What better way than spending a day with your family, friends or loved ones that picking your own produce? Fresh berries, veggies & more. Check out some southeast Wisconsin locations to pick your own berries (& other produce) as well as some tips and tricks on how to have a great day doing it!
Basse’s Taste of Country Farm Market
3190 County Line Q
Colgate, WI 53017
262.628.2626
Hours & Prices: Website
Strawberries (end of June) • Raspberries (mid-July) • Pumpkins (Fall) • Apples (starting Fall 2016) • Snow/Sugar/Garden Peas (mid-June)
Apple Hut
1718 W Walters Rd
Beloit, Wisconsin 53511
608.362.1961
Hours & Prices: Facebook
7 days a week late August to Thanksgiving 8 to 5 pm. Apples, taffy apples, apple butter, apple pies and doughnuts, cider and apple dumplings. Craft shop. Also pick-your-own apples and raspberries. Honey, jams and jellies, pumpkins, gourds.
Barthel Fruit Farm
12246 N Farmdale Rd, Mequon, WI
262.242.2737
Hours & Prices: Website
June and July pick your own strawberries. Open mid August through New Year or depending on crop. Pick your own as available. Cider, baked goods, pears, plums etc.
Brehmer’s U-Pick Pumpkins & Strawberries
5805 Clover Rd, Hartford, Wisconsin 53027
262.673.6527
Hours & Prices: Facebook
Strawberries mid to late June call for picking info. Produce is seasonal,tomatoes potatoes,sweet corn, onions, squash,green peppers. Pumpkin picking on weekends late Sept. through Oct. tours by appointment.
Other farms and markets offering fresh produce (not just pick your own) can be found here.
Pick Your Own [dot] org has some great tips on what to bring and how to plan your day:
What to bring:
- Pack for a day trip – I always bring snacks, hand towels or disposable wipes and plenty of liquids to drink.
- Include containers for picking and for carrying the fruit home (smaller containers are better for children’s smaller hands), Some farms provide them, but usually for a fee.
- Dress in old clothes and worn athletic shoes; you want to be comfortable and not worried about staining or tearing your clothes! If the ground is wet, it will really ruin any nice shoe, so wear your beat up old ones!
- Wide-brimmed hats help protect you from the summer sun; and in the Fall, extra layers keep you warm. Don’t forget sunscreen!
- The weather could change without notice. If you get hit by a downpour, be ready to switch to Plan B and if you can’t wait it out, go to the backup plan; such as a visit to a museum, tourist or historic site nearby. Your kids will remember it as “the time we went to pick fruit and instead had fun doing” something else.
Pack a picnic lunch and snacks. You’ll be gone all day and all that picking and being outdoors will work up a big appetite (assuming the kids haven’t already gorged on the fruit they’re picking). Bring a cooler and back it with your favorite lunch and snacks. Eating outdoors is part of the experience!
Don’t forget the camera. You may want to capture those memories you’re making. But remember you’ll be out on the farm and bring a cheap or disposable camera, rather than the expensive one.
When you arrive at the farm, take some time at the beginning to explain to your kids on how to identify and pick ripe fruit. If you don’t know see our tips (below) or ask the farm hands – they can also tell you where the field has been picked out, so you don’t waste time finding the fruit! And since fields and orchards can be large, make sure everyone knows where to meet up!
The fun doesn’t have to end with just picking the fruit. Some farms also offer hay rides, petting zoos, corn mazes, gift shops, even restaurants. And if your children tire before you’ve gotten your fill of fruit, most places also sell pre-picked produce; you’ll still get better quality and a better price than the grocery store.
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