2024 the St. Louis area of Missouri Strawberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Strawberry U-Pick Orchards in the St. Louis area of Missouri 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.

Boone County

• Blue Shepherd Farm - blueberries, strawberries,
  3601 North Route J, Rocheport, MO 65279. Phone: . Email: blueshep@centurytel.net. Open: SEE THEIR WEBSITE FOR IMFORMATION BEFORE EMAILING THEM; they are open by appointment using the online scheduler at our website. Directions: about 1.5 miles north of Interstate 70. Exit at Route J exit 117. Follow Route J 12 mile after you cross over Hwy 40 and we are on the left at 3601 Route J. Look for the red barn just before our entrance. For a map to our farm, . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check.
  Blue Shepherd Farm Facebook page.
• Lloyd's Family Farm - Strawberries, Cider, Corn Maze, Farmstand, Hayrides, Pumpkin Patch, Pumpkins, Christmas Trees,
  7015 East Route Y, Ashland, MO 65010. Phone: 573-808-1070. Email: lloydsfamilyfarm@gmail.com. Open: Hours and Dates vary depending on the season, and when produce is ready. Click here for a map and directions. . . offers seasonal you-pick produce, such as: strawberries, pumpkins, and Christmas trees. Bring the family out for sunshine and strawberry picking, and then come back to find our plentiful harvest of produce in the fall. During the month of October, also plan for a day of fresh air fun for all! Hayrides, corn maze, farm animals and more! Finish the year off merrily with us, with a hayride to our beautiful Christmas trees, and select the perfect one for your season of celebration! Harvest your memories at! You-pick strawberries, You-pick pumpkins, squash, gourds, fresh Christmas trees. Our Christmas trees are still in their growing stages, but we're currently offering pre-cut trees until they are ready to be harvested. Facebook page.

Crawford County

• Sunny Day Farms LLC - strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, pumpkin patch-pick in the field, train rides, corn maze, Bounce house, concessions or refreshment stand, porta-potties, picnic area, pony rides, petting zoo
  3297 Highway F, Cuba, MO 65453. Phone: 573-205-3398. Email: gcc8cgs@hotmail.com. Open: UPDATE for 2021: They are closed until the 2022 season;Saturdays only from 11am to 5pm. Directions: Take Highway 44 to exit 203. Go north 3 miles and make right into our parking lot. 3297 Highway F Cuba, Mo 65453. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard. . UPDATE for 2021: They are closed until the 2022 season;Saturdays (only) from 11am to 5pm.

Franklin County

• Hunter Ridge Berry Farm - blackberries, blueberries, other berries, strawberries, Honey from hives on the farm, Fresh eggs
  3757 Sunny Road, Washington, MO 63090. Phone: 314-808-6386. Email: gevelynlucas@hotmail.com. Open: for PYO every day,please call before coming. Directions: At the corner of Highway 185 and Highway KK, west of Washington, MO. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. . Alternate Phone: 314-575-8893. . Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. Strawberries usually in mid May; Blueberries in mid June thru late July; Blackberries mid July thru late August; Elderberries only in August. You pick starts when the strawberries are ripe. No free range pets are allowed due to food products in the field. Come have a fun time and enjoying picking large juicy berries!.We also sell Pre-Picked. Please call before coming! Pets cannot run free due to sanitation. (UPDATED: March 01, 2016) (ADDED: May 06, 2015)

St. Louis County

• Thies Farm and Greenhouses - Uses integrated pest management practices, blackberries, flowers, peaches, pumpkins, strawberries, Honey from hives on the farm, Fresh eggs, gift shop, porta-potties are available, picnic area, picnic area you may bring your own food, face painting, ziplines, farm animals, birthday parties, group reservations
  4215 North Hanley Road, Saint Louis, MO 63108. Phone: (314) 429-5506. Email: dave@thiesfarm.com. Open: March 1 pm to December 24 Monday - Saturday 9 am to 6 pm and Sundays 10 am to 4 pm. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx, WIC Vouchers.
  Thies Farm and Greenhouses Facebook page. . . Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. Please contact us regarding your event! From weddings to tours.. we do it all. No two events are the same, we create memorable and unique experiences. Please contact Fran at the alternate phone or by email. Give us a call. Raspberries and Blackberries are available for picking at our North Hanley farm! Please call ahead to ensure availability! .

Warren County

• Hog Farm - apples, beans, beets, blackberries, broccoli, carrots, corn (sweet), horseradish, herbs or spices, peppers, summer squash, winter squash, strawberries, Honey from hives on the farm, Cider mill (fresh apple cider made on the premises), U-pick and already picked
  15690 Ranch Road, Wright City, MO 63390. Phone: 636-456-0001. Open: Tuesday through Sunday from 8 am to 5 pm, year round. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. . (ADDED: September 17, 2015)
• Thierbach Orchards & Berry Farm - Apples, blackberries, blueberries, peaches, pumpkins, strawberries, tart cherries, gooseberries, child-sized haybale maze, and prepicked produce, gift shop, tractor-pulled hay rides, petting zoo
  85 Town Branch Road, Marthasville, MO 63357. Phone: 636-433-2299. Open: Please call for berry picking dates and times. Directions: Our berry patch is located at 85 Town Branch Road, just off Hwy 47 at Marthasville across from the Ag Center. Our store, Thierbach\'s Market, is four miles north of Marthasville on Hwy 47. The apple orchard is on the same farm as the market. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Our market accepts cash, check, credit, and debit; our berry patch accepts cash and check only. . Apple Junction phone number 636-433-2757. Our berry patch is located at 85 Town Branch Road, just off Hwy 47 at Marthasville across from the Ag Center. Our store, Thierbach's Market, is four miles north of Marthasville on Hwy 47. The apple orchard is on the same farm as the market. Click here for a map to our farm. Crops are usually available in May, June, July, August, September, October. Our market is open daily July-October. Monday through Saturday 9-6, 11-6 on Sundays. Strawberries ripen in mid-May, Blueberries in early-June, Blackberries are usually ripe around Father's Day. Peaches ripen in July, and you can pick apples weekends in September and early October. Please call for specific ripening and picking details. Our garden produce is available at the market. Located near the beautiful Katy Trail in Marthasville, we are just over an hour west of St. Louis. We also grow garden vegetables and pumpkins. If you are looking for a great outdoor activity, we offer many opportunities for you to pick your own fruit. Our berry patch is set up exclusively as Pick Your Own, you can pick your own peaches in July through early August, and kids of all ages can pick their own apples on weekends in September and early October. A visitor writes: "We had a wonderful time. We parked at the market and then we were taken, by hay ride, over to the picking site (orchard). They run every five minutes, so you knew you were not stranded. The trees are still small enough to pick some great fruit while standing on the ground (a six-foot orchard ladder was provided to pick from the taller trees). Our 14 month old son even got to pick an apple with very little help. The market has a covered picnic area so you can pick fruit in the morning, have lunch on site (B.Y.O.L.-Bring Your Own Lunch) and still get home at a reasonable hour. This facility is definitely family friendly, except for a lack of a modern bathroom (Johnny on the Spot outside market). Apple picking the way I remember, worth a trip with or without the kids."

 

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