Blueberry U-Pick Orchards in Western Maine in 2024, by county

Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for blueberries that we know of in this area. Not all areas of any state, nor even every state, have blueberries orchards 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! As inflation remains high, see this page for reliable (tested) brands of generic canning lids at lower costs, and cost-saving measures for getting fruit and vegetables and home canning.
 If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days.

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

Franklin County

• Firth's Fruit Farm - Uses natural growing practices, blueberries, other vegetables,
  26 Intervale Road, New Sharon, ME 04955. Phone: 207-778-3904. Email: gracemfirth@gmail.com. Open: July 25th till frost or end of picking which ever comes first September Monday to Saturday, from 7am to 7pm; Sunday from Noon to 7pm. Directions: Never take Flagg Road No matter what GPS says. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. . . July 25th till frost or end of picking which ever comes first (September) Monday to Saturday, from 7am to 7pm; Sunday from Noon to 7pm. We have 5 acres of highbush blueberries; Nice country setting. We use natural practices, but are not seeking organic certification.
• Irish's Berries & Honey - Blueberries, Honey from hives on the farm, Maple Syrup from trees on the farm
  20 Davenport Hill Road, Jay, ME 04239. Phone: (207) 897-5708. Email: jirish207@msn.com. Open: Late July through early August from dawn to dusk, call for current conditions. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. 13120/Irish's Berries & Honey Alternate Phone: 207-931-8623. . The 2023 "pick your own" price this year is $4 per quart and they provide the boxes. There is also a roadside stand with Honey, Maple Syrup and Eggs Picking is on the honor system. They post on their Facebook page if they need to be closed any days. (UPDATED: August 06, 2023) (ADDED: October 14, 2019)
• Masterman Farm Blueberries - Organic, blueberries, U-pick and already picked
  16 Masterman Drive, Avon, ME 04966. Phone: (207) 592-8524. Email: abnurse@hotmail.com. Open: daily 9 am to 5 pm from late July to mid August in 2022, July 29 to August 13 berries and weather permitting; Call to confirm before you head out to the farm. Directions: From Main Street, Phillips cross the Sandy River bridge and go 1.5 miles south on River Road \(Rt. 149\). The sign to the field is on your right. From Main Street, Strong turn left onto Route 149 and go 5 miles. The sign to the field is on your left. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. . . daily 9 am to 5 pm from late July to mid August (in 2022, July 29 to August 13) berries and weather permitting; Call to confirm before you head out to the farm. From Main Street, Phillips cross the Sandy River bridge and go 1.5 miles south on River Road (Rt. 149). The sign to the field is on your right. From Main Street, Strong turn left onto Route 149 and go 5 miles. The sign to the field is on your left. We use natural organic practices, and are subject to the NOP small quantity exemption. (UPDATED: June 17, 2022)
• Smith Ridge - No pesticides are used blueberries, lavender, Fresh eggs, porta-potties
  628 Taylor Hill Road, Strong, ME 04983. Phone: (207) 491-5551. Email: smithridgemaine@gmail.com. Open: 8 am to 4 pm Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, mid July through September, and other hours by appointment. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx. . PYO Blueberries run mid-July through early to mid-August. We do not use pesticides on the crops. . (UPDATED: August 06, 2020) (ADDED: March 28, 2019)
• Varney Family Farm - blueberries,
  8 Sanborn Hill Rd, Chesterville, ME 04938. Phone: 207-293-2006. Email: hassvarney@yahoo.com. Open: July 21 to August 10 Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm, Saturday to Sunday 10am to 5pm. Directions: Details soon; this posting is under construction. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. . . Family owned Wild blueberry farm re-opening for first time since 1968. There is a news story about from 2014 here.
• Wilton Blueberry Farm - Uses natural growing practices, blueberries, porta-potties, school tours, group reservations
  83 Mclaughlin Rd, Wilton, ME 04294. Phone: (207) 645-4678. Email: wiltonblueberryfarm21@gmail.com. Open: See our website for dates and hours. Directions: Located on 4 beautiful acres in the Western foothills of Maine. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. . Once on McLaughlin Rd, continue until you enter the dirt road that enters the fields. We use natural practices, but are not yet certified Organic. We are a no spray farm. No pesticides, herbicides. or fungicides are used.Please bring your own container. Every berry beautiful! 4,500 highbush blueberry trees . Pick your own or pre-picked. Order in advance. Can Accommodate Bus Tours. (UPDATED: July 28, 2021)

Oxford County

• Pietree Orchard - UPDATE for 2023: They are permanently closed apples, beans, blueberries, peas, peaches, pumpkins, strawberries,
  803 Waterford Road, Sweden, ME 04040. Phone: . Open: permanently closed. Click here for a map and directions.

Somerset County

• Berry Basket Farm - blueberries,
  209 Valley Road, Nortridgewock, ME 04957. Phone: (207) 314-5437. Open: Sunday to Friday 9am to 6pm evening hours by appointment all picking weather permitting;No Saturday Picking; Grown without use of any chemicals or spraying. Directions: From Farmington area take Route 2 East to Route 137 on right in Mercer turn dowm 137 and foar is 1.1 miles on right. From Norridgewock take Route 2 West to Mercer and turn on Route 137 on left farm is 1.1 miles in right. From Waterville area take Route 137 West farm on right soon after you pass town line farm on right. From Agusta area take Route 8 to route 137 farm on Rleft about 3 miles after Smithfield Village. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. . berries usually ready the last week of July to first week of August; Seasion usually last 4 pm to 5 weeks;. We have 1,000 well established high bush plants planted 30 years ago. The ONLY pyo crops offered are blueberries. (UPDATED: July 20, 2018)
• Bickford Blueberries - No pesticides are used, blueberries,
  16 Bickford Drive, Fairfield, ME 04937. Phone: (321) 693-8929. Email: mpbp@roadrunner.com. Open: daily sunrise to sunset; availability of crops can vary; please call, email or see our Facebook page for updates. Directions: Take exit 132 off I95, head west on Route 139 for approximately 2 miles, turn on Bickford Drive for approximately 14 mile, farm on left, proceed behind yellow house. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. . . Take exit 132 off I95, head west on Route 139 for approximately 2 miles, turn on Bickford Drive for approximately 1/4 mile, farm on left, proceed behind yellow house. Blueberry season is typically July 20 through August 31. We do not use pesticides on the crops. (ADDED: July 31, 2018)
• Reitze's Organic U-Pick Blueberry Farm - blueberries, U-pick and already picked
  159 Earthways Road, Canaan, ME 04924. Phone: (207) 426-8138. Open: Seven days per week; Dawn to dusk for the duration of the picking season; Self service; Check our Facebook page for updates. Directions: From the South Take Route 95 North to exit 133 on to Route 201 North towards Skowhegan. Follow Route 201 for 6 miles. Take a Right on Route 23 North. Go about 3 miles, and start looking for a Red barn on the Right. The driveway is directly after that, and when you see the sign for \You Pick Blueberries\". Take that right". Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. and the dirt road will take you over a bridge
• Screamin Mimi's Perfect Pickins - No pesticides are used, blueberries,
  364 West Front Street, Skowhegan, ME 04976. Phone: 207-474-2137. Open: Call ahead for ripe blueberries - Monday to Sunday from 8 am to 7pm, typically late June through August. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. . We do not use pesticides on the crops. You must call first for blueberry availability-we practice organic-use no pesticides,but are not certified. Thank you to all customers who discovered us this year,and remember to visit us earlier in 2017!. (UPDATED: July 26, 2019)(ADDED: July 20, 2015)
• Sites Farm - blueberries, strawberries
  Joaquin Road, Athens, ME . Phone: 207-654-2063. Email: lsites33@gmail.com. Open: call for hours and availability. Directions: Located in central Maine. Click here for a map and directions. . Family operated berry farm and black angus beef farm. Also a wedding venue. . U-pick strawberries, blueberries. Sites Farm's biggest crop is STRAWBERRIES! We offer U-Pick strawberries from the end of June through the beginning of July. Customers may also purchase pre-picked strawberries fresh from the patch. We always have a few pre-picked quarts on hand. And customers may also arrange to have larger orders pre-picked for them. We typically need 24 hrs notice for orders greater than 4 quarts. We have approximately 1000 High-Bush BLUEBERRIES plants here at the farm. Blueberry season typically starts during the last week of July or the first week of August, and lasts for the entire month. High-bush blueberries make for easy picking and easy cleaning. Come spend a peaceful day, hidden in our blueberry patch.Also Wedding / Events venue. Open seasonally.
• Smith's Blueberries U Pick Blueberry Farm - blueberries
  162 Ward Hill Rd, Norridgewock, ME . Phone: (207) 431-2056. Email: smithblueberries@yahoo.com. Open: daily from 8am til dark. Click here for a map and directions. 51229/">. . They also have prepicked for $5/qt. (2020 price). (ADDED: August 9, 2020, JBS)

 

Blueberry

Blueberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

Blueberries are one of the easiest fruit to prepare and serve. There's no peeling, pitting, coring or cutting. They have few natural pests, (other than birds), so pesticides are generally unnecessary! This year's crop is fantastic (see related news story), thanks both to the weather and to more farms planting more blueberry bushes due to increased consumer demand over the past few years as more studies proclaim the anti-oxidant and other health properties of blueberries.

Click here to find a local Blueberry Festival (usually held between April and July).

If you are looking for information about a similar berry, the saskatoon (also called the June berry or Serviceberry) see this page about saskatoons.

Picking tips:

Select plump, full blueberries with a light gray-blue color. A berry with any hint of red isn't fully ripened.

Ripening AFTER picking?

First, it is key to know that once picked, blueberries will NOT become any sweeter, nor will the flavor improve. The only change that occurs is the color. They will APPEAR to ripen, but it is only a color change, from white to green to rose to red to pale blue to fully blue. So, white and green colored blueberries will not "ripen" after they are picked; while blueberries that have already turned purple, red or blue-ish usually DO change color after they are picked (if they are kept at room temperature to "ripen").

As the blueberries ripen ON THE BUSH, the flavor goes from tastless to bitter to tasteless tart to tart blueberry flavor to sweet blueberry flavor.

Grocery stores sell blueberries that are tart, not sweet because they had them picked unripe by machine so they are very firm and can handled being bumped around in shipping. They may look good, but are not as tasty as those picked when actually ripe.

So, the key is, PICK ONLY RIPE BERRIES!

How to pick blueberries

Since blueberries hang on the bushes in bunches a but like grapes do, the easiest and fastest way to pick them is hold your bucket under them in one hand and with your other hand, cup a ripe bunch and gently rub them with your fingers. The ripe berries will drop into your bucket, while the unripe ones will remain attached to the bush.

When the bushes are at peak, I can easily pick 2 gallons per hour (if I'm not being distracted by the kids and the sun isn't too hot!). A newbie might do 1 gallon per hour.and at the beginning or end of the season it takes more time as the berries are not as plentiful nor concentrated in clusters.

Tips for storing blueberries after harvesting:

• Once picked, don't place the berries, still warm from the sun, in a closed bag or container. Leave the container open so moisture doesn't form in the container.
• Don't wash berries until just before using, to prevent berries from becoming mushy.
• Chill berries soon after picking to increase shelf life. Store your fresh blueberries in the refrigerator as soon as you get them home, without washing them, in a covered bowl or storage container. If refrigerated, fresh-picked blueberries will keep 10 to 14 days.
• Freeze berries in freezer containers without washing to keep the skins from toughening. Place berries one layer deep. Freeze, then pour the frozen berries into freezer containers. Because unwashed blueberries freeze individually, they can be easily poured from containers in desired amounts. Remember both frozen and fresh berries should be rinsed and drained just before serving. Just before using, wash the berries in cold water.

Blueberry Measurements and Conversions

Keep in mind that blueberries vary considerably in density and moisture content, so these ranges are approximates.

• 1 gallon of blueberries weighs about 7.5 lbs or (4 liters of blueberries is about 3.5 kg)

• 1 pint of fresh blueberries weights about 3/4 of a pound. (1 liter of blueberries is about 700 grams)

• 1 pound of fresh blueberries is usually between about 2 and 3 cups of berries.

• It takes about 4 cups (about of blueberries to make a blueberry pie (see this fantastic and easy blueberry pie recipe)

• A normal batch of blueberry preserves, jam or jelly requires 5 pints of berries.

• Blueberries do come in a variety of sizes from small (190-250 berries per cup) to extra large (<90 berries per cup).

Blueberry Recipes, Canning and Freezing Blueberries

Recipes

• The world's best Blueberry pie, recipe and directions and illustrated!
• Blueberry buckle coffee cake: illustrated directions for this great crumb-topping blueberry coffee cake
• Other easy directions to make blueberry desserts: cobblers, etc.

Canning, freezing and other blueberry recipes:

• How to Freeze Blueberries
• How to Can Blueberries
• How to Make Homemade Blueberry Jam
• How to make blueberry jelly
• How to make and can blueberry syrup (it works for strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, too)
• blueberry pie filling to use later,
• blueberry butter

Baking tips

If you have trouble with blueberries settling to the bottom of muffins and blueberry breads, try one or more of these tips:

• Coat them with flour before adding to the batter. Just gently shake the blueberries in a bag (plastic or paper) with 1/2 cup of flour, then dump them mix in a sieve to remove excess flour.
• It may just be that your batter is too thin. try making the batter a little thicker!
• Fill the muffin cups or baking pan up to 1/4 full with batter (which hasn't had blueberries added to it yet); then stir the blueberries into the remaining batter, and continue to fill the muffin cups or bread pan. The blueberries will start off higher in the mix!

Other Local Farm Products (Honey, Horses, Milk, Meat, Eggs, Etc.)
(NOT pick-your-own, unless they are also listed above)

• Farm markets and roadside stands
• Local Honey Finder
• Local Meat, Milk and Eggs
• Venues: Farms, Wineries, Orchards for your event, wedding or party
• Easter egg hunts
• Children"s consignment sales
• Fruit and vegetable festivals
• Winery tours and wine tastings
• Horse rides, stables, lessons, trails
• Maple Syrup farms and sugarworks
• Bed & Breakfasts on Farms, Wineries, Ranches and Orchards
• Pumpkin patches
• Corn mazes
• Zombie Paintball venues
• Christmas Tree Farms & lots
• Environmental resources
• Consumer fraud information
• Wholesale food sources
• Resources for Farmers