2024 Central New Hampshire Strawberry 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!
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Strawberry U-Pick Orchards in Central New Hampshire in 2024, by county
Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for strawberries that we know of in this area.
Not all areas of a state have strawberries farms 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! 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
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Belknap County
Beans & Greens Farmstand - strawberries, flowers, herbs or spices, pumpkins, prepicked produce, gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, farm animals, birthday parties, school tours 245 Intervale Road (rt. 11b), Gilford, NH 03249. Phone: 603-293-2853. Email: beansandgreensfarm@msn.com. Open: See their Facebook page for strawberry pyo dates and times; Daily till Columbus Day: weekdays 10 to 6, weekends 9 to 6 After Columbus Day: Friday to Saturday to Sunday 10 to 5. Directions: From Meredith: Rte. 3 to Weirs Beach, then 11B to the farm in Gilford. From Rochester area: Rte 11 north to lights at 11B junction. Go left and .5 miles to farm From Rte. 93: Exit 20, Rte 3&11 towards Laconia, just south of Laconia take the Laconia bypass to the end in Gilford. Go left at the light and then take a right at the second light onto Rte. 11B. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard. Beans & Greens Farmstand Facebook page. Fax: 603-293-7070 Crops are usually available in September, October. School field trips/corporate team building/birthday parties all fall; PYO pumpkins weather permitting; Hayrides by reservation-minimum of 15 participants; CORN MAZE:OPEN DAILY and WEEKEND NIGHTS!! See details on our website! Yes, the night maze is haunted every nightBeans & Greens offers annual/perennials, hanging baskets and planters in spring. We grow and harvest our own vegetables using sustainable agricultural practices and advertise our produce as herbicide/pesticide free in the stand! The bakery has a large offering of pies, cookies, breads, bars and more all season long. Gifts, honey, maple syrup and many other NH made products are available in the store
Veggies Galore & More - strawberries, 501 N Barnstead Rd, Center Barnstead, NH 03225. Phone: 603-387-7539. Email: fahmajo@gmail.com. Open: June 15 through July 4th from 8 am to 6 pm. Directions: From Epsom Circle take Route 28 North 15 miles to N Barnstead Road Turn right onto N Barnstead Road and go 2.7 miles. Farm stand on the right across from the church. From Alton Circle take Route 28 South to the 2nd yellow blinker. Turn left onto N Barnstead Road and go 2.7 miles. Farm stand on the right across from the church. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. Veggies Galore & More The ONLY pyo crops offered are Strawberries. (UPDATED: May 4, 2015, JBS)
Merrimack County
Appleview Orchard - apples, pumpkins, raspberries (red), strawberries, other vegetables, U-pick and already picked, gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, Bouncy castle or moon bounce, petting zoo, farm animals, birthday parties, school tours 1266 Upper City Road, Pittsfield, NH 03263. Phone: 603-435-3553. Email: apples@applevieworchard.com. Open: Daily from 10 am to 6 pm for picking Late August through Late November; Late May to Late November Ice Cream and Gift Shop open Daily!. Directions: Located just over a mile off New Hampshire Route 28, situated atop beautiful Jenness Hill. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard. : is . We are only about 20 minutes from downtown Concord; yet we are a world away from it all!Applefest Columbus Day Weekend with live music! New in 2010 Haunted Halloween!
Meadow Ledge Farm - apples, Strawberries, blueberries, 612 Route 129, Loudon, NH 03307. Phone: 603-798-5860. Email: NHApples@aol.com. Click here for a map and directions. Strawberries, blueberries, 15 varieties of apples. Special Events: Harvest Festival on Columbus Day weekend. We try to have music every weekend for your enjoyment. The musicians come sometime after lunch and play for about two hours. Bring a lawn chair so you can listen after you pick some of our fresh apples, or purchased some from the store.
Park Family Farm - Strawberries, pumpkins, squash, U-pick and already picked, Farm market, Wide variety of seasonal, locally grown fruits and vegetables, 360 Upper City Rd., Pittsfield, NH 03263. Phone: 603-731-0907. Open: See their website for current hours, daily during strawberry and pumpkin season, 7 am to 5 pm. Click here for a map and directions. Ready-picked and PYO. Call for exact harvest dates, or follow us on Facebook. Family friendly farm, PYO Strawberries in June and PYO Pumpkins in September . We, also create handmade cold processed goat's milk soaps in our antique Cape's kitchen. Three generations work on our farm through out the year, producing the highest quality products and farm fresh fruits in season.
Rossview Farm - blueberries, pumpkins, rhubarb, strawberries, U-pick and already picked, picnic area you may bring your own food 84 District #5 Road, Concord, NH 03303. Phone: 603-228-4872. Email: rossviewfarm@hotmail.com. Open: Strawberries: Early June - Mid July, Monday - Friday 7am to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday 7am to 4pm, call first; Blueberries: Independence Day - Labor Day, 8am to 4pm, call first. Directions: Rossview is located only a few short miles from Exit 15 off Interstate 93. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. Rossview Farm Facebook page. Christmas trees: Thanksgiving-Christmas Pumpkins: OctoberIt is important that you always call first to find out hours of operation. We encourage you to bring your entire family, but please leave your pets at home. (UPDATED: September 24, 2016) (UPDATED: June 25, 2016)
Spring Ledge Farm - Cut-your-own flowers, strawberries, pumpkins 220 Main Street, New London, NH 03257. Phone: 603-526-6679. Email: info@springledgefarm.com. Open: 9 am to 6pm; for strawberries, call for hours. Click here for a map and directions. . Alternate phone: 603-526-6253Fax: 603-524-6679In addition to PYO strawberries, Spring Ledge offers Pick Your Own flowers on over 1/3 acre in the fields next to the farmstand. We grow 248 varieties of flowers including old time favorites snapdragons, zinnias, asters, cosmos and bachelor buttons. We also try new plants and varieties each year and offer many color choices for each type of plant. For instance, we plan to grow eight varieties of snapdragons and 10 types of sunflowers this year. Our plantings are staggered throughout the summer to provide a steady supply of flowers. We are at the mercy of the weather, though, and therefore cannot guarantee any flowers will be available at any particular time.
Strawberry
Strawberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information
In the U.S. strawberries typically peak during April in Florida and Texas,
May in the deep South, and in early June in middle sections and later June in the
far North and Canada. Keep in mind that 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 strawberries, producers depend on ideal spring weather conditions.
Before you leave to go to the farm:
Always call before you go to the farm - strawberries 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!
Leave
early. On weekends, then fields may be picked clean by NOON!
Most growers furnish picking containers designed
for strawberries, 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
strawberries 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.
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 Strawberries
Grasp the stem just above the berry between the
forefinger and the thumbnail and pull with a slight twisting motion.
With the stem broken about one-half inch from
the berry, allow it to roll into the palm of your hand.
Repeat these operations using both hands until
each holds 3 or 4 berries.
Carefully place - don't throw - the fruit into
your containers. Repeat the picking process with both hands.
Don't overfill your containers or try to pack
the berries down.
General Picking Tips
Whether you pick strawberries from your garden or at
a Pick-Your-Own farm, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Be careful that your feet and knees do not
damage plants or fruit in or along the edge of the row.
Pick only the berries that are fully red. Part
the leaves with your hands to look for hidden berries ready for harvest.
To help the farmers, also remove from the plants
berries showing rot, sunburn, insect injury or other defects and place them
between the rows behind you. If they are left in the plants, the rot will
quickly spread to other berries.
Berries to be used immediately may be picked any
time, but if you plan to hold the fruit for a few days, try to pick in the
early morning or on cool, cloudy days. Berries picked during the heat of the
day become soft, are easily bruised and will not keep well.
Avoid placing the picked berries in the sunshine 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. Strawberries may be kept fresh in the refrigerator for two or three, 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.
For interesting and fun strawberry facts and
trivia from the California Strawberry Commission,
click
here!
When you get home
DON'T wash the berries until you are ready to use them. Washing
makes them more prone to spoiling.
Pour them out into shallow pans and remove any mushed, soft or rotting
berries
Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash and cut the caps
(green tops) off the others and freeze them up! (Unless you're going to make
jam right away) See this
page about how to freeze strawberries.
If you like the strawberries you picked, ask the farm what variety they
planted, and not the weather conditions the week or two before. The flavor
of a strawberry is affected by the variety, the weather and the degree of
ripeness when picked.
Picking the best strawberries:
Select firm, fully red berries. Strawberries DO NOT continue ripen after
they are picked! In the photo, only the berry on the far right is
completely ripe.
Strawberry festivals: Most areas that grow strawberries have a strawberry festival, at which you
can taste all kinds of fresh strawberry foods, pies, jams, cakes - and most
commonly, fresh strawberry shortcake. To find out where and when there
is one near you, see this
page for a list of strawberry festivals, sorted by state!
Strawberries measurements: government agriculture
websites tell us that 1 quart = 2 pints = 4 cups and is about the
same as 1 liter and 1 quart of fresh strawberries weighs 1 lbs to 1.25 lbs (or
450 to 600 g).
Of course, the weight
varies on variety and weather conditions. 1 quart is normally
enough for 4
servings, although I'll admit my son can eat 1 pint by himself!
How much to pick? In general, 1 quart of fresh, whole, just-picked strawberries =
approximately 3.5 cups hulled, whole berries. In other words, removing
the caps/hulls and the occasional mushy berry means you lose 1/4 cup to 1/2 (it depends how much fruit you remove with the hull) or
about 7 to 12% of every quart you pick.
One cup of strawberries contains only about 50 calories
U-pick strawberries are much healthier than store-bought. Consumer
reports says store bought strawberries have so many pesticide and fungicide
residues on they, that they don't recommend you eat them at all!
U-pick strawberry farms typically sell berries by the
pound. 1 lbs of fresh strawberries is about 2/3 of a quart.
It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to pick a quart, if the berries
are reasonably plentiful
The strawberry plant adapts to wide variety of soil conditions, but does
not tolerate drought well, and the berries quickly rot if the weather is
rainy. For this reason, the plants are usually grown on raised beds through
plastic mulch!
Cultivation of strawberries began in Europe in the 1300's, but the berry
only became very popular in the early 1900's in California.
Do the math and be careful not to over-purchase
as strawberries 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.
Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside.
Strawberries were originally called strewberries because the fruit was
'strewn' amongst the leaves of the plant.
California is king of strawberry productions because: California
produces 75 percent of the nation's strawberry crops; one billion pounds
of strawberries each year. If all the strawberries produced in
California in one year were laid berry to berry, they would go around
the world 15 times. Each acre of land in California in strawberry
production produces an average of 21 tons of strawberries annually, with
a total of 23,000 acres of strawberries planted in California each year.
More conversions
1 pint (2 cups) of fresh whole strawberries
= about 8 oz (1/2 lb) of strawberries
= 2.25 cups of sliced strawberries
= 1
cup pureed strawberries
= 12-14 large strawberries
2 quarts of fresh strawberries are needed for a 9" pie
A 10 oz package of frozen berries is about the same as 1 cup of sliced
fresh strawberries