2024 Okanagan areas of British Columbia Tomato U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Tomato U-Pick Orchards in Okanagan areas of British Columbia in 2024, by county

Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for tomatoes that we know of in this area.

Not all areas of a province or region have tomatoes 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.

New! We just went live with our latest website, FunFactoryTours.com - As they name implies, you can find a fun factory tour, including chocolate, automobiles, historical forts and sites, famous buildings, Active Federal facilities even fun geology: like fossils and volcanic areas

North Okanagan

• Davison Orchards - tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, farm market
  3111 Davison Road, Vernon, BC V1H 1A2. Phone: (250) 549-3266. Email: info@davisonorchards.ca. Open: Daily from May 1 to October 31; Spring Hours: 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. Click here for a map and directions. They also have prepicked apples, peaches and squash A visitor writes: "I love going there during the spring, summer and fall. Everything is of the highest quality and competitively priced."
• Rigo-en Orchards - tomatoes, peppers, apples, peaches
  6831 Bella Vista Road, Vernon, BC . Phone: 250-545-1610. Email: tomojr@telus.net. Open: August through October. Directions: Located within 4 kilometers of Vernon, adjacent to Okanagan Lake. Click here for a map and directions. . Our 25 acres of land overlooking Okanagan Lake has been in our family for three generations and is currently owned and operated by Tom Ouchi. Tom grew up on the orchard and took over the family business in 1992. Our orchard has changed and adapted to include not just apples but also a variety of vegetables and fruits and is now run as a part U-Pick operation. There are about twelve acres of six different varieties of apples, around one acre of scrumptious peach trees, four acres of beautiful U-Pick tomatoes, peppers, corn, another few acres of other vegetables, and, not to mention our colourful fresh cut flower patch. A 25 acre family farm . U-pickU-Pick tomatoes have been a huge part of Ringo-En over the years. Regular beefsteak type and roma types are grown in a scenic setting over-looking Okanagan Lake. Come by and pick your own juicy red tomatoes for a fun experience for the whole family. Not to mention yummy tomato sandwiches mmmm.. Green, coloured and hot peppers available for U-Pick as well as We Pick. Great for salsas or stuffed peppers (see our recipe tab for our favourite recipes)

Okanagan-Similkameen

• Covert Farms - beans, blackberries, blueberries, cucumbers, eggplant (aubergine), flowers, grapes, nectarines, summer squash, winter squash, strawberries, tomatoes, other vegetables
  38614 107th Street, Oliver, BC V0H1T0. Phone: 250-498-2731. Email: info@covertfarms.ca. Open: July, August, September, October. Click here for a map and directions. Fax: 250 498 6363. . We are open Our hours are: Monday to Sunday 7 am to 5 pm visit the website for maps and more info. Experience the Winery & Farm, take a guided tour with a farmer. Explore our vineyards and fields in our vintage 1952 Mercury Truck. Your tour ends with a private wine tasting accompanied by small bites from our kitchen. (max 10 people per tour). In season, we encourage our wine customers to try pick-your-own. The friendly staff at Secrest Organics at can assist with your selections and guide you along the way. They grow more than 40 different crops, so you can try something new. Freshly harvested produce is also available in their farm store, steps from our Wine Lounge. Many crops are available from late spring until first frost.
• Hillside Orchards - apples, apricots, beans, beets, carrots, cherries, corn (sweet), eggplant, grapes, herbs or spices, melons, nectarines, onions, pears, peas, peaches, peppers, plums, pumpkins, raspberries (red), rhubarb, summer squash, winter squash, strawberries, tomatoes, other vegetables, walnuts,
  310 Avenue (road 18) RR#1 S36 C4, Oliver, BC V0H 1T0. Phone: 250-485-7180. Email: HillsideOrchards@hotmail.ca. Open: 7 days a week from 8 am to 6 pm; closed on rainy days. Directions: Is located in the heart of the South Okanagan, between Oliver & Osoyoos B.C. On 310 Avenue With views of desert rolling hills & vineyards. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Cheque, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard. As each variety of fruits and vegetables come into season, every trip you make here will reward you with different delights; Every month we have something new for you to pick ! Cherries: June To July, Apricots: Early July, Nectarines :Mid July to September, Peaches: Mid July to September, Plums: Early August, Pears: Late August, Apples: Late August to October; All our ground crops such as Beans, Corn, Beets, Pickling Cukes, Tomatoes, Melons, Peppers and other vegetables are ready from July to our first frost in Octoberis a fourth generation family owned & operated farm consisting of 25 acres of fruits & vegetables , a unique farm market containing fresh picked produce , jams , syrups & honey's. Big or small, young or old..with a friend or with your family. has something truly special to offer you..Because the rich sunshine and our divine climate allow us to grow a variety of premium quality fruits & vegetables. We are so honoured and thrilled to be chosen as the best fruitstand in the 15th Annual (2020) Best of South Okanagan. We appreciate everyone's support and business throughout the years and hope to continue providing a unique farm experience with Happy Healthy Farm Produce to all of our customers.

 

Tomatoes

Tomato Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

Pick tomatoes that are firm and free of blemishes. Cracking is common in very hot weather, especially after a rain, and if you intend to use the tomatoes within 1 day, that will be ok.

During hot summer weather, pick the tomatoes when they have a healthy pink/red (or yellow or orange depending on the variety) color and let them finish the last day or two of ripening indoors. Tomatoes do not need to be in the sunlight in order to ripen. If you have green fruit on the plants in the fall when frost is approaching, pick the tomatoes and store them in a cool, dark place to ripen.

Tomato Varieties

In general paste or Roma-type tomatoes are the best to using for canning, as they have thicker, meatier walls and far less water. And cherry tomatoes are the worst to use, as they are mostly water.  But you can use any type you can get hold of.  You may just have to cook them down longer to boil off excess water.  See our Master list of tomato varieties

Growing tomatoes

• Master list of tomato varieties
• Master List of Heirloom Tomato Varieties
• How to Grow Tomatoes in Your Yard or Patio - Everything you need to know
• Detailed directions to starting tomatoes from seed
• Master List of Roma and Paste Tomato Varieties for the Home Garden
• Master list of disease-resistant tomato varieties
• Tomato plant diseases

Canning, Freezing, Drying, Preserving Tomatoes and more!

Below are links to pages with easy and reliable directions about how to can, preserve, freeze and make other goodies from tomatoes.  Some of these require a Pressure Canner to prevent potential spoilage and food poisoning, due to the low acid content of the food.  For others, you can use a water bath canner OR a Pressure Canner.  I've noted what's required for each, below, following each entry, with
W for water bath,
P for Pressure canner, and
W, P for either may be used!

And don't miss: Answers to common tomato canning problems and see this page about what to do with your unripe green tomatoes!

Prepping tomatoes

• How to quickly and easily remove tomato skins

Canning tomatoes (in water bath canners )

• How to can tomatoes using a water bath canner - W
• Diced, chopped or crushed tomatoes - W
• Bruschetta - W
• Tomato sauce - W
• Tomato paste - W
• Barbecue sauce (BBQ sauce) - W
• Chili sauce from your own tomatoes and peppers - W
• Diced, chopped or crushed tomatoes - W
• Tomato Preserves- W
• Tomato salsa - W
• Spaghetti sauce - without meat - W, P
• Spiced Green tomatoes- W
• Pickled Green Tomatoes - W - another pickled green tomato recipe, this one sweet
• Ketchup.. or if you prefer... How to make catsup - W, P
• NEW! SUPER-EASY homemade ketchup recipe - W
• Salsa from your unripe, GREEN tomatoes! - W
• Tomatillo salsa - W
• How to make roasted tomatoes, boiling water bath canner version - W

Canning Tomatoes in Pressure canners

• Canned tomatoes using a Pressure Canner - P
• Baked  Beans With Tomato or Molasses Sauce - P
• Canning your own chili con carne (with meat) - P
• How to make roasted tomatoes, pressure canner version - P
• Spaghetti sauce - with meat  - P
• Stewed tomatoes - P
• Tomato soup or tomato-basil soup - P
• Tomato sauce - P
• Tomato juice - P
• Tomato juice, like V8 - P

Freezing Tomatoes

• How to freeze tomatoes from you garden or the farm; for that fresh taste this winter!
• Space-saving prepping and freezing extra tomatoes from your garden to can later

Drying tomatoes

• NEW! How to make Sun-Dried Tomatoes
• Food drying basics and principles
• How to dry your own herbs
• Food Dehydrators - models, specs and pricing information

Ripening green tomatoes in your garage or basement

If you want to bring your green tomatoes indoors before a freeze in the Fall, and ripen them, see:

• How to ripen your green garden tomatoes indoors in the Fall and Winter.

And if you'd like to start you own tomatoes from seed (you can save a small fortune and grow the heirloom varieties you like) see this page for easy directions for growing your own tomato plants from seed.

Frequently Asked Questions About Canning, Freezing and Preserving Tomatoes

• See this page for answers to many common questions about tomatoes.

 

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