Blueberry U-Pick Orchards in Topeka and Northeastern Kansas 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

Brown County

• Grimm's Gardens - blueberries, cherries, apples, peaches, apricots, raspberries, persimmons, aronia, chesnuts, plums, elderberries, Honey from hives on the farm, prepicked produce, restrooms
  2991 Goldfinch Road, Hiawatha, KS 66434. Phone: 785-459-2586. Email: info@grimmsgardens.com. Open: dawn to dusk on picking days; Normal hours are Monday to Friday 8 to 6 and Saturday 8 to 4. Directions: 4 miles west of Hiawatha on highway 36 and 6.5 miles north on Goldfinch Rd. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard. . Fax:. . Crops are usually available in July, August, September. Opening blueberry patch July 4 Thursday, raspberries are ready also; Always call ahead for specifics.
  Comments from a visitor on June 29, 2011: "My 3 year old and I went to Grimm's Garden near Hiawatha KS on Monday. It was everything the website said it would be and more. The staff was friendly and helpful, even looking up questions that they did not know the answer too. Raspberry picking was awesome and a quick relax in a shaded hammock was well earned. I was very excited to find a HUGE assortment of water plants for the pond I am building. "
  Comments from a visitor on July 22, 2008: "My husband and I visited this morning and picked 30lbs of blueberries. They're beautiful, a lot of them are the size of grapes. This farm is really something to see. I will be returning many times I'm sure. They have peaches, raspberries, black raspberries, apples and wonderful flowers and landscaping. The best I've seen."

Franklin County

• Innisfree Fruit Farm - blueberries, raspberries, strawberries,
  2309 Riley Road, Ottawa, KS 66067. Phone: 785-242-8313. Email: berrygood@innisfree-farm.com. Open: Picking times are 8am to 7pm Monday through Friday, and 8am to 1pm on Saturday; Closed Sundays; Open Memorial Day. Directions: Exit #187 off of I 35. Go west into Ottawa on highway 68. From the intersection of highways 59 and 68, go 4 miles north to Riley Road, then 2 miles west. From Lawrence, Riley Road is 17 miles south of highway 10 on highway 59. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check.
  Innisfree Fruit Farm Facebook page. . . Crops are usually available in May, June, July. Note: formerly called Berry Good Farm.
  Comments from a visitor on May 30, 2009: "WOW!!! The owner's of Berry Good Farm are KID friendly! Selling Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries! The owners have parking in the shade and a beautiful pond. The kids could go play on the playground while I picked fruit. Restroom and cold drinks were available for purchase. I would take a lunch and eat in the back of my car!They provide bug spray-but I brought my own!They provide the buckets and give you a ride in the golf cart if you can't make it back to the car! Clean berries-NO PESTICIDES!!! Tasty! I would highly recommmend! I highly liked it and would tell all my friends to go! Free eating of the berries is encouraged from the owners! Make sure to get there early-they sell out of blueberries FAST! Take cash or checks They have two dogs-friendly just BIG!"

Johnson County

• Gieringer's Family Orchard & Berry Farm - strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, peaches, gift shop, concessions or refreshment stand, picnic area, corn maze, pumpkin patch (pick in the field where they grow), pumpkins (in a market, stand or shop), jumping pillow, birthday parties, tours of the operation, group tours
  39345 W. 183rd Street, Edgerton, KS 66021. Phone: (913) 893-9626. Email: goberryfarm@gmail.com. Open: seasonally, usually May to October, check website or facebook for picking conditions and days, hours and additional information. Directions: See their website for directions. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx .
  Gieringer's Family Orchard & Berry Farm Facebook page. . . . 56 Highway to Edgerton Kansas. Edgerton road north 2 miles to 183rd. West 1.5 miles. For a map to our farm, Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx. We grow a variety of fruits and vegetables that we offer to the public on our U-pick farm. You can also buy our products at two local farmers markets, Overland Park and Lawrence. The season begins in early May with 50,000 strawberry plants which you can pick or purchase as pre-picked. We also have a limited supply of cheddar and purple cauliflower during this time. In June, our U-pick blueberries and blackberries ripen and can also be picked or purchased as pre-picked in the farm market on our property. During berry season, we have fresh strawberry or blueberry donuts and strawberry lemonade slushees. U-pick peaches and pre-picked tomatoes and sweet corn will be available from late June through August. Beginning in September, we will start our fall season off with a large field of sunflowers and U-pick pumpkins. Our pumpkins weigh anywhere between 1 to 100+ pounds and come in a variety of colors. Orange, yellow, white and even pink! There are always lots of family friendly activities for folks of all ages. Here are just a few. Interactive corn maze, pumpkin jump pad, giant corn pit, wagon rides, hay mountain, combine slides, pumpkin spice donuts and cider slushees which can be enjoyed in our shaded picnic area. We also support other local producers and our community. You can find locally made honey, pickled jalapenos, jams and jellies in our farm market on U-pick days. Another thing that we love to do is give group tours and we're a proud school field trip destination! Sharing agricultural fun facts and allowing everyone to have hands on learning opportunities is something we enjoy. Here is a produce & Fall Fest timeline: Strawberries (Early May) Blueberries (June) Blackberries (Mid June-July) *During berry season we make fresh strawberry or blueberry donuts and strawberry lemonade slushees. Peaches (Late June-August) Tomatoes (June-August) Sweet Corn (Late June-August) Sunflower Field (late September) U-Pick Pumpkins (October) *During our fall season we make fresh pumpkin donuts and apple cider slushees. (UPDATED: March 23, 2018)
• Happy Valley Farm - No pesticides are used asparagus, blackberries, blueberries, gooseberries, table grapes (with seeds), other berries, rhubarb, Honey from hives on the farm, Fresh eggs, Cider mill fresh apple cider made on the premises, porta-potties, picnic area, farm animals, school tours, group reservations, events at your location (call for info)
  29080 West 95th Street, De Soto, KS 66018. Phone: (913) 706-0370. Email: happyvalleyfarm.ks@gmail.com. Open: Picking by appointment only, please call or email for current availability. Directions: East on 95th Street from 95th Street and Kill Creek Road 1.7 miles. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.
  Happy Valley Farm Facebook page. . . Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. Kaw Valley Farm Tour is the first full weekend in October every year;. We do not use pesticides on the crops. Our most current information is found on our Facebook page. (UPDATED: October 31, 2018)

Leavenworth County

• Oregon Trail Farm - Uses natural growing practices, blackberries, blueberries, other berries, raspberries (red), raspberries (Spring, red), raspberries (Autumn, red), raspberries (black), raspberries (Spring, black), raspberries (Autumn, black), Honey from hives on the farm
  18962 Santa Fe Trail, Leavenworth, KS 66048. Phone: 520-249-0480. Email: oregon.trail.farm@gmail.com. Open: June through August Tues - Sunday 1008 am to 1900 when berries are ripe. Directions: 4.9 miles from Fort Leavenworth KS back gate along the Santa Fe Trail. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover.
  Oregon Trail Farm Facebook page. . . June through August (Tues - Sunday 1008 am to 1900 when berries are ripe). Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. Berries Mid-June through August. We use natural practices, but are not yet certified Organic. We began amending the already fertile soil by incorporating horse manure from local stables and over 10,000 pounds of coffee grounds and coffee chaff in the first year alone. Working with numerous local tree trimming services more than 70 tons of wood chips were saved from landfills and aid in weed control and water conservation. (ADDED: May 21, 2015)

Lyon County

• Stones' Berry Farm - blueberries, NOTE: they have VERY limited crop sizesand plenty of regular customers, so you might want to try other farms, so as not to be disappointed that they get picked out quickly.
  1906 Road 180, Emporia, KS 66801. Phone: . Email: csstone1@live.com. Open: daily, from 8 am to 8 pm; from June 18 until sold out; Please call our pickin report before you come out. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check.

 

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

• The world's best Blueberry pie, recipe and directions and illustrated!
• Blueberry buckle coffee cake: illustrated directions for this great crumb-topping blueberry coffee cake
• Other easy directions to make blueberry desserts: cobblers, etc.

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!

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