2024 Southwest Colorado Apricot U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Apricot U-Pick Orchards in Southwest Colorado in 2024, by county

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

Not all areas of a state have apricots orchards 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.

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Delta County

• Camelot Farms - Uses natural growing practices, apples, apricots, cherries, herbs or spices, lavender, pears, raspberries (red), raspberries (yellow), tomatoes, Fresh eggs, U-pick and already picked, restrooms, picnic area, farm animals, school tours
  15911 Black Bridge Road, Paonia, CO 81428. Phone: 970 527 3194. Email: toniharmony@yahoo.com. Open: UPDATE for 2021, Their website and Facebook pages are gone or outdated - I presume they have closed. Directions: If you are coming from Carbondale you well be taking a left off of Highway 133 onto Black Bridge Road Then your first Right on Black Bridge Road it\'s a long Driveway. If you are coming from Delta it will be a Right hand turn onto Black Bridge. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. . Alternate Phone: 970 309 3183Does anyone have current information, are they still offering pick your own or are even open? If so, please write me. Monday through Sunday 8 am to 8 pm July 1st Through November 7thIf you are coming from Carbondale you well be taking a left off of Highway 133 onto Black Bridge Road Then your first Right on Black Bridge Road it's a long Driveway. If you are coming from Delta it will be a Right hand turn onto Black Bridge We use natural practices, but are not seeking organic certification. We have a country farm market with fruit, flowers, vegetables, jams, fruit butters, local jewelry, and much more.
• Delicious Orchards - Certified organic, U-pick organic fruit: cherries, apples, peaches, apricots, pears, nectarines, raspberries, grapes, winter squash, apple cider, hard cider
  39126 Hwy. 133, Hotchkiss, CO 81419. Phone: (970) 527-1110. Email: info@bigbs.com. Open: Daily, 8 am to 6 pm Also Wine tasting, local produce, cheese, gifts, deli, campground, picnics. Directions: Located in the North Fork Valley of Colorado, one mile west of Paonia on CO Hwy 133. Click here for a map and directions. . Varieties to pick include: Honeycrisp, Gala, Jonathan, Macintosh, Winter Squash, Peaches, Tomatoes, Basil, Pears, Raspberries, Grapes. Our high elevation, Rocky Mountain water, cold nights and warm days produce some of the finest fruits in the world! Big B's produces a full line of organic and local juices and ciders from Western Slope fruit at our manufacturing plant located in the town of Hotchkiss. We're happy to answer u-pick questions during the fruit growing season, get you registered for camping, or introduce you to our award winning hard ciders. You can enjoy a meal in the cafe and try out our famous tree swings in the courtyard (at your own risk, of course!) offers free live music regularly throughout the summer with outdoor BBQ's. (UPDATED: October 25, 2019, JBS)
• Full Spectrum Farms - Uses natural growing practices, apples, apricots, cherries, corn (sweet), nectarines, peaches, plums, summer squash, Fresh eggs
  16877 Grange Road, Paonia, CO 81428. Phone: (720) 256-3364. Email: info@theyakboys.com. Open: Wednesday 7 am to 7 pm Sundays 2 pm to 7pm. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. Cherries - Late June/Early July Most others August - October, Pears, Plums, Nectarines, Peaches, and many types of Apples, and they all vary; If you want something specific, we can help plan specific peak times;. We use natural practices, but are not yet certified OrganicSeveral cats roam the property, please no other pets. This farm has always used organic practices, since 1974 when it was formed, but we are working to get our organic certification over the next several weeks. (ADDED: June 03, 2019)
• Uncle Johnny's U-Pick Farm - Uses natural growing practices, apples, apricots, beans, beets, blackberries, cherries, cucumbers, currants (red and black), grapes, peaches, peppers, plums, pumpkins, raspberries (Autumn, red), summer squash, winter squash, strawberries, tomatoes, other vegetables, Cider mill (fresh apple cider made on the premises), U-pick and already picked, picnic area, farm animals, weddings and wedding parties
  18561 Surface Creek Road, Cedaredge, CO 81413. Phone: . Email: 22arniebclarke@gmail.com. Open: UPDATE for 2021, The now former owner says they sold the farm, and he expects the new owners will continue it as a U-Pick. Directions: from the stoplight in Cedaredge @main street and highway 65 turn east, travel 1 mile on east main to the rodeo grounds, turn north on surface creek road, go about 1-34 miles to 18561 surface creek road on the left hand side. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. Uncle Johnny's U-Pick Farm Email- 7 days a week 8 amto8 pm (by appointment) during harvest seasonfrom the stoplight in Cedaredge @main street and highway 65 turn east, travel 1 mile on east main to the rodeo grounds, turn north on surface creek road, go about 1-3/4 miles to 18561 surface creek road on the left hand sideWe use natural practices, but are not seeking organic certificationFree range pork is grown on a pre-paid reserved basis by 1/4-1/2 or whole pig. Custom Processing, using your cutting and packaging instructions is extra and will be scheduled when pigs are at their prime.

 

Apricot

Apricot Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

In the U.S., Apricots typically peak from June through July in the South, and July and August in the North. In order to produce good local apricots, producers depend on ideal spring and early summer weather conditions, and no late frosts. If you want to know which are the best varieties of apricots for home canning, see this page!

Before you leave to go to the farm:

1. Always call before you go to the farm - Apricots 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 apricots, 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 Apricots on top of each other will bruise the fruit on the bottom. Plastic dishpans, metal oven pans with 3 inch tall sides and large pots make good containers, so you can spread them out.
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.
5. You might want to ask whether the apricots are! There are two major types of apricots: "Freestone" and. "Clingstone". Freestone apricots and nectarines have flesh that slips easily away from the pit. Clingstones are a REAL pain, because the fruit tenaciously clings to the stone or pit! Most apricot varieties grown today are freestone and are usually available (depending upon your location) from June through September. Some nectarines are freestone and some are clingstone. Freestone nectarines are available in June and July. Most plum varieties are clingstone. 

How to tell if the apricots are ripe!

• Attached to the tree: Apricots are best picked when the fruit separates easily from the twigs. If it is hard to pull off the tree, it isn't ripe! Apricots will not ripen further once removed from the tree (they only "soften")
• Color: Green is definitely unripe, but you can't use red color as an indicator of how ripe a apricot is. Different apricot varieties have differing amounts of red blush in their natural coloring. Pick them when the ground color changes from green to yellow, orange, red (or a combination). The skin of yellow-fleshed varieties ripens to an orange tint, while the skin of white-fleshed varieties changes from greenish- to yellow-white.
• Softness: unless you like your apricots very firm, pick your apricots with just a little "give" when gently pressed. Apricots at this stage are great for eating, freezing, and baking. Apricots won't ripen very much after picking!
• Odor: It should smell sweet and ripe!

Tips on How to Pick Apricots

A apricot is softer than most fruit, so it is important to pick a apricot gently, with little pressure. Using the sides of your fingers rather your fingertips helps to avoid bruising.  Grab the apricot firmly and pull it straight off the branch. DON'T drop the apricot into the basket, but set it in gently!

Marks on the Apricots: Bugs (particularly squash bugs and stink bugs) bite fruit during development and this results in some imperfections in the apricot. This is especially the case with organically raised fruit.  These look like dents in the apricots if the apricots were bitten by a bug when they were young. This causes a spot that does not grow properly and makes a wrinkle in the apricot. There's nothing wrong with these apricots. They may look funny, but they will taste just as good as blemish-free apricots, and it's better not to have the pesticides!

When you get home

1. Spread the fruit out on towels or newspapers and separate any mushy or damaged fruit to use immediately.
2. Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash and cut the others and freeze them up!
3. Even under ideal conditions apricots will only keep for a week in a refrigerator, so for best flavor and texture, use them as soon as possible after purchase
4. Now, get ready to make Apricot jam or canned apricots - It is VERY easy - especially with our free  directions and recipes:

Apricot Canning, Freezing and Recipes

• How to make Apricot jam
• Canning apricots
• How to freeze apricots
• Here are some great and easy apricot desert recipes, like easy apricot cobbler.

How much do you need?

Raw measures:

• About 6 medium apricots = 1 cup sliced apricots.
• About 4 medium apricots = 1 cup pureed apricot.
• 1 pound fresh apricots = 8 to 12 whole fruits

Process yields (Raw amounts to processed amounts)

• 2 to 21/2 pounds of fresh apricots yields 1 quart canned
• 2-1/2 pounds fresh apricots = 2 to 3 pints frozen
• 1 lb of fresh apricots typically yields 3 cups of peeled, sliced apricots or 2 cups or puree.
• It takes about 5 good sizes apricots or nectarines (or about 10 plums) to fill one quart jar of canned apricots.
• An average of 17 -1/2 pounds of fresh apricots are needed per canner load of 7 quarts;
• An average of 11 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints.
• 1 bushel = 48 to 50 pounds, yields approximately 18 to 25 quart jars.

Apricots-Average retail price per pound and per cup equivalent

Canned Apricots

• 16-ounce can apricots = 2 cups drained

Dried Apricots

• 6 pounds fresh apricots = 1 pound dried apricots
• 1 pound dried apricots = 2-3/4 cups
• 1 pound dried apricots = 5 cups cooked
• 6 ounces dried apricots = 1 cup
• 6 ounces dried apricots = 2 cups cooked

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