Come Harvest With Us
One of the highlights of our summer is the welcoming of U-pickers to our farm. Over the years, we have offered "Picking on Halves" from Monday to Thursday by appointment. This has allowed U-pickers to take half of what they pick home for free, if they leave the other half with me. If you want a pint basket for yourself and pick one to give to me, it saves you $3.00 and takes about 10 minutes. This is popular with our Amish neighbors and large families that come to pick large quantities to can or freeze for use throughout the winter.
We don't make money this way on your U-pick basket, but it helps us environmentally and I use the berries that you give to me to make jam for the markets. This incentive for pickers to take home free berries, if they have the time to pick, helps to keep the field well-picked which keeps the beetles to a manageable level. We do not use chemicals and must hand pick beetles!
Please remember that this is an offer, not a requirement. We do not offer this option Saturday or Sunday and we are always closed on Friday to prepare for the weekend markets. Otherwise, our chemical-free berries are always U-pick $3.00 a pint basket. We provide the containers with a box to hold them in for your drive home. You are free to buy your U-pick baskets even if you had made an appointment to "Pick on Halves".
Groups or families are welcome to come together. Appointments are highly recommended all the time. We want you to have a good experience and have ideas for places to visit while you are in our area. We try to manage the quantities being picked daily in order for each person to be able to pick his requested amount.
Of course, we could charge for all U-pick baskets or hire pickers and sell them, but we find this offer to be something special and charming about our farm. We love all of our U-pickers equally. We understand that "picking on halves" is not for everyone, but we are happy to make this offer to you by appointment only.
