Central Illinois Blueberry U-Pick Orchards in !

Find a local pick your own farm here!

Blueberry U-Pick Orchards in Central Illinois in 2024, by county

Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for blueberries that we know of in this area. Not all areas of any state, nor even every state, have blueberries 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

Iroquois County

Mulberry Lane Farm - Uses natural growing practices, apples, asparagus, beans, beets, blueberries, corn (sweet), cucumbers, currants (red and black), grapes, onions, other berries, peppers, raspberries (black), raspberries (Spring, black), raspberries (Autumn, black), rhubarb, strawberries, Fresh eggs, porta-potties are available, picnic area, farm animals, school tours
414 N Mulberry Street, Loda, IL 60948. Phone: 217-386-2690. Email: helen@mulberrylanefarm.com. Open: Monday to Saturday, from 8 am to 7 pm; Closed Sunday; Open from April 1 to October 1;Strawberry U Pick starts in early May, BY RESERVATION ONLY. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only.
Mulberry Lane Farm Facebook page. . . Please call ahead and reserve a spot! The demand is high this year, so don't miss out; Farm shop is open Saturdays year round from 8 am to 8 pm. We use natural practices, but are not yet certified Organic. Facebook page. 2018 Prices starting out were $3.99 per lb. Minimum 5 lbs per person (12 years old and older). Already picked strawberries are also available by reservation only. 2018 prepicked prices are $5.99 per lb for the first week or two. Prices will drop further into the season. You are at the right place for organic food (all our USDA Certified Organic products are non-GMO and glyphosate free; no Roundup!) and canning supplies. Buy in bulk and save BIG money! We are certified organic by the Global Organic Alliance (GOA).

Macoupin County

Backwoods Berry Farm - strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches
227244 Hettick & Scottsville Road, Hettick, IL 62649. Phone: (217) 436-2510. Email: info@backwoodsberryfarm.com. Open: U-Pick hours vary by season, call or check Facebook for more information. Click here for a map and directions. ick & Scottsville Road, Hettick, IL 62649. , Closed Sundays; Strawberries - Mid to Late May; we start taking orders May 1st; Blueberries - Late June; we take orders in May & June; Blackberries -Mid to Late July; we take orders in May & June on a "first come/ first served" basis; Peaches - Early August. Always closed on Sundays. *Peaches - Early August;A visitor writes: "The owners are SO nice and helpful. They sell some related items, such as cookbooks too.."

Montgomery County

Kern Family Orchard - apples, blackberries, blueberries, peaches, raspberries (red), raspberries (Spring, red), raspberries (Autumn, red), raspberries (yellow), raspberries (Spring, yellow), raspberries (black), raspberries (Spring, black), strawberries, Honey from hives on the farm, Fresh eggs
7375 Mackay Avenue, Raymond, IL 62560. Phone: (217) 820-1266. Open: Call the farm for hours and crop availability. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. . Be sure to confirm crop availability and dates with the farm before you go there; they have no website, Facebook page, Instagram or anything online, and we no longer receive updates from the farm. (UPDATED: June 1, 2024, JBS) (ADDED: August 27, 2015)

Moultrie County

Prairie Hill Blueberry Farm - blueberries, picnic area
424 County Road 1400 North, Bethany, IL 61914. Phone: 217-665-3935. Email: prairiehillblueberryfarm@gmail.com. Open: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 7am to 7pm; Other days or evenings, call first; Closed Sundays. Directions: GPS Coordinates: 39.36\'.34\ West Latitude; 88.43\'.54\". North Longitude From Bethany". Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check.
Prairie Hill Blueberry Farm Facebook page. take Saint John Street straight south 3 miles to County Road 1400 North. Left $east$ one half mile to 424. Farm is on the left. "

Peoria County

Rockwell's U Pick Blueberries - blueberries,
On Krause Road 1/2 Mile South Of Cloverdale Road, Chillicothe, IL 61523. Phone: 309-286-5201. Email: rocksblueberrypatch@gmail.com. Open: Wednesday to Saturday from 7 am to Noon; Call for fruit availability. Directions: 3 miles west of Route 29 on Cloverdale Road, Turn left $south$ at Krause Road, Rock\'s Patch is a 12 mile south of Cloverdale Road on Krause Road, right side $west$ of the road. Payment: Cash, Check. Note: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. . 3 miles west of Route 29 on Cloverdale Road, Turn left (south) at Krause Road, Rock's Patch is a 1/2 mile south of Cloverdale Road on Krause Road, right side (west) of the road. Note: there are photos of the farm on this unofficial Facebook page. (UPDATED: June 26, 2016) A visitor writes on July 13, 2013: "First year officially open to the public I took my toddlers out and they had a blast! The fruit was pleasant and extremely tasty! They provide buckets for picking and bags to take them home in. He also offered tips on storage and uses! "

Sangamon County

Jefferies Orchard - blueberries, cherries, strawberries, Cider mill (fresh apple cider made on the premises)
1016 Jefferies Road, Springfield, IL 62625. Phone: 217/487-7845. Email: apples@jefferiesorchard.com. Open: Daily, from 7 am to 6 pm. Directions: Five miles north of Springfield, Illinois at intersection of Route 29 and Jefferies Road. Strawberries: late May to early June Cherries: June Blueberries: early July. Payment: Cash, Check. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check.
Jefferies Orchard Facebook page. . Facebook page.

Shelby County

Just Berries - blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, U-pick and already picked, picnic area, school tours
233 N 2900 East Rd, Stewardson, IL 62463. Phone: 217-682-5588. Email: justberries1@gmail.com. Open: Strawberries open during May to June, Blueberries open June to July and Blackberries open July to August; All information is posted on Facebook or our website. Directions: From Effingham: Take Route 33 to 32 going to Stewardson. Turn right $east$ at County Road 300. Go to the first intersection and turn right onto Cnty Road 2900. Go 12 mile and on the right side of the road is our farm. Please park in our circle driveway or alongside the road. To start picking, head to the tent . See the website for more detailed directions. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check.
Just Berries Facebook page. . Alternate Phone: 217-343-8348. . Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. From Effingham: Take Route 33 to 32 going to Stewardson. Turn right (east) at County Road 300. Go to the first intersection and turn right onto Cnty Road 2900. Go 1/2 mile and on the right side of the road is our farm. Please park in our circle driveway or alongside the road. To start picking, head to the tent . See the website for more detailed directions. No pets of any kind allowed on the farm. (UPDATED: July 30, 2016)

Warren County

Monmouth College Educational Farm and Garden - blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, vegetables, eggs
N. 12th Street, Monmouth, IL 61462. Phone: . Email: craigw@monmouthcollege.edu. Open: see their Facebook page for updates. Click here for a map and directions.
Monmouth College Educational Farm and Garden Facebook page.

Blueberry

Blueberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

Blueberries are one of the easiest fruit to prepare and serve. There's no peeling, pitting, coring or cutting. They have few natural pests, (other than birds), so pesticides are generally unnecessary! This year's crop is fantastic (see related news story), thanks both to the weather and to more farms planting more blueberry bushes due to increased consumer demand over the past few years as more studies proclaim the anti-oxidant and other health properties of blueberries.

Click here to find a local Blueberry Festival (usually held between April and July).

If you are looking for information about a similar berry, the saskatoon (also called the June berry or Serviceberry) see this page about saskatoons.

Picking tips:

Select plump, full blueberries with a light gray-blue color. A berry with any hint of red isn't fully ripened.

Ripening AFTER picking?

First, it is key to know that once picked, blueberries will NOT become any sweeter, nor will the flavor improve. The only change that occurs is the color. They will APPEAR to ripen, but it is only a color change, from white to green to rose to red to pale blue to fully blue. So, white and green colored blueberries will not "ripen" after they are picked; while blueberries that have already turned purple, red or blue-ish usually DO change color after they are picked (if they are kept at room temperature to "ripen").

As the blueberries ripen ON THE BUSH, the flavor goes from tastless to bitter to tasteless tart to tart blueberry flavor to sweet blueberry flavor.

Grocery stores sell blueberries that are tart, not sweet because they had them picked unripe by machine so they are very firm and can handled being bumped around in shipping. They may look good, but are not as tasty as those picked when actually ripe.

So, the key is, PICK ONLY RIPE BERRIES!

How to pick blueberries

Since blueberries hang on the bushes in bunches a but like grapes do, the easiest and fastest way to pick them is hold your bucket under them in one hand and with your other hand, cup a ripe bunch and gently rub them with your fingers. The ripe berries will drop into your bucket, while the unripe ones will remain attached to the bush.

When the bushes are at peak, I can easily pick 2 gallons per hour (if I'm not being distracted by the kids and the sun isn't too hot!). A newbie might do 1 gallon per hour.and at the beginning or end of the season it takes more time as the berries are not as plentiful nor concentrated in clusters.

Tips for storing blueberries after harvesting:

Once picked, don't place the berries, still warm from the sun, in a closed bag or container. Leave the container open so moisture doesn't form in the container.
Don't wash berries until just before using, to prevent berries from becoming mushy.
Chill berries soon after picking to increase shelf life. Store your fresh blueberries in the refrigerator as soon as you get them home, without washing them, in a covered bowl or storage container. If refrigerated, fresh-picked blueberries will keep 10 to 14 days.
Freeze berries in freezer containers without washing to keep the skins from toughening. Place berries one layer deep. Freeze, then pour the frozen berries into freezer containers. Because unwashed blueberries freeze individually, they can be easily poured from containers in desired amounts. Remember both frozen and fresh berries should be rinsed and drained just before serving. Just before using, wash the berries in cold water.

Blueberry Measurements and Conversions

Keep in mind that blueberries vary considerably in density and moisture content, so these ranges are approximates.

1 gallon of blueberries weighs about 7.5 lbs or (4 liters of blueberries is about 3.5 kg)
1 pint of fresh blueberries weights about 3/4 of a pound. (1 liter of blueberries is about 700 grams)
1 pound of fresh blueberries is usually between about 2 and 3 cups of berries.
It takes about 4 cups (about of blueberries to make a blueberry pie (see this fantastic and easy blueberry pie recipe)
A normal batch of blueberry preserves, jam or jelly requires 5 pints of berries.
Blueberries do come in a variety of sizes from small (190-250 berries per cup) to extra large (<90 berries per cup).

Blueberry Recipes, Canning and Freezing Blueberries

Recipes

Canning, freezing and other blueberry recipes:

How to Freeze Blueberries
How to Can Blueberries
How to Make Homemade Blueberry Jam
How to make blueberry jelly
How to make and can blueberry syrup (it works for strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, too)
blueberry pie filling to use later,
blueberry butter

Baking tips

If you have trouble with blueberries settling to the bottom of muffins and blueberry breads, try one or more of these tips:

Coat them with flour before adding to the batter. Just gently shake the blueberries in a bag (plastic or paper) with 1/2 cup of flour, then dump them mix in a sieve to remove excess flour.
It may just be that your batter is too thin. try making the batter a little thicker!
Fill the muffin cups or baking pan up to 1/4 full with batter (which hasn't had blueberries added to it yet); then stir the blueberries into the remaining batter, and continue to fill the muffin cups or bread pan. The blueberries will start off higher in the mix!

2024 Central Illinois Blueberry 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!