Experience the great outdoors in a unique way by harvesting your own fresh produce at local farms. This activity not only offers a fun outing but also the chance to buy high-quality, in-season fruits and vegetables at affordable prices.
Pick-your-own opportunities are available at farms nationwide for a variety of produce such as strawberries, rhubarb, peas, blueberries, peaches, and apples. Apart from picking fresh produce, visitors can enjoy additional entertainment options like corn mazes, playgrounds, petting zoos, and wagon rides, making it a full day of countryside fun.
The timing for each crop can vary each year and by region, so it’s advisable to check the harvest calendar for your area and contact local farms through phone or social media to verify availability before visiting. Here are 15 Canadian U-pick farms worth exploring this year.
1. Maan Farms in Abbotsford, B.C., offers raspberry, blueberry, and strawberry picking without the need for kneeling. The farm also produces wine from on-site berries and features the Barnyard Adventureland with farm animals and a zipline.
2. Taves Family Farms in Abbotsford, B.C., provides options for picking strawberries, apples, goji berries, pears, plums, and pumpkins, along with attractions like a petting barn and sunflower garden.
3. Twin Oaks Organic Orchard in Kelowna, B.C., offers U-pick fruit crops such as apples, cherries, apricots, peaches, and pears, with a shop selling honey, eggs, and fresh hazelnuts.
4. The Saskatoon Farm in Foothills County, Alta., offers a range of activities including a farmers’ market, garden center, restaurant, bakery, and U-pick options for saskatoon berries, sour cherries, apples, and blackcurrants.
5. Eagle Creek Farms in Red Deer County, Alta., allows visitors to pick potatoes, carrots, peas, beans, onions, zucchini, and fresh flowers like gladioli, sunflowers, and zinnias. The farm also features a sunflower maze.
6. Rhodes’ Raspberries and Blackcurrants in Saskatoon offers various berry picking options and sells frozen berries, juice, jams, and sorbet.
7. Riverbend Orchards in Portage la Prairie, Man., provides U-pick opportunities for cherries, saskatoon berries, haskap berries, gooseberries, and apples later in the season.
8. Andrews Farm Market and Winery in Milton, Ont., offers a wide selection of crops for picking, including rhubarb, strawberries, currants, raspberries, blueberries, apples, and pumpkins, along with family-friendly activities.
9. Dutchyn Farms in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., allows visitors to pick peaches, nectarines, plums, and seedless grapes, with a tractor-drawn farm wagon for orchard tours.
10. Pingle’s Farm Market in Hampton, Ont., offers a year-round destination for picking fruits and vegetables, farm animal visits, wagon rides, corn mazes, and a pumpkin patch.
11. Quinn Farm in Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Que., features apple orchards, strawberry fields, blueberry patches, corn fields, pumpkin patches, and a large play area with farm animals.
12. Trueman Blueberry Farms in Sackville, N.B., allows visitors to pick high-bush and wild blueberries, tulips, rhubarb, raspberries, and pumpkins, with homemade ice cream and baked goods available at the farm store.
13. Dempsey Corner Orchard in Aylesford, N.S., offers a variety of fruits and vegetables for picking, including strawberries, raspberries, peaches, pumpkins, and potatoes, along with dining options.
14. The Grove Orchard and U-Pick in Cornwall, P.E.I., provides U-pick options for Asian pears and various apple varieties, with fall treats like coffee, apple cider, and mini doughnuts available for visitors.
15. Lester’s Farm Market in St. John’s, N.L., features pick-your-own strawberry patches and flower fields, as well as activities like wagon rides, a corn maze, bee observatory, and a wide range of fruits and vegetables for purchase at the market.