Welp, that’s a wrap! It happened sort of suddenly – one minute we had berries, the next they had all ripened and you picked, picked, picked until there were no more left! Sadly, Oregon strawberries are never around long enough but all we just have to enjoy them while they are here.
If you’re new to U-Pick Strawberries at our farm, our hours
vary depending on crop condition. This means we are not open for a set
schedule during the season. We are open when the berries are ready for
picking, and closed when the field needs time to ripen up. We announce
2-3 picking days at a time, then we’ll update you again after those
picking days, once we’ve walked the field so you’ll want to keep your
eyes our for updates throughout the season. We do our best to vary hours
and days as crop availability allows to accommodate different
schedules.
How does this work?
1. Check Picking Times
Strawberry availability changes a lot based on the weather - this means our hours and picking days vary throughout the season. ALWAYS check our website, social media, or call us for the most up to date picking times.
2. Bring your containers
You will need to bring your own containers to pick into. Please ensure they are clean - dirty containers will not be allowed into the field. We do have some clean boxes available for purchase if you forget or need boxes to pick into. *Scroll down to see container guidelines/recommendations
3. Check the weather!
Our farm is either muddy or dusty depending on the weather and there is no shelter or shade from rain or sun - please plan accordingly! You will want to wear clothes and shoes that can get dirty - PRO TIP: Bring a bag/box for dirty shoes for the ride home.
4. Check in!
Once you arrive at the farm, check in and we will weigh your containers before you start picking so we don’t charge you for the weight of your containers. PLEASE DO NOT START PICKING until you have checked in and weighed your containers.
5. Pick your berries
After you’ve weighed your containers and checked in - fill those containers with sweet, juicy berries. Make sure you check that they are red all over and check for blemishes before picking off the bushes.
5. Pay & Enjoy
When you're done picking return to the scales, we'll weigh your berries, and you'll pay. We accept cash and cards, but cash is always extra appreciated to help keep our fees down. Now it’s time for you to go home and enjoy your berries!
Pricing & Varieties
U-Pick Strawberries will be $2.60 per pound for the 2023 season
Hoods are a long-time favorite and a classic Oregon berry. They are super sweet and perfect for eating fresh but they are the smallest of the berries and they don’t hold up well after picking so need to be processed or frozen within a day of picking. Perfect for jams, desserts and eating fresh right away - or freezing!
Mary’s Peak is a part of the Hood strawberry family. They are super sweet and have all the flavor of a hood but are much bigger and hold up better than hoods. These are perfect for eating fresh for a couple days after picking, desserts, jams or freezing for later.
U-pick strawberry tips
- Wear comfortable clothing and shoes that are easy to wash – our fields are dusty and often muddy 🙂
- Pre-washing your berries before storage causes them to go bad sooner – wash right before consuming
- Eat, freeze, or preserve berries within 1-2 days of picking for best taste
- We love animals, but per food safety guidelines, no pets are allowed in the patch to avoid contamination.
- Our parking lot is not shaded, so please leave pets at home where it is cool and safe.
- Children must be supervised at all times – we are a real working farm with moving vehicles and equipment
- We accept cards and cash – but cash is extra appreciated to cut down on processing fees.
- Sign up for our email list to get picking updates straight to your inbox.
- Our narrow rows make it difficult for strollers to navigate between - please plan accordingly
U-Pick Strawberry FAQ's
Unlike many farms, we only pick when the rows are busting with berries! If we were open everyday we’d likely get picked over and the rest of the week people wouldn’t have enough berries to pick.
We are at the mercy of the weather, crop conditions, and nature so things can change rapidly or slowly depending. We take it a few days at a time, usually picking for 2-3 days then letting the field rest before picking again. As soon as we know when berries will be ready, we will always update our social media, website and email list and let you know – so keep an eye out for updates throughout the season!
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Nope! We don’t. This is great news for our u-pickers because you get the first pick of all our berries – not what is left after a crew of pickers have picked the best for market.
Hoods are your classic Oregon berry. They are smaller than the other varieties but they are the sweetest! Hoods are known for great flavor and sweetness, but they are the most delicate berry and don’t have a long shelf life.
Mary’s Peak are a large, juicy berry that has a sweetness very comparable to Hoods and is actually part of the Hood family – a great choice for hood lovers who want bigger berries.
Chandler berries are a large berry similar to a Tillamook but sweeter! Larger and fleshy, these berries hold up better than a Hood and are easy to pick. Especially great if you’re adding sugar for jam, smoothies or desserts.
Tillamooks look like a strawberry from the grocery store but have a much better flavor. They are less sweet than the other berries but if you need to pick a lot for recipes, jam, desserts or smoothies where other sugar is added they are fast box-fillers.
If you’re picking with kids, many people find it easier to bring a small container for each kid to pick into – then they transfer those berries into a bigger container later.
If it’s hot you may want sunscreen, a hat, and a water bottle. If it’s cold or rainy, please wear boots and a rain jacket as the fields have no shelter. It can be helpful to bring a bag/box to put dirty shoes in for the ride home.
Please leave snacks and outside food in the car so we don’t litter or attract other critters.
We are not a certified organic farm, but we strive to use healthy, sustainable methods for growing our produce. We rotate our strawberry fields every 2-3 years and plant cover crops in off-seasons. This method is costly and time-consuming, but the benefits are worth it. Rotating helps keep disease out of the field and minimizes pests which allows us to use less pesticides. Cover crops help add organic matter back into the ground, which reduces the need for fertilizer.
This farm is our job and livelihood so losing a crop to mold, disease, or pests would be devastating. We are grateful for safe, effective, pesticides (organic and conventional) that allow us to save our crops when absolutely necessary. We try using organic pesticides whenever we can. We eat everything that we grow, and it is important to us that it is healthy!
Feel free to email us at lara@bushuefarming.com with any other questions!