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

Strawberry U-Pick Orchards in Northeast Texas 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 a state have strawberries farms 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.

New! As inflation remains high, see this page for reliable (tested) brands of generic canning lids at lower costs, and cost-saving measures for getting fruit and vegetables and home canning.
 If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days.

New! Road tripping and camping is a great way to have a fun, safe and inexpensive family trip. The national and state parks and monuments are open, and campgrounds usually cost between $10 and $40 per night. September to November is the best camping weather.  See our new website Road Tripping and Camping.com for tips, tricks, guides, checklists and info about parks, monuments and other places to visit.

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Camp County

• Efurd Peach Orchard - blackberries, blueberries, strawberries
  40004 Hwy 271 S., Pittsburg, TX 75686. Phone: (866) 770-7936. Email: info@efurdorchards.com. Open: 7 Days a Week, from 8 am to 5 pm. Directions: On U.S. Highway 271, three miles south of Pittsburg, first shed on left. Prepicked - Peaches, Onions, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Beans, Corn, Plums, Nectarines, Melons, Cantaloupes, Squash, Cucumbers, Peas. They also have a pecan cracker that they only charge .25 per pound to use. Conveniently located just 3 miles south of Pittsburg on Highway 271. Our famous peaches are in season from mid-May to September. Our pumpkins are available in the fall and we close after pumpkin season is over. Step back in t - truncated. . Click here for a map and directions.
  Efurd Peach Orchard Facebook page. . Alternate phone: 903-856-2253. Alternate phone: 903-856-3970

Freestone County

• The Berry Patch - strawberries,
  226 State Hwy 75 South, Fairfield, TX 75840. Phone: 903-389-5949. Email: eric@chaversfarm.com. Open: UPDATE for 2021, Their website is gone; Does anyone have current information, are they still offering pick your own or are even open? If so, please write me, their last reported hours were Thursday, Friday and Sunday, 1 pm to 6 pm, Saturdays, 8:30 am to 6 pm. Directions: 3 miles south of Fairfield, TX on State highway 75. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. Updates: click here for picking updates. Crops are usually available in March, April, May

Panola County

• Panola Orchard and Gardens - strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, concessions or refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area
  1413 FM 1186, De Berry, TX 75639. Phone: 903-263-8703. Email: panolaorchard@yahoo.com. Open: March through Fall; Tuesday-Saturday 9 am to 5 pm; Sunday 1 pm to 5 pm; Closed on Mondays. Directions: From Shreveport: I-20 West, take exit 3 \(Highway 79 South\). Turn left onto Highway 79 South. Travel about 20 miles. Take a right onto FM 1186. Our farm is 2 12 miles down FM 1186 on the left. From Dallas: I-20 East to Exit 6 \(US-59 South\). Turn right onto US-59 South. Go 7 miles, and turn left onto FM 1186. Go 7 miles, then turn left onto FM 1186 by Walnut Springs Baptist Church. Stay on this road for 3 miles, and turn right again onto FM 1186. Our farm is 12 mile on the right. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check.
  Panola Orchard and Gardens Facebook page. . Alternate Phone: 903-458-1017 From Shreveport: I-20 West, take exit 3 (Highway 79 South). Turn left onto Highway 79 South. Travel about 20 miles. Take a right onto FM 1186. Our farm is 2 1/2 miles down FM 1186 on the left. From Dallas: I-20 East to Exit 6 (US-59 South). Turn right onto US-59 South. Go 7 miles, and turn left onto FM 1186. Go 7 miles, then turn left onto FM 1186 by Walnut Springs Baptist Church. Stay on this road for 3 miles, and turn right again onto FM 1186. Our farm is 1/2 mile on the rightTypical harvest dates June 1 until end of JulyClick here for our Facebook page. lavender products. We proudly offer you excellent quality, delicious strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, plums, and a variety of vegetables. All of us know that fruits and vegetables are very good for us, but berries are a SUPERSTAR fruit and have the greatest ability to fight diseases in humans. Our farm consists of U-Pick blueberry, blackberry and strawberry fields where you can pick your own berries. Or, you can choose the We-Pick option, and we will pick the berries for you. Each year we add something new and exciting for our customers, and we work diligently to make a variety of products. Our farm store is filled with a variety of farm made lavender products, soaps, jams, preserves, relishes, salsa, and more! Come enjoy an outing of picking berries, then relax in our clean, air conditioned facilities. Our homemade ice cream is sure to please!

Rains County

• Alford Family Farm - Uses natural growing practices, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, Muscadines, grapes, pecans, flowers, Fresh eggs, U-pick and already picked, farm market, porta-potties are available, picnic area, farm animals
  199 Private Road 6181, Emory, TX 75440. Phone: 903-474-7629. Email: patty.alford@alfordfamilyfarm.com. Open: UPDATE: July 22, 2024: The owner tells me they are closed until next season 2024, when their hours should be: See Facebook Page for dates and hours, April and May; Thursday thru Mondays, 10am to 5pm and in June and July on Wednesday thru Monday from 8 am to 2 pm, Blueberries and Blackberries normally star picking late May and go until early July depending on weather; Please visit our Facebook page or our web site for current information . Directions: Go south on 19 from the intersection of 69 and 19 take immediately turn left on 3274 w Willow springs road go two miles take left on 2180 this is a small oil top road go one half mile take first left on 2181 you will see farm on the right in one half mile. blueberries and blackberries late May to early July check face book for updates . We use natural practices, but are not yet certified Organic. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.
  Alford Family Farm Facebook page. . UPDATE: July 22, 2024: The owner tells me they are closed until next season (2024), when their hours should be: See Facebook Page for dates and hours, April and May; Thursday thru Mondays, 10am to 5pm and in June and July on Wednesday thru Monday from 8 am to 2 pm, Blueberries and Blackberries normally star picking late May and go until early July depending on weather; Please visit our Facebook page or our web site for current information. Once you get to 19 there will be signs with our easy pickins logo. Our U-Pick blueberry and blackberry orchards were the first crops we established and remains the highlight of our farm, with close to 4,000 blueberry and blackberry bushes that produce from May to July. We enjoy having you and your family out to experience the process of harvesting your own food while also enjoying the farm life going on around you..you will see our Belted Galloway cows grazing in the pastures, the hogs wallowing in the mud ponds, our free range chickens and guineas patrolling the grounds while our exotic chickens and pheasants look on in the safety of their spacious enclosures. In March of 2020 we offered a strawberry U-Pick which proved to be so popular we increased our crop to 10,000 plants.The ONLY pyo crops offered are strawberries, iris, blueberries, blackberries, muscadine grapes, pecans. (UPDATED: May 12, 2022)

Smith County

• Tyler Berry Farm - Uses natural growing practices, blueberries, strawberries, sunflowers, U-pick and already picked, farm market, gift shop, restrooms, picnic area, picnic area you may bring your own food, petting zoo, farm animals, birthday parties, school tours, group reservations, events at your location (call for info)
  9628 Cr 429, Tyler, TX 75704. Phone: (903) 526-4440. Email: tylerberryfarm@gmail.com. Open: Typical season for strawberries is from April - May Hours May vary, but typically 8 am to 5 pm 7 days a week; Blueberries start in June through the end of May, Hours are 7 am to 7 pm. Directions: From I-20. Exit 556 \(HWY 69\) and head South for 3 miles. Turn right on CR 429, continue down CR 429 for 1.5 Miles and we will be on the left. From Tyler. Follow loop 323 around until highway 69N and head North for 1.2 miles, turn left on FM 2016. Continue on FM 2016 for 1.1 miles and turn right on CR 429 \( Second black top road on the right\). Continue on CR 429 for 1 Mile and we are on the right. Strawberry season is typically Early April - Mid May Blueberries typically from Early June - - truncated. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Venmo.
  Tyler Berry Farm Facebook page. . Picking updates: Click here for picking updatesFrom I-20. Exit 556 (HWY 69) and head South for 3 miles. Turn right on CR 429, continue down CR 429 for 1.5 Miles and we will be on the left. From Tyler. Follow loop 323 around until highway 69N and head North for 1.2 miles, turn left on FM 2016. Continue on FM 2016 for 1.1 miles and turn right on CR 429 ( Second black top road on the right). Continue on CR 429 for 1 Mile and we are on the right. Strawberry season is typically Early April - Mid May Blueberries typically from Early June - Late July. We use natural practices, but are not seeking organic certificationWe are open June 1st for Blueberries, come enjoy in the outdoors. (UPDATED: June 04, 2022)A visitor writes on June 29, 2018: "Plenty of blueberries. Some are even not ripened enough, so if you think about 4 July, it will be plenty. Blueberries are sweet and of big size. Great and very big place, everybody would have privacy. Nice owners. We know them for at least 15 years."
  Comments from a visitor on June 14, 2011: "Tyler Berry Farm in NOT CLOSED!!! They have plenty of berries and is very clean. "
  Comments from a visitor on June 10, 2011: "Berries came in early this year. I went last weekend make sure you start from the back and move to towards the front. Berries are very Ripe. "

Upshur County

• Hill Farms - blackberries, blueberries, Muscadines, grapes, strawberries, concessions or refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area
  10191 State highway 155 South Big Sandy, Big Sandy, TX 75755. Phone: (903) 402-0804. Email: mikehill.hill@yahoo.com. Open: Call for current hours. Directions: 8 miles south of Gilmer 4 miles north of Big Sandy. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx. Hill Farms Picking updates: Click here for picking updatesStrawberries April 1At Hill's Farm, we grow strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and muscadines. You pick or we pick, Advantages to you pick: better price deal and the time to enjoy the beautiful scenery. (ADDED: April 07, 2021)
• McPeak Orchards - Blackberries, strawberries, U-pick and already picked, farm market, concessions or refreshment stand, porta-potties are available, picnic area, events at your location (call for info)
  10939 U.S. 271 N., Pittsburg, TX 75686. Phone: 903-762-6477. Open: U-pick is available from April 1 to May 31 on Monday through Saturday 8 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm. Click here for a map and directions. Fax: 903-762-1182peachguy1@yahoo. Not only will this activity be fun for the whole family, but it will allow you to reconnect with nature. As we get busy with our "lives in town," many people miss the sense of country with rows of orchards and the feel of dirt under foot. Here's your chance! School field trips are also welcomed. Not only do we produce the "Best Texas Peaches," we also specialize in delectable strawberries, blackberries and plums. In fact, enjoys being the largest strawberry grower in East Texas. Open through August for alreeady picked peaches. Come out to and hand-pick some juicy ripe strawberries or blackberries. We will provide the baskets; you pick the amount you want (sold by the pound)
  Comments from a visitor on May 07, 2012: "Great strawberry field. I usually pick about 20 pounds of strawberries for the freezer. Their blackberries are huge and sweet. I love to pick berries and it's a treat to have them in nice neat rows! Fresh vegetables and fruit available in the store as well as commercially canned products. "

 

Strawberry

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