2024 Berks County, Pennsylvania Blackberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Blackberry U-Pick Orchards in Berks County, Pennsylvania 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.

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Berks County

• Myers Orchard - No pesticides are used, blackberries, raspberries (red), raspberries (Spring, red), raspberries (Autumn, red), farm animals
  6 Spangler Drive, Bernville, PA 19506. Phone: 610-488-0175. Open: hours, days and dates. Directions: Take Route 183Strausstown exit off of Route 78. Go South approximately 2 miles. Make a left on to Spangler Drive. Berry fields are on the left hand side and marked with signs. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. UPDATE for 2021, Their Facebook page is gone; There's nothing else about them on the internet, so I assume they have closed. If you have any information to the contrary, please write me. See our website for current hours. Click here for current open Picking updates: Click here for picking updatesTake Route 183/Strausstown exit off of Route 78. Go South approximately 2 miles. Make a left on to Spangler Drive. Berry fields are on the left hand side and marked with signsRaspberries: June to November Blackberries: July to September. We do not use pesticides on the cropsWe use NO PESTICIDES or commercial fertilizers, so please watch for bees in summer. We are new and growing. Now that our crop is mature enough, we offer delicious "you pick" raspberries and blackberries to the public while in season. All our commercial-quality fruit are available as "YOU PICK" while in a beautiful country setting at a fraction of what consumers pay at the supermarket. We weigh your fruit after you pick, so you only pay for what you pick. Bring your own containers. Watch for bees in summer! If you have an allergy to bee stings you should NOT pick. We also have a friendly herd of goats with kids for you to visit. Let's have some fun! (UPDATED: June 14, 2016)
• Weaver's Orchard - Apples, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, kiwi berries, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, pumpkins, raspberries, strawberries, U-pick and already picked, farm market
  40 Fruit Lane, Morgantown, PA 19543. Phone: 610-856-7300. Email: info@weaversorchard.com. Open: Pick - your - own hours: Monday through Friday 10 am to 5 pm, Saturday 9 am to 5 pm Market hours remain Monday through Friday 8 am to 7 pm and Saturday 8 am to 5 pm. Directions: Located in Robeson Township, Berks County Pennsylvania. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx, SFMNP Vouchers.
  Weaver's Orchard Facebook page. Last admittance a half hour before close each day; Whenever the forecast is for temperatures to reach 90 or above our PYO hours will be 7 am to 2 pm on Monday to FridayPicking updates: Click here for picking updates. Strawberries Possibly opening May 31st, peak expected June 12th. Red & Black Raspberries Late June, Peak expected week of July 1st. Blueberries Late June, Peak expected around July 1st. Sweet & Sour Cherries; Sour cherries - Late June/early July; Sweet cherries - TBD. : is . Address: 40 Fruit Lane, Morgantown, PA 19543 GPS option: 685 Weaver Road, Morgantown, PA 19543 Morgantown: North on Route 10, approximately 5 miles to Weaver Road turn right. (I-76) Exit 298: North on Route 10, 5 miles to Weaver Road on right. 422 Reading: South on I-176 to Exit 7 Green Hills. South on Route 10, 5 miles to Weaver Road turn leftoffers farm fresh fruit from May-November and also features a market open year round; The market features produce year-round (homegrown and local in season - a bakery, deli, locally sourced all-natural meat and dairy products, freshly pressed apple cider - made on the premises, hand-dipped ice cream and more! The orchard is a perfect spot for events - from school tours and birthday parties to Easter egg hunts, tasting events, nutrition seminars, and fall festivals; From the Saturday after Labor Day until the end of October, Fall Family Fun Days allow customers to experience the orchard through pick-your-own apples and pumpkins, live music, hayrides delicious apple treats and many kid's activities - such as pony rides, tractor-train rides, moon bounce, zip line, straw barn, pumpkin painting and much more!We require wristbands for everyone entering the pick-your-own areas, which allows us to identify people who are in the orchard as paying pick-your-own customers. This leads to greater security for us and for our customers, ensuring that everyone who is on the property is accounted for. It is also a way for us to keep overall costs down by ensuring that everyone is paying for the fruit they pick. WRISTBANDS ARE FREE ON NON PEAK DAYS MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, excluding holidays. Wristbands are always free for children five years old and younger who are accompanied by a paying parent or legal guardian. Wristbands are $2 for customers 6 years old and up on peak days (Fridays, Saturdays, Independence Day, Labor Day and Columbus Day. (UPDATED: July 04, 2018) (UPDATED: May 01, 2018)
  Comments from a visitor on May 24, 2010: "I love this farm. It is your typically home grown uncommericalized farm. I have made it a point to buy local grown products and to help local farmers in the last year and this farm is the best out there. I did not eat peaches until I had one of their fresh off the tree peaches. I pick 140 pounds of apples with my family and we loved every ounce. I had strawberries this year from the farm and they were out of this world. We are going back this weekend to pick 40 pounds to make into yummie recipes from this website. The people are family friendly and my family just loves the farm and has no problem driving the hour to shop."

 

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