2024 Columbia County in Southeast NY Blackberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Blackberry U-Pick Orchards in Columbia County in Southeast NY in 2024, by county

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

Not all areas of a state have blackberries 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.

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

Columbia County

• Love Apple Farm - Uses integrated pest management practices, apples, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, currants (red), gooseberries, peaches, raspberries (red), strawberries, farm market, gift shop, restrooms, picnic area, petting zoo, events at your location (call for info)
  1421 State Route 9h, Ghent, NY 12075. Phone: (518) 828-5048. Email: info@loveapplefarm.com. Open: Orchard opens from 8am to 5pm; availability of crops varies; please call for current availability. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.
  Love Apple Farm Facebook page. We use integrated pest management practices's Typical U-Pick Calendar: Actual dates will vary due to weather conditions and other factors. Please call us at to verify the status of the product you are interested in: Fruit Early Most Active Late Apples July 15 Sept. 1-Oct. 25 Oct. 31 Blackberries July 10 July 15-July 30 August 10 Blueberries July 15 August 1-Sept. 10 Oct. 15 Cherries, sour June 10 July 1-31 August 10 Cherries, sweet June 10 July 1-31 August 10 Gooseberries June and July Peaches July 15 July 20-Sept. 1 Sept. 15 Plums July and August Raspberries August 1 June 15-20 July 10 (UPDATED: June 27, 2019) (ADDED: November 30, 2016)
• Samascott Orchards - apples, beans, beets, blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, carrots, cherries, chestnuts, cucumbers, currants (red and black), gooseberries, table grapes (with seeds), nectarines, onions, other berries, pears, peas, peaches, peppers, plums, pumpkins, raspberries (red), raspberries (Spring, red), raspberries (Autumn, red), raspberries (yellow), raspberries (Spring, yellow), raspberries (Autumn, yellow), raspberries (black), raspberries (Spring, black), raspberries (Autumn, black), rhubarb, summer squash, winter squash, strawberries, tomatoes, other vegetables, Fresh eggs, Cider mill (fresh apple cider made on the premises), porta-potties are available, restrooms, picnic area you may bring your own food, jumping pillow, farm animals, school tours
  5 Sunset Avenue, Kinderhook, NY 12106. Phone: (518) 758-7224. Email: info@samascott.com. Open: daily 8 am to 6 pm; See website for seasonal opening date: Click here for current open hours, days and dates. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.
  Samascott Orchards Facebook page. Picking updates: Click here for picking updatesCorn maze open Saturdays in September and October at Samascott's Garden Market;New in 2017 is a children's playground and jumping pillow, plus wagon rides around the Orchard. The entrance to the U-pick closes at 5:45 pm. We require a minimum purchase of $5.00 per person for PYO guests. All vehicles will be manually inspected upon checkout. All PYO produce is priced per pound. Prices may fluctuate throughout the season. You will be charged up to $10/lb for any produce you pick that is not listed as available on the harvest map OR produce that is not brought out of your vehicle to be weighed. No pets. Please see their website for all of their rules and specifications.
• Smith Farms - apples, blackberries, cherries, nectarines, peaches, raspberries (red), raspberries (Autumn, red), restrooms
  200 Whitebirch Rd, Hudson, NY 12534. Phone: 518-828-1228. Email: gilliansherrington@gmail.com. Open: starting mid-June from 9am to 5 pm; Please refer to our website for updates in availability of fruit as the season progresses. Directions: There is a direct link for our location on our website in the \About Us page. ". Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. . Alternate Phone: 518-755-6448 There is a direct link for our location on our website in the "About Us" pageWe start with sweet cherries in mid-June; We are open daily from 9am to 5 pm. Everbearing raspberries are available steadily, as they ripen. New canes on irrigation. Come early in the day. We are usually picked out by noon! Fred and Gillian Sherrington and our two collie dogs Tony and Sammi welcome youPEven though we are a smaller operation, by New York State standards, we do have over 10000 new generation trees and canes that offer their fruit for pick-your-own from June to late Fall. All our fruit is on "drip" irrigation, so except when our pond goes dry, in extreme weather, our produce is plump and juicy. We will begin the season at mid/late June with the cherries, sweet and sour. Then in early August, our white flesh, sweet and juicy Saturn (flat) peaches are ready to pick and they are popular!!!! From the end of August to mid October you will be able to pick from 6 varieties of free stone peaches and nectarines and from 7 varieties of apples such as Gala, Acey Mac, Honey Crisp, Fuji, Royal Cortland, Lady Apple, and Macoun, Jonagold and Golden Delicious. Of course we will keep you posted and will give you more details on what is ready to pick as we progress. Each year is a little different, according to the weather conditions, so visit our website picking calendar regularly and come and enjoy our orchard, as well as the beautiful Catskill area.
• The Chatham Berry Farm LLC - No pesticides are used, blackberries, blueberries, currants (red and black), raspberries (red), raspberries (Spring, red), raspberries (Autumn, red), raspberries (yellow), raspberries (Autumn, yellow), raspberries (black), raspberries (Autumn, black), strawberries, Honey from hives on the farm, Fresh eggs, restrooms, picnic area you may bring your own food, school tours
  2309 Route 203, Chatham, NY 12037. Phone: 518-392-4609. Email: thechathamberryfarm@gmail.com. Open: Be sure to call before you go; they did not have U-pick in 2020; Sunday to Saturday, from 8 am to 5 pm, open 364 days a year Closed Christmas Day December 25th. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, AmEx.
  The Chatham Berry Farm LLC Facebook page. . Be sure to call before you go; they did not have U-pick in 2020; Sunday to Saturday, from 8 am to 5 pm, open 364 days a year (Closed Christmas Day December 25th)We do not use pesticides on the cropsDuring the last week of November and the first week of December, we offer multiple holiday wreath and bow making classes. Light refreshments provided. U-Pick Black and Red Raspberries and U-Pick Blueberries ​All of our berries are pesticide-free! U-Pick closes at 5 pm, which is 1 hour before the farm store, to ensure that everyone has returned to the farm store with their berries & paid. U-Pick is weather dependent, please call ahead for picking conditions & availability. (UPDATED: June 26, 2020 JBS) (ADDED: March 09, 2016)

 

Blackberry

Blackberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

Blackberries typically peak during June in the South of the U.S., and in July in the north and in Canada. Crops are ready at various times of the month depending on which part of the state you are located. In order to produce good local Blackberries, producers depend on ideal spring and early summer weather conditions. See this page for a list of blackberry festivals around the U.S.

Before you leave to go to the farm:

1. Always call before you go to the farm - 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 Blackberries, 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 Blackberries more than 5 inches deep will bruise the lower berries. Plastic dishpans, metal oven pans with 3 inch tall sides and large pots make good containers. I like the Glad storage containers like the one at right.
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.

Tips on How to Pick Blackberries

1. There are two types of blackberries to know about: thorny and thornless! Obviously, the thornless are easier to pick, but some people claim the thorny varieties are sweeter. With the thorny plants, you want to reach into the plant in the gaps, so you don't need to touch anything but the berry you're after, avoiding the thorns.
2. A ripe blackberry is deep black with a plump, full feel. It will pull free from the plant with only a slight tug.  If the berry is red or purple, it's not ripe yet.
3. Repeat these operations using both hands until each holds 3 or 4 berries. Unlike strawberries, blackberries are usually pretty tough, I dump mine into the bucket. Repeat the picking process with both hands.
4. Don't overfill your containers or try to pack the berries down.

General Picking Tips

Whether you pick Blackberries from your garden or at a Pick-Your-Own farm, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Pick only the berries that are fully black. Reach in between the stems to grab for hidden berries ready for harvest. Bend down and look up into the plant and you will find loads of berries that other people missed!
2. Avoid placing the picked berries in the sunlight any longer than necessary. It is better to put them in the shade of a tree or shed than in the car trunk or on the car seat. Cool them as soon as possible after picking. Blackberries may be kept fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week, depending upon the initial quality of the berry. After a few days in storage, however, the fruit loses its bright color and fresh flavor and tends to shrivel.

When you get home

1. DON'T wash the berries until you are ready to use them or freeze them.  Washing makes them more prone to spoiling.
2. Pour them out into shallow pans and remove any mushed, soft or rotting berries
3. Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash  off the others, drain them and freeze them up! (Unless you're going to make jam right away) Blackberries are less perishable than blueberries or strawberries, but refrigerate them as soon as possible after picking. Temperatures between 34 F and 38 F are best, but, be careful not to freeze the blackberries (while they are in the fridge)!
4. Even under ideal conditions blackberries will only keep for a week in a refrigerator, so for best flavor and texture, use them as soon as possible after purchase

Blackberry Recipes, Freezing and Jam directions

1. How to make Blackberry jam - It is VERY easy - especially with our free Blackberry jam directions - very easy!
2. How to make Blackberry jelly
3. How to freeze berries
4. Blackberry syrup, make and can it! 
5. Seedless blackberry pie!
6. Blackberry Festivals: Where, When and More to Find an Blackberry Festival Near You this year:

Blackberry Facts and Tips

• Black Raspberries, also known as "black caps" are a very healthy food; packed with anthocyanins!
• The USDA says 1 cup of blackberries has about 62 calories.
• 1 cup of blackberries, not packed down weighs about 140 grams.
• Select plump, firm, fully blackberries. Unripe berries will not ripen once picked.
• Ohio State University's Article Regarding Their Prevention of Cancer
• Oregon Berry Black Raspberry Brochure
• Blackberry tea was said to be a cure for dysentery during the Civil War. During outbreaks of dysentery, temporary truces were declared to allow both Union and Confederate soldiers to "go blackberrying" to forage for blackberries to ward off the disease.
• Blackberries were enjoyed by the ancient Greeks, who believed them to be a cure for diseases of the mouth and throat, as well as a preventative against many ailments, including gout.
• The blackberry leaf was also used as an early hair dye, having been recommended by Culpeper, the English herbalist, to be boiled in a lye solution in order to "maketh the hair black".
• Guide to blackberry varieties
• Researchers have known for quite some time that berries contain antioxidants which help to fight cancer causing free radicals.  A study at the University of Ohio has found that blackberries are the most potent cancer fighting berries of them all, by nearly 40 percent!
• U-pick Blackberry farms typically sell berries by the pound. A quart equals 1 and 1/2 pounds of fresh berries.
• Do the math and be careful not to over-purchase as Blackberries quickly mold when left at room temperature, and only last a couple of days in the refrigerator.
• You can easily freeze berries that you cannot use right away - just wash, cut the hulls off and pop them into a ziplock bag, removing as much air as possible.  Those vacuum food sealers REALLY do a good job of this! The berries will keep for many months frozen without air.
• Want to go to a blackberry festival? See this page for a list!

 

 

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