Sugar Hill Road, East Wallingford, VT 5742. Phone: (802) 259-2155. Email: sugarhillberryfarmllc@gmail.com. Open: Our days and hours are ALWAYS subject to crop availability and weather conditions; Please see our website, Facebook page or call for current availability and hours. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check.
  Sugar Hill Berry Farm, LLC Facebook page. . Mid July through Mid September. We use integrated pest management practices (IPM). Depending on availability we have cut flowers. (UPDATED: July 16, 2018)

Windham County

• Boyd Family Farm - Uses natural growing practices, blueberries, raspberries, Honey from hives on the farm, picnic area, birthday parties, weddings and wedding parties
  125 East Dover Road, Wilmington, VT 5363. Phone: 802-464-5618. Email: boydfarm@sover.net. Open: 7 Days a Week 9am to 5pm. Directions: At the light in the center of Wilmington, VT follow Route 100 North 4 miles. Take a right on East Dover Road and travel 610\'s of a mile the Farm Entrance sign is on the right. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. . . At the light in the center of Wilmington, VT follow Route 100 North 4 miles. Take a right on East Dover Road and travel 6/10's of a mile the Farm Entrance sign is on the right. . Crops are usually available in June, July, August, September, October, November, December. We use natural practices, but are not yet certified Organic.
• Dutton Berry Farm & Farm Stand - - blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, vegetables, pumpkins, apples, peaches,
  136 Grassy Brook Road, Brookline, VT 5345. Phone: 802-362-3083. Email: duttonbf@sover.net. Open: year round. Directions: Rte 1130, Manchester Center. . Click here for a map and directions. . . Rte 11/30, Manchester Center. Pick your own blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, pumpkins, vegetables, apples, peaches.
• Harlow's Sugar House - Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, apples
  563 Bellows Falls Road, Putney, VT 5346. Phone: 802-387-5852. Email: harlows@sover.net. Open: March - December. Directions: I-91, Exit 4, 3 mi north of Putney Village on US Rte 5. . Click here for a map and directions. . McIntosh, Cortland, Empire, Red Delicious, (UPDATED: May 4, 2015, JBS)
• Scott Farm Orchardss - blueberries, Raspberries, Grapes, Peaches, Plums, Pears, Pumpkins, apples
  707 Kipling Road, Dummerston, VT 5301. Phone: 802-254-6868. Email: scottfrm@sover.net. Open: mid-July through October. Click here for a map and directions. . . Pick your own blueberries, Raspberries, Grapes, Peaches, Plums, Pears, Pumpkins, 70 varieties of apples and apple wines.
• Whetstone Ledges Farm - blueberries, raspberries, vegetables
  PO Box 30, Marlboro, VT 5344. Phone: 802-257-7328. Email: dmacarthur@igc.org. Open: July 1-September 15. Directions: 1 mile off Route 9 on MacArthur Road, Marlboro. U-pick blueberries, raspberries, vegetables. . Click here for a map and directions. Whetstone Ledges Farm

Windsor County

• Blueberry Hill Farm - blueberries, raspberries
  401 Gates Road, Andover, VT 5143. Phone: 802-875-2239. Email: hillfarm@hotmail.com. Open: July 15 to October 5. Directions: off Route 11, 8 miles west of Chester Village. U-pick blueberries, raspberries. . Click here for a map and directions. .
• Cherry Hill Farm - Uses natural growing practices, Red Raspberries, Black Raspberries, Gooseberries, Red Currants, Black Currants, Pink Currants
  409 Highland Road, Springfield, VT 5156. Phone: 002-885-5088. Email: cherryhillfarm@vermontel.net. Open: 8 am to 1 pm throughout the month of July. Directions: From the center of Springfield at the lights go uphill past Village Pizza and Penelopes \(Summer Hill St\) following signs for the Hartness House. Continue past the Hartness House turnoff uphill \(Cherry Hill Rd\), look for the raspberry signs! Look for big old barns on the right and raspberry signs along the way up the hill.Not quite 2 miles up andthere will be a parking lot entrance. If you hit the dirt road, you\'ve gone 10 feet too far!. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. . From the center of Springfield at the lights go uphill past Village Pizza and Penelopes (Summer Hill St) following signs for the Hartness House. Continue past the Hartness House turnoff uphill (Cherry Hill Rd), look for the raspberry signs! Look for big old barns on the right and raspberry signs along the way up the hill.Not quite 2 miles up andthere will be a parking lot entrance. If you hit the dirt road, you've gone 10 feet too far!. Crops are usually available in June, July, August, September. We usually open the first weekend in July, but it does depend on the season; Once we are open, we are normally open for six-seven weeks. We use natural practices, but are not yet certified Organic. We sell Vicky Day's Preserves, jams and jellies made from our own fruit, on the farm. The ONLY pyo crops offered are Red Raspberries, Red Currants, Pink Currants, Black Currants, Gooseberries. . (UPDATED: July 10, 2018)
• Smokeshire Hilltop Farms - Blueberries, Raspberries, Horse drawn hay rides & sleigh rides.
  262 Cemetery Rd, Chester, VT 5143. Phone: (802) 875-4916. Email: smokeshire@vermontel.net. Click here for a map and directions. . We sell grass fed lamb cuts, or whole lambs for your freezer. Blueberries & Raspberries in the summer.Horse drawn hay rides & sleigh rides (the sleigh rides in winter, when there is enough snow obviously). We produce five varieties of raspberries, three varieties of blueberries, lamb, and firewood. The berries are pick your own when in season. There is a 1810 farm house that can be rented on the farm. Forest restoration and custom farm services are done using Suffolk Punch Draft Horses, a heritage breed. Authentic Vermont Sleigh rides through the fields and forests as you would have traveled back in time. Visitors are always welcome.
• Sunshine Valley Berry Farm - Certified Organic, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries (red), raspberries (Spring, red), raspberries (Autumn, red), raspberries (Spring, yellow), raspberries (Autumn, yellow), Honey from hives on the farm, restrooms, picnic area
  129 Ranger Road, Rochester, VT 5767. Phone: 802-767-3989. Email: rob@VermontBerries.com. Open: Every day, from 10 am to 6 pm, July Fourth through Labor Day, and on good weather days in September and October until first frost. Directions: we are 2 miles north of Rochester, VT, on Route 100, turn in at the Forest Service Ranger Station, go straight ahead. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard, Discover.
  Sunshine Valley Berry Farm Facebook page. . We are certified organic for all crops! used to be known as Blair's Berry Farm. Since 2007 we are under new management. Please call the farm to get the latest word on picking conditions -- our recorded message is updated every day during the season. We will tell you what is in season and if we will be open in bad weather (we usually stay open unless the rain is constant or thunderstorms are being called for). The harvest usually starts soon after Fourth of July (with raspberries) and ends with the first hard frost of the Fall in late September or early October. Therefore, we usually open the farm on or around July Fourth and remain open until Columbus Day. We will generally be open for sales of jam, honey, syrup, books, & coffee between the above dates, even if it is before or after the harvest/picking season. We are a PYO farm but usually have pre-picked berries available in our farm store. Picnics and pleasant walks around the farm are welcome. However, dogs are not permitted in the orchard please, even on a leash.

 

Raspberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

Raspberries can produce an early summer crop or  a late summer and Fall crop. In the U.S. Spring / Summer raspberries (called florocanes) typically peak during June in the South, and in July in the North. The primocane varieties, which produce raspberries on shoots that come up each Spring are typically read from August until frost.

In addition to the variety a farm plants, the berries are ready at various times depending the local climate, such as which part of the state you are located. See this page for a list of raspberry festivals around the U.S.

And for those of you from the upper midwest through the west and up to Canada, if you are interested in Thimbleberries, see this page.

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 raspberries, 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 raspberries 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 raspberries

1. Raspberry bushes don't have thorns, but they are a pick prickly, so if you want to hold the stem while picking, a pair of lightweight gloves is helpful.

   Raspberries Nutritional Data
   (fresh)

   Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
   Energy	220 kJ (53 kcal)
   Carbohydrates	11.94 g
   Sugars	4.42 g
   Dietary fiber	6.5 g
   Fat	0.65 g
   Protein	1.2 g
   Vitamins
   Thiamine	(3%) 0.032 mg
   Riboflavin2	(3%) 0.038 mg
   Niacin3	(4%) 0.598 mg
   Pantothenic acid5	(7%) 0.329 mg
   Vitamin B6	(4%) 0.055 mg
   Folate9	(5%) 21 μg
   Choline	(3%) 12.3 mg
   Vitamin C	(32%) 26.2 mg
   Vitamin E	(6%) 0.87 mg
   Vitamin K	(7%) 7.8 μg
   Minerals
   Calcium	(3%) 25 mg
   Iron	(5%) 0.69 mg
   Magnesium	(6%) 22 mg
   Manganese	(32%) 0.67 mg
   Phosphorus	(4%) 29 mg
   Potassium	(3%) 151 mg
   Zinc	(4%) 0.42 mg
   Other constituents
   Water	85.8 g
   Units μg = micrograms � mg = milligrams IU = International units
   Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source:

   
   
2. A ripe raspberry is deep color with a plump, soft but firm feel. It will pull free from the plant with only a slight tug. The center will remain on the plant. Keep in mind, raspberries come in many colors: red, yellow, black, purple, so you want to pick the darker shade of whichever it is.
3. Pick only the berries that are fully ripe. 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!
4. I find it helps to hold the stem with one hand, while picking with the other.
5. Repeat these operations using both hands until each holds 3 or 4 berries. Repeat the picking process with both hands.
6. Don't overfill your containers or try to pack the berries down. Ideally, the collection containers should be wide so the pberries aren't more than a few deep.
7. Pick berries into a shallow container. If they get piled too deep they will crush each other.
8. 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.

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. DO refrigerate! Right after picking, place raspberries in the fridge. If your fridge tends to dry out produce, lightly cover the container.
3. Raspberries don't store for very long, usually just a few days. The reason the ones from the grocery store last longer is they are covered with fungicides!
4. Pour them out into shallow pans and remove any mushed, soft or rotting berries
5. 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) raspberries 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 raspberries (while they are in the fridge)!
6. Even under ideal conditions raspberries will only keep for a week in a refrigerator, so for best flavor and texture, use them as soon as possible after purchase
7. See this page for illustrated freezing instructions.

Raspberry Recipes

1. Now, get ready to make raspberry jam - It is VERY easy - especially with our free
   raspberry jam directions - very easy! or for a jam with a little kick, try raspberry chipotle jam
2. And if you want to freeze them to use later, see my How to freeze berries page.
3. You can also make your own raspberry vinaigrette,
4. See this page for an easy recipe to make raspberry chipotle sauce

 

Raspberry Facts

• Raspberries are a very healthy food; packed with anthocyanins!
• Raspberries contain more vitamin C than oranges, are super high in fibre, lhave a good amount of folic acid, are high in potassium, vitamin A and calcium.
• The USDA says 1 cup of raspberries has about 62 calories.
• 11 cup of raspberries, not packed down weighs about 140 grams.
• An average raspberry has 100 to 120 seeds.
• Select plump, firm, fully raspberries. Unripe berries will not ripen once picked.
• Raspberries belong to a large group of fruits known as brambles, such as blackberries, in the plant genus Rubus.
• Raspberries come in red, yellow, orange, purple and black colors.
• Yellow raspberries are red raspberries that don't make red pigment.)
• In most areas, raspberries begin to bloom in late May or early June.
• Bumblebees, honeybees, and other wild bees love to visit brambles.
• 60-70 pints of fruits can be harvested from 100 feet row.
  Raspberries can be harvested from early summer through fall, usually right up until a freeze
• The United States is the world's third-largest producer of raspberries (FAOSTAT, 2013).
• Production occurs across much of the country, although most of it is concentrated in California, Oregon and Washington. California leads the nation in both black and red raspberry production (NASS, 2015).
• According to the most recent Census of Agriculture, the United States has 8,052 raspberry farms totaling 23,104 acres (Census of Ag, USDA, 2012).
• U-pick raspberry farms typically sell berries by the pound. A quart equals 1 and 1/4 pounds of fresh berries.
• Do the math and be careful not to over-purchase as raspberries quickly mold when left at room temperature, and only last a couple of days in the refrigerator.
• 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.
• Want to go to a raspberry festival? See this page for a list!

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