2024 Southern Connecticut Strawberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Strawberry U-Pick Orchards in Southern Connecticut in 2024, by county

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

Middlesex County

• Gotta's Farm - strawberries, apples, peaches, pears
  661 Glastonbury Turnpike, Portland, CT 6480. Phone: (860) 342-1844. Email: rgottafarm@aol.com. Open: May 1st for the season with annual & perennial flowering plants. Directions: Located at 510 Main Street. Click here for a map and directions.
  Gotta's Farm Facebook page. . . Monday to Friday 8 am to 1 pm for strawberries, later for apples, etc, 6:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday 8 am to 6 pm; opens May 1st for the season with spring plants. PYO strawberries in June, peaches in Aug, apples in September and October. and Cider Mill Facebook page. Open Their strawberry fields are . Fresh fruits & vegetables available at farm stand from July to December. mid-April and continues to be open until December 24th each year. Throughout the year, Gotta's offers a variety of annuals and perennials, an array of produce grown and harvested on our farm. We offer mums and pumpkins in the fall, also Christmas trees and wreaths in the winter. We also have a satellite stand (QP) on Route 66 in Portland.
  Comments from a visitor on July 21, 2009: "This has been our family's favorite for many, many years! The crops are amazing, prices great too! They have some of the best PYO apples around."
• Lyman Orchards - PYO strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, flowers, peaches, nectarines, pears, apples & pumpkins, Corn maze
  Jct. Routes 147 and 157, Middlefield, CT 6455. Phone: (860) 349-1793. Email: jlyman3@lymanorchards.com. Click here for a map and directions.
  Lyman Orchards Facebook page. . Fax: (860) 349-1424. . Enjoy 1100 acres of championship golf, championship pies, and Family Fun! CT's largest indoor Farm Market. Corn maze from September 6 - November 2. Corn maze: Sept.-October. Great food at the Apple Barrel - home of CT's Best Apple Pie! 24 hour PYO hotline: 860-349-6015. It's simple to pick your own at. Before coming to pick, always call our 24-hour hotline for up-to-the-minute crop and field conditions, varieties, and current market prices. We update the message as often as necessary (especially in rainy or overcast weather) in order to help you make the best arrangements for your picking trip Facebook page. You can enjoy being a farmer for an afternoon and pick nearly 100 varieties of fruits from June through October.
  Comments from a visitor on July 07, 2011: "The farm is huge but you can drive close to the different u-pick sites and it's well-signed so they are easy to locate. You pay for what you pick at the location but they still take credit cards. You can bring your own containers if you want and they will pre-weigh them for you (so you don't pay for the weight of the container)."
• Scott's Farm and Greenhouses - strawberries, flowers
  81 Plains Road, Route 153, Essex, CT 6426. Phone: 860-767-7059. Click here for a map and directions.
  Scott's Farm and Greenhouses Facebook page. . Strawberries, June, PYO flowers from early July until mid October. We have dahlias, zinnias, sunflowers, snaps, celosia, cosmos, and 30 additional varieties for your cutting pleasure. Pick Your Own Fruit Dates are approximate and are affected by the weather. (UPDATED: December 06, 2016, JBS)

New Haven County

• Bishop's Orchards location 1 - PYO Strawberries, winery, blueberries, peaches, pears, apples, raspberries and pumpkins
  1355 Boston Post Road (US Rte 1, I-95 Exit 57), Guilford, CT 6437. Phone: (203) 458-7425. Email: pyoinfo@bishopsorchards.com. Open: from June-October daily until 7pm. Click here for a map and directions.
  Bishop's Orchards location 1 Facebook page. . Pick-your-own season starts in June with strawberries and goes through October with apples and pumpkins. In December we have cut-your-own Christmas trees. Bishop's Orchards Farm Market Facebook page. First crop will be our Strawberries! Remember the Farm Market & Creamery are open year round and our Summer Music Series at the Little Red Barn will be OPENING June 4th. Stay tuned for more information and we look forward to another fantastic year! At Bishop's Orchards we work hard and take pride in growing the highest quality fruits to enjoy year after year from our family to yours. All the fresh products are available either seasonally at our Pick-Your-Own (PYO) locations and/or annually at our farm market. The summer sun shining down on our orchards provides an ideal location to spend part of the day to enjoy the fun of picking your own quality fruit directly from the bushes or trees. Each year the Pick-Your-Own season may vary due to weather and crop abundance, yet generally runs from mid-June until the end of October. You can see the breakdown on our PYO Calendar. To ensure you have the most accurate information, we recommend calling ahead at our 24-hour information phone line of 203-458-PICK (7425). This phone line is also updated daily during the picking season to provide the latest information to all our valued customers. Since 1871, six generations of Bishop's have been serving Connecticut with farm products. The market is open all year till 7 pm (Sun till 6pm), featuring a bakery & kitchen specializing in pies & prepared meal solutions, produce from our 300 acre farm & around the world, meats, dairy products, flowers, and gift baskets. Bishop's Orchards Winery offers our own wine & CT wines 7 days a week. Visit our Llamas & Alpacas too! Northford Market should read Since 1871, five generations of Bishop's have been serving Connecticut with farm products. Open weekends 10-5 in September and October, Bishop's Northford Orchard has Pick Your Own Apples and Peaches, plus Farm Market products including pies, cider and apples and pumpkins. Our main farm in Guilford is open all year around. There is a blog article about them here.
• Glendale Farms - Strawberries
  203 Herbert Street, Milford, CT 6460. Phone: (203) 874-7203. Email: info@glendalefarms.com. Open: PYO Strawberries are usually available approximately June 5th to June 30th. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash and checks accepted. Fax: (203) 874-7499. . are the first fruit available in Connecticut and signal the arrival of summer for many residents who look forward to visiting one of the state's pick-your-own farms. The strawberry field at is now open daily 8:30-5. (UPDATED: June 22, 2018) A visitor writes on June 22, 2018: "Glendale Farm does not have this year milford ct"
• Ives Farm - pumpkins, strawberries, pumpkin patch-pick in the field, corn maze, and prepicked produce, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, tractor-pulled hay rides, pony rides
  1585 Cheshire St, Cheshire, CT 6410. Phone: 203-272-5847. Open: Summer Hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am to 5pm. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard. Crops are usually available in May, July, August, September, October. Fall Hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 5pm. "Flowers" May 1st, Annuals, Hanging Baskets, Geraniums & Perennials, Retail & Wholesale. "Strawberries" June 5th to July 1st (weather permitting) "Fresh Sweet Corn & Produce" July 10th "Fall Activities" October 1st to 31st
• Rose Orchards - apples, pears, raspberries, strawberries, prepicked produce, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, farm animals, school tours
  33 Route 139, North Branford, CT 6471. Phone: 203-488-7996. Email: info@roseorchardsfarm.com. Open: Hours vary by season, please call us for more information; The farm market is open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm seven days a week; The Creamery is now open for the season 9 am to 9 pm. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard, AmEx.
  Rose Orchards Facebook page. . Crops are usually available in May, June, July, August, September, October. The Rose Farm is committed to providing good family fun in a beautiful outdoor setting complete with farm animals for the children to feed, a hay maze for children to play in, and a scenic hayride tour through a covered bridge and the woods. Pick Your Own is available for strawberries, apples, pears, and raspberries. We have a large variety of fresh baked pies and baked goods, including bread, muffins, cookies, and biscuits. The Creamery serves old fashioned frozen custart and frozen yogurt. We have sundaes, pie a la mode, and a variety of other confections.
• Zentek Farms - strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, beans, eggplant
  325 Higgins Road, Cheshire, CT 6410. Phone: (203) 272-0444. Email: paulzfarms@aol.com. Open: PYO starts in late May with strawberries, 9am-5pm everyday. Click here for a map and directions.
  Zentek Farms Facebook page. . Fax: (203) 250-9190. . We also have a farm market-we raise corn and other vegetables. Typical availability: JUNE: Strawberries. AUGUST: Green Beans, Eggplant, Hot and Sweet Peppers, Italian Flat Beans, Tomatoes, Yellow Beans. SEPTEMBER: Cabbage, Cantaloupes, Green Beans, Eggplant, Hot and Sweet Peppers, Italian Flat Beans, Tomatoes, Yellow Beans, Watermelons/. OCTOBER: (if no frost) Beans, Cabbage, Eggplant, Peppers, Tomatoes. CLOSED ON RAINY DAYS. Call ahead to be sure we are open. We do "pick your own" vegetables throughout the summer!! In the fall we have mums and pumpkins, in the winter we sell Christmas trees and decorated Christmas products wholesale as well as in our stand, retail.

 

Strawberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

In the U.S. strawberries typically peak during April in Florida and Texas, May in the deep South, and in early June in middle sections and later June in the far North and Canada. Keep in mind that 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 strawberries, producers depend on ideal spring weather conditions. 

Before you leave to go to the farm:

1. Always call before you go to the farm - strawberries are affected by weather (both rain and cooler temperature) more than most crops. 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 strawberries, 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 strawberries 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 Strawberries

1. Grasp the stem just above the berry between the forefinger and the thumbnail and pull with a slight twisting motion.

2. With the stem broken about one-half inch from the berry, allow it to roll into the palm of your hand.

3. Repeat these operations using both hands until each holds 3 or 4 berries. 

4. Carefully place - don't throw - the fruit into your containers. Repeat the picking process with both hands.

5. Don't overfill your containers or try to pack the berries down.

General Picking Tips

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

1. Be careful that your feet and knees do not damage plants or fruit in or along the edge of the row.
   
2. Pick only the berries that are fully red. Part the leaves with your hands to look for hidden berries ready for harvest.
   
3. To help the farmers, also remove from the plants berries showing rot, sunburn, insect injury or other defects and place them between the rows behind you. If they are left in the plants, the rot will quickly spread to other berries.
   
4. Berries to be used immediately may be picked any time, but if you plan to hold the fruit for a few days, try to pick in the early morning or on cool, cloudy days. Berries picked during the heat of the day become soft, are easily bruised and will not keep well.
   
5. Avoid placing the picked berries in the sunshine 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. Strawberries may be kept fresh in the refrigerator for two or three, 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.
   
6. For interesting and fun strawberry facts and trivia from the California Strawberry Commission, click here!

When you get home

1. DON'T wash the berries until you are ready to use 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 and cut the caps (green tops) off the others and freeze them up! (Unless you're going to make jam right away) See this page about how to freeze strawberries.
4. If you like the strawberries you picked, ask the farm what variety they planted, and not the weather conditions the week or two before. The flavor of a strawberry is affected by the variety, the weather and the degree of ripeness when picked.
5. Now, get ready to make strawberry jam. It is VERY easy - especially with our free strawberry jam instructions - they're illustrated and easy.

Strawberry Recipes, Canning and Freezing Strawberries

• How to freeze strawberries!
• Strawberry jam (with pectin) (uses less sugar or honey and less cooking)
• Strawberry jam (without pectin) (requires much more sugar and cooking)
• Strawberry (and other berry) jams without sugar
• Strawberry jelly
• Strawberry-rhubarb jam!
• Homemade strawberry ice cream (regular, low fat, nonfat, low sugar, vanilla and even gelato)
• Canning strawberries
• Make gourmet chocolate-covered strawberries
• How to make fruit juice -  strawberry and other berries
• Strawberry pie filling
• Strawberry pie
• Easy Rhubarb-Strawberry pie
• Fig-strawberry jam
• Fig-strawberry jam, made with Jello gelatin

Strawberry Facts, Measurements and Tips

• Picking the best strawberries: Select firm, fully red berries. Strawberries DO NOT continue ripen after they are picked! In the photo, only the berry on the far right is completely ripe.
• Strawberry festivals: Most areas that grow strawberries have a strawberry festival, at which you can taste all kinds of fresh strawberry foods, pies, jams, cakes - and most commonly, fresh strawberry shortcake.  To find out where and when there is one near you, see this page for a list of strawberry festivals, sorted by state!
• Strawberries measurements: government agriculture websites tell us that
  1 quart = 2 pints = 4 cups and is about the same as 1 liter and
  1 quart of fresh strawberries weighs 1 lbs to 1.25 lbs (or 450 to 600 g). Of course, the weight varies on variety and weather conditions. 
  1 quart is normally enough for 4 servings, although I'll admit my son can eat 1 pint by himself!
• How much to pick? In general, 1 quart of fresh, whole, just-picked strawberries = approximately 3.5 cups hulled, whole berries. In other words, removing the caps/hulls and the occasional mushy berry means you lose 1/4 cup to 1/2 (it depends how much fruit you remove with the hull) or about 7 to 12% of every quart you pick.
• One cup of strawberries contains only about 50 calories
• U-pick strawberries are much healthier than store-bought.  Consumer reports says store bought strawberries have so many pesticide and fungicide residues on they, that they don't recommend you eat them at all!
• U-pick strawberry farms typically sell berries by the pound. 1 lbs of fresh strawberries is about 2/3 of a quart.
• It takes about  10 to 15 minutes to pick a quart, if the berries are reasonably plentiful
• The strawberry plant adapts to wide variety of soil conditions, but does not tolerate drought well, and the berries quickly rot if the weather is rainy. For this reason, the plants are usually grown on raised beds through plastic mulch!
• Cultivation of strawberries began in Europe in the 1300's, but the berry only became very popular in the early 1900's in California.
• Do the math and be careful not to over-purchase as strawberries 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 grow your own strawberries?  Here's an article about how to: Strawberries are an Excellent Fruit for the Home Garden, HYG-1424-98!
• See this page for many more fun and interesting strawberry facts, nutritional information and trivia

Other weird strawberry facts

• Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside.
• Strawberries were originally called strewberries because the fruit was 'strewn' amongst the leaves of the plant.
• California is king of strawberry productions because: California produces 75 percent of the nation's strawberry crops; one billion pounds of strawberries each year.  If all the strawberries produced in California in one year were laid berry to berry, they would go around the world 15 times. Each acre of land in California in strawberry production produces an average of 21 tons of strawberries annually, with a total of 23,000 acres of strawberries planted in California each year.

More conversions

1 pint (2 cups)  of fresh whole strawberries

• = about 8 oz (1/2 lb) of strawberries
• = 2.25 cups of sliced strawberries
• = 1 cup pureed strawberries
• = 12-14 large strawberries

2 quarts of fresh strawberries are needed for a 9" pie

A 10 oz package of frozen berries is about the same as 1 cup of sliced fresh strawberries

References:

• University of Illinois Extension
• Driscolls
• Ohio State University Extension
• Strawberries-Average retail price per pound and per cup equivalent

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