East-Central Michigan Vegetable U-Pick Orchards in !

Find a local pick your own farm here!

Vegetable U-Pick Orchards in East-Central Michigan in 2024, by county

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

Not all areas of a state have vegetables 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

Saginaw County

Saginaw Valley Sod & Berry Farm - tomatoes, other vegetables,
11285 Gratiot Road(m-46), Saginaw, MI 48609. Phone: 989-781-2680. Open: June 15th to October 31st. Directions: $M-46$Gratiot Road 14 mile West of $M-52$Graham Road, or 8 Miles west of Saginaw, Michigan on Gratiot Road $M-46$. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. (M-46)Gratiot Road 1/4 mile West of (M-52)Graham Road, or 8 Miles west of Saginaw, Michigan on Gratiot Road (M-46)Pre-picked Asparagus: May 10th to Mid June, Strawberries: May 25th to Late June, Early Raspberries: July 1st to Early August, Late Raspberries: September 1st to Late October; Pick your own Vegetables available in season; Go to our website for in season availability

Shiawassee County

Your Garden - sweet corn, other mixed vegetables, flowers and pumpkins
4350 W. Bath Road, Perry, MI . Phone: 517-625-7774. Open: June-October, daily, 9 am to dusk. Click here for a map and directions. 1-1/2 miles W of Perry. Bath Road intersects with Hwy. M-52 at the S end of the city of Perry.Pick your own . Indian corn, honey and straw bales are also available at the Fall Halloween season. School groups are welcome. Night crawlers and worms available, April 1-October 1

St. Clair County

Simpson Family Farm - beans, beets, broad beans, broccoli, corn (sweet), cucumbers, eggplants, flowers, herbs or spices, lavender, melons, onions, peppers, summer squash, tomatoes, other vegetables, watermelons, Other fruit or veg, porta-potties are available, picnic area you may bring your own food, farm animals
4197 Carrigan Rd, Fort Gratiot, MI 48059. Phone: 810 531 9802. Open: see their website. Directions: For a map to our farm, . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only.
Simpson Family Farm Facebook page. U-Pick is in full bloom this summer! Dive into the immersive joy of selecting your own fresh vegetables and brilliant flowers. While farmers markets offer a taste of the season, there's nothing like the connection and freshness of harvesting straight from the ground.Simpson Family Farm facebook page. Parents, our farm is tailored for the whole family. As you relish in nature's offerings, kids can dive into fun in our special play area. And just a short distance away, seating awaits for parents to unwind and watch over their playful children. (UPDATED: September 22, 2023, JBS) (ADDED: October 12, 2016)

Vegetable PYO

Vegetable Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

Pick veggies that are firm and free of blemishes.

Canning, Freezing, Drying, Preserving and more!

Below are links to pages with easy and reliable directions about how to can, preserve, freeze and make other goodies fromveggiess. 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!

Canning asparagus - P
Canning fresh shelled beans - P
How to can beets - P
How to make home canned carrots - P
How to can corn (hot pack method) - P
How to can corn (raw pack method) - P
How to can creamed corn (hot pack method) - P
How to make canned greens, like Spinach, Turnip Greens, Collards, Kale, Swiss Chard
How to can green beans, yellow beans, snap beans, broad beans, etc. - P
How to make canned dried beans and peas (from kidney beans, peas, lima beans, broadbeans, chickpeas, pole beans, etc.) - P
How to Make Homemade Canned Baked Beans With Tomato or Molasses Sauce - P
How to Make Homemade Canned Baked Beans With Back, Pork or Ham and Tomato or Molasses Sauce - P
Mixed vegetables - P
Mushrooms - P
How to can peas (English peas, Crowder peas, blackeye peas and purple hull peas) - P
Boiled Peanuts! Now Southerners who move to other parts of the country can make their own home-canned boiled peanuts to eat later or give away as gifts
How to can peppers (removing the skins)- P
How to can peppers (leaving the skins on) - P
How to can Hot peppers in oil - W
How to make fresh basil Pesto (only fresh and frozen - this can't be home-canned)
How to make canned Pineapple - W
How to can potatoes - P
How to home-can pumpkin (in a cooked, cubed form) and why you shouldn't home-can the pureed forms. Note: Pumpkin is difficult to can safely - it is a low acid food, so that rules out open water bath canning immediately. Pressure canners can be used, but according to the health authorities (like the National Center for Home Food Preservation) only if the pumpkin is cubed, rather than mashed. I usually just freeze the cooked pumpkin! - P
How to make pumpkin pie from a whole, fresh pumpkin - the easy way! for fresh or frozen use
More pumpkin recipes (roasting seeds, pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cookies, etc.) - fresh or frozen use
Rhubarb - how to can rhubarb - W

Pickled vegetables

Pickled asparagus - W, P
Pickled beets - W, P
Branston pickle relish (an English tradition)
Pickled Brussels Sprouts (or Cauliflower) - W
Bread-And-Butter Zucchini pickles - W, P
Pickled green beans - W, P
Pickled Dill beans - W, P
Pickled cabbage - W, P
Pickled carrots - W, P
Southern Chow-Chow (also called Piccalilli) - W, P
Pickled corn relish - W, P
Pear relish
How to Make Pickled Eggs (to store in the fridge!)
Spiced Green tomatoes
Pickled Green Tomatoes - another pickled green tomato recipe, this one sweet
Pickled garlic - W, P - (photos coming!)
Hot relish (Dixie Relish, Fall Garden Relish)
Mixed vegetable pickles (cauliflower, peppers, onions, celery, cucumber mix) - W, P
Mustard beans (pickled mustard beans)
Pickled dilled okra! - W, P
Olives
Pickled pearl onions - W
Pickled onions (red or white) - W
Pickled peaches (also nectarines, apricots, etc.) - W,P
Pickled peppers - W, P
How to make sauerkraut - homemade and naturally fermented! - W, P
Pickled Three-Bean Salad - W
P ickled watermelon rind - W, P
Zucchini pickles (dill) - W

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

Drying tomatoes

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.

General Directions and guides about home canning, preserving, safety, tips, etc.)
Home canning safety
FAQs
Equipment and supplies

Many more recipes and directions:

Canning anything that can be safely canned at home!
Juices: Canning fruit and vegetable juices
Freezing directions
Pie fillings (making home canned pie fillings)
Sauces, Salsas, Syrups, Fruit Butters and Chutneys (from applesauce, apple butter, to salsa, syrups, etc, can any sauce)
Broths and Stocks
Soups - canning vegetable and meat soups at home (see this page for tomato soup)
Pickling - more than just cucumbers
Drying / food dehydrating
Ice cream, gelato and sorbets

2024 East-Central Michigan Vegetable U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Find a pick-your-own farm near you! Then learn to can and freeze! Since 2002! We update continuously; Beware the copycat websites!