If Picking Berries Is Your Jam, Here’s Where to Go in Pursuit of Summer Fruit

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Seasonal berry picking in Bucks County
Image via Bonnie Weller at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Greater Philadelphia is home to many farms and orchards that have fields bursting with seasonal berries. Gathering them is a fun, outdoorsy family activity, especially in Bucks County, writes Nick Vadala for The Philadelphia Inquirer

Lovers of fresh blue-, straw-, black-, and raspberries can head to three notable local farms, ripe for a pick-your-own excursion. 

Shady Brook Farm (Yardley) hosts fruit harvesters from early June to late August. Seasonal pickin’s start with berries now but evolve over time to peaches and even sunflowers. Throughout June, it’s Strawberry Festival time, with live music, wagon rides and kid-centric fun like pedal go-carts. 

Hellerick’s Family Farm (Doylestown) requires that pickers make reservations, but the effort is worthwhile. Blackberries can be tough on the fingers to gather. But the Hellericks have thought of everything, breeding a thornless variety. There’s plenty of non-harvesting things to do onsite as well, including aerial obstacle courses and goat-yoga (who could say “naaay” to that?!?). 

Solebury Orchards (New Hope) opens its acreage in late June for blueberry gathering. Its staff anticipates the fruit to remain pickable until mid-August, when the blackberries take over. To avoid sticker shock at checkout, stay aware of exactly how much you’re reaping; the pick-your-own fruit is priced by the pound. 

More on summer fruits and where to get them across the Philadelphia region is at The Philadelphia Inquirer

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