2024 Topeka and Northeastern Kansas Tomato U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Tomato U-Pick Orchards in Topeka and Northeastern Kansas 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 state 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

Douglas County

• Wohletz Farm Fresh - strawberries, tomatoes, potatoes, onions
  1831 North 1100 Road, Lawrence, KS 66046. Phone: 785-331-3468. Email: jwohl66@aol.com. Open: Call for availability. Directions: From 10 Highway West of Eudora turn South on East 1900 Road \(2.5 miles\). Turn West onto 1100 Road \(.75 miles\)to our farm on the South side of the road. Look for sign. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, SFMNP Vouchers. Picking updates: Click here for picking updatesFrom 10 Highway West of Eudora turn South on East 1900 Road (2.5 miles). Turn West onto 1100 Road (.75 miles)to our farm on the South side of the road. Look for signStrawberries: Mid-May thru JuneU-Pick produce patches are so much fun because you get to be a part of the process. Show your children where the fruits and veggies they see on their dinner plates really come from. They will take pride in eating the healthy produce they helped harvest, and you will feel good knowing it was sustainably and locally grown. Pack a lunch and enjoy eating in the shade in our picnic area overlooking our pond. Take a break from picking to see how we grow the other veggies we take to market, like broccoli, sweet corn, lettuce, beets, onions, tomatoes, and potatoes. Each one is unique and so interesting! A visitor writes on May 25, 2022: "U pick strawberries are $3.75/pound"

Shawnee County

• 86th Street Orchard - apples, cherries, grapes, pears, peaches, raspberries (black), tomatoes, other vegetables, already-picked produce (of the pyo crops), school tours
  5332 Northwest 86th Street, Topeka, KS 66618. Phone: (785) 246-1442. Email: cathy_kenny@yahoo.com. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only.
  86th Street Orchard Facebook page. Thursday to Saturday, from 9am to dusk; Other days and times by appointment; Please call or email before stopping by so we can let you know what's ripe and ready We have changed our fruit to mainly apples, peaches and Honey. We are strictly a u pick orchard with no other activities No groups do to us being a small orchard. We do have over 70 trees . Please call 785-409-3224. We have started growing raspberries in the high tunnel, but they are not at the productive stage yet. (UPDATED: May 18, 2022, JBS)
• Arkenberg Farms - beans, corn (sweet), cucumbers, eggplant, flowers, kale, onions, peas, peppers, summer squash, tomatoes, restrooms, events at your location (call for info)
  645 Se Tecumseh Rd, Tecumseh, KS 66542. Phone: (785) 969-3346. Email: Arkenberg.Farms@yahoo.com. Open: Mid June to September on Saturday 10am to 3pm and Sunday 12pm to 3pm; Please pre register to ensure time slots are open. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Venmo, PayPal, ApplePay, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, SFMNP Vouchers, SNAP Vouchers. We are Certified naturally grown for all crops(ADDED: June 11, 2021)
• Insane Paine Produce - beans, beets, broccoli, carrots, corn (sweet), cucumbers, peppers, pumpkins, summer squash, winter squash, tomatoes, other vegetables,
  3734 Ne Seward, Topeka, KS 66616. Phone: (785) 478-6773. Email: insanepaineproduce@gmail.com. Open: See our Facebook page for current hours. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. Insane Paine Produce (ADDED: May 16, 2018)

 

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