2024 east-central Iowa Strawberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Strawberry U-Pick Orchards in east-central Iowa 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.

Benton County

• K & K Ranch - Uses natural growing practices, apples, broccoli, carrots, cherries, corn (sweet), cucumbers, kale, melons, peppers, plums, raspberries (red), raspberries (black), raspberries (Spring, black), summer squash, winter squash, strawberries, tomatoes, Turkeys (organic, not-hormone-fed), Fresh eggs, U-pick and already picked
  5488 33rd Ave, Center Point, IA 52213. Phone: (319) 929-3736. Email: Kalebholsinger@yahoo.com. Open: Call ahead. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Venmo. . Alternate Phone: (319) 929-3297. . Get off interstate and head east, take your first right turn at the big rooster. First house on the left. We use natural practices, but are not yet certified Organic. (ADDED: January 17, 2021)

Black Hawk County

• Heartland Farms - pumpkins, raspberries (Autumn, red), strawberries, tomatoes, other vegetables, concessions or refreshment stand, porta-potties are available, restrooms, picnic area, Bouncy pillow, farm animals, birthday parties, school tours
  5111 Osage Road, Waterloo, IA 50703. Phone: 319-232-3779. Email: berrypumpkinfarm@earthlink.net. Open: Strawberry Season is June open 7 days a week hours are 8 am to 7 pm through strawberry season; Mother Nature will dictate the exact days of June. Directions: From exit 68 on Interstate 20 north 1 mile to Dubuque Road then 1 mile west to Elk Run Road then 1 mile North to Osage Road follow the signs. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover.
  Heartland Farms Facebook page. . Fax: 319-291-7287. . Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. Strawberries normally June 7 to July 4; Pumpkin Halloween Season is last week of September and all of October, hours Tuesday through Friday 4 pm to 7 pm, Saturday and Sunday 10 am to 7 pm. Since 1983 our family growing and ofering our best for your family.

Cedar County

• Lincolnway Flower Farm - Uses natural growing practices, corn (sweet), flowers, pumpkins, summer squash, winter squash, strawberries, farm animals, school tours
  2207 Old Lincoln Hwy, Lowden, IA 52255. Phone: 563 941-5417. Open: Call ahead for hours. Directions: On Hwy 30 between De Witt and Cedar Rapids. West side of Lowden on Old Hwy 30. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. Crops are usually available in May, June, July, August, September, October, November. We use natural practices, but are not yet certified Organic. Iron garden sculpture available for order.

Clinton County

• Jost's Country Pickin' - strawberries, U-pick and already picked
  4 1/4 Miles North of Elvira (z36) On Blacktop, Bryant, IA 52727. Phone: 563-522-2305. Open: Daily from 7 am to 2 pm; Call for evening picking times. Directions: We are 4 14 miles North of Elvira on the Z36 Blacktop. There will be signs. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. 5Jost's Country Pickin' We are 4 1/4 miles North of Elvira on the Z36 Blacktop. There will be signs. Pick Your Own in June; Our strawberries are so good!!. (UPDATED: May 24, 2015, JBS)

Iowa County

• Genoa Bluffs Farms - strawberries, pumpkins, winter squash, Honey from hives on the farm, gift shop, concessions or refreshment stand, porta-potties are available, picnic area, inflatables or bounce houses, trike track, birthday parties, school tours, group reservations
  2168 H.h. Avenue, Marengo, IA 52301. Phone: 319-668-8447. Email: info@genoabluffspumpkinfarm.com. Open: Pick Your Own Strawberries Starting June Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm Sunday 1pm to 6pm. Directions: Interstate I-80 to Exit 211 South off exit, take first gravel road heading East, 216th Street, Genoa Bluffs Farms is second property on the left side of the road. Strawberries First week in June till berries are done producing; Pick Your Own or Pre picked Pumpkins and Corn Maze . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx. . . open September 23 through October 30th. Fresh Strawberry pie by the slice or by special order. Place an order, pick your berries and leave with a fresh strawberry pie! Grab a nice refreshing slushy after a warm day in the patch! Fresh preserves and honey from our farm! Pumpkin season- variety of pumpkins of all color and sizes. Pie pumpkins, gourds, and squash. Full concessions, with fresh baked pies! Pumpkin Fest October 15th and Flashlight Maze. (ADDED: May 20, 2016)

Jackson County

• Annie's Acres Strawberries - strawberries, porta-potties are available
  30327 Mill Creek Road, Bellevue, IA 52031. Phone: (563) 872-5652. Email: kendellfarm@gmail.com. Open: Monday to Saturday, from 7:30 am to 7:00 pm; Sunday, from 8 am to 5 pm, seasonally in June. Directions: Located on county road D57 between Bellevue and LaMotte \(4 miles from LaMotte and 7 miles from Bellevue\). Easily accessible from Highway 61. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, WIC Vouchers, SFMNP Vouchers.
  Annie's Acres Strawberries Facebook page. . Alternate Phone: (563) 872-5050. . Located on county road D57 between Bellevue and LaMotte (4 miles from LaMotte and 7 miles from Bellevue). Easily accessible from Highway 61. Annie's Acres is a kid friendly establishment with clean rows for picking. Containers to pick in are provided. We have a booth at several local markets throughout the week; East Mill Bakery on Monday located in Dubuque from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm, Maquoketa on Tuesday from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, Lyons Farmers Market located in Clinton on Wednesday from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, and at the Dubuque Farmers Market on Saturday from 7:00 am to 12:00 pm. Please feel free to contact us with other further questions or inquiries. (ADDED: May 22, 2015)

Johnson County

• Orchard on Sand Road - No pesticides are used, apples, blueberries, strawberries, Fresh eggs, gift shop, porta-potties
  5888 Sand Road Se, Lone Tree, IA 52755. Phone: (319) 721-1532. Email: centuryfarm1@gmail.com. Directions: From Iowa City, drive south on S. Gilbert Street Sand Road. The farm is approximately 8 miles south of Iowa City. Once you cross a four-way stop and a bridge, look for signs on the left. We do not use pesticides on the . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard. . UPDATE for 2020, The farm was sold - we're waiting to hear from the new owners - if you know anything about it, please write me! The Orchard was sold last year, and the new owners are not opening it for picking, at least for 2020. From Iowa City, drive south on S. Gilbert Street /Sand Road. The farm is approximately 8 miles south of Iowa City. Once you cross a four-way stop and a bridge, look for signs on the left. We do not use pesticides on the crops. New in 2018, day-long summer camps integrating tech+nature for those in 4th grade and up. (UPDATED: March 22, 2018) (added back after being closed last year)
• The Berry Basket Farm - No pesticides are used, strawberries,
  2683 highway 1 Sw, Iowa City, IA 52240. Phone: (319) 325-7542. Email: contact@berrybasketfarm.com. Open: Typical season is during June; In season, Monday to Saturday, from 9 am to 7 pm; Sunday, from 1pm to 7 pm; Please check our website for updates or changes to this schedule before your visit. Directions: 5 minutes west of Iowa City on Highway 1 SW. We do not use pesticides on the . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard.
  The Berry Basket Farm Facebook page. . crops. You can bring your own reusable containers to pick into or get some from us. (ADDED: January 07, 2019)

Scott County

• Pride of the Wapsi - strawberries, pumpkins, activities, School Tours and Corn maze
  14600 305th St, Long Grove, IA 52756. Phone: (563) 285-8180. Email: prideofthewapsi@gmtel.net. Open: See their website for hours. Click here for a map and directions. ‎. . Whether it's picking strawberries in June, baking pie with rhubarb or cherries, eating fresh sweet corn off the cob, shopping our stand on the roadside or local farmer's market, jamming ripe red raspberries, or selecting that perfect pumpkin straight from the patch in October, our farm is definitely going to be a blast for the entire family from age one to 100. Yes, even residents from local nursing homes enjoy fun filled wagon rides around the farm while observing the change of the seasons. (UPDATED: February 16, 2016)

 

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