Blueberry U-Pick Orchards in Chester County and Delaware County, Pennsylvania 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

Chester County

• Highland Orchards Farm and Market - apples, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, corn (sweet), nectarines, pears, peaches, plums, pumpkins, raspberries (red), raspberries (Spring, red), raspberries (Autumn, red), raspberries (black), raspberries (Spring, black), rhubarb, strawberries, Other fruit or veg, gift shop, concessions or refreshment stand, porta-potties, restrooms, picnic area, picnic area you may bring your own food, face painting, farm animals, birthday parties, school tours, group reservations
  1000 Marshallton Thorndale Road, West Chester, PA 19380. Phone: (610) 269-3494. Email: events@highlandorchards.net. Open: The last shuttle leaves 1 hour prior to Market closing; Fields close 30 mins before Market closing. Directions: From PHILADELPHIA -- King of Prussia Take Schuykill Expressway West, to 202 South, to Route 30 West, to Route 340 Thorndale Exit. Turn left off of exit ramp onto Bondsville Rd 340E. Stay on the road, the road name changes. Go Apx. 6 miles to Highland Orchards on the right. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx, SFMNP Vouchers.
  Highland Orchards Farm and Market Facebook page. . Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. From PHILADELPHIA -- King of Prussia Take Schuykill Expressway West, to 202 South, to Route 30 West, to Route 340 Thorndale Exit. Turn left off of exit ramp onto Bondsville Rd/ 340E. Stay on the road, the road name changes. Go Apx. 6 miles to Highland Orchards on the right. Fall Harvest Weekend Celebrations run September 15 until Halloween; Food vendors, artisan crafters, and PickYourOwn activities every weekend;. We use integrated pest management practices (IPM). . No appointment is necessary to pick, but you might want to call on the day you would like to pick to confirm picking status. Particularly if driving a distance as conditions can change daily. You register to pick in our Farm Market before going to the field. Registration closes at 5pm. We ask that you pay for what you pick. (UPDATED: May 29, 2018)

Delaware County

• Indian Orchards - Uses natural growing practices, apples, apricots, beans, blackberries, blueberries, carrots, figs, melons, nectarines, pears, peas, peaches, peppers, plums, pumpkins, raspberries (red), raspberries (black), summer squash, winter squash, tomatoes, Honey from hives on the farm, Cider mill fresh apple cider made on the premises, restrooms, picnic area, picnic area you may bring your own food, birthday parties, weddings and wedding parties, school tours, group reservations
  27 Copes Ln, Media, PA 19063. Phone: (610) 564-0794. Email: indian.orchards.farm@gmail.com. Open: Monday to Sunday, from 10 am to 6 pm. Directions: 27 Copes Ln, right off of PA-352, which connects with I-95 and US-1. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.
  Indian Orchards Facebook page. . . Already picked or Pick your own fruit--July thru November. Our Fruits and vegetables are grown using organic techniques, natural, sustainable, minimally sprayed; we also use IPM or integrated pest management as well. Typical, average, approximates Harvest dates (call before you go!) : June: RaspberriesJuly: blueberries, raspberries, peaches, blackberries, vegetables (including bell peppers, cucumbers, and hot peppers - tomatoes show up sometime in July)Indian Orhcards Pick your own raspberriesAugust: blackberries, plums, nectarines, peaches, pears, apples, vegetables (tomatoes have definitely joined the veggie crowd) September: raspberries, blackberries, peaches, plums, nectarines, pears, apples, pawpaws, vegetablesOctober: Cider, Organic Apples, Pumpkins & Mums at the farmstand. Raspberries, pears, *apples (available at farmstand, but see note above - PYO apples are done for 2017), persimmons November: Apples and cider (freshly pressed, on-site weekly!), pumpkinsDecember: Christmas trees & holly (we cut Christmas trees in advance, or you can select your own and have us cut it for you) (UPDATED: July 14, 2016)
• Linvilla Orchards - Apples, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, corn (sweet), cucumbers, eggplant, grapes, melons, nectarines, pears, peaches, peppers, plums, raspberries, summer squash, strawberries, tomatoes, Christmas trees-you choose and you cut, Precut Christmas trees, Living Christmas trees (to plant later), Christmas wreaths and boughs, Mistletoe, Santa appearances, Christmas decorations, saws provided, trees bagged, trees tied, pumpkin patch- already gathered from the field, train rides, corn maze, straw or hay bale maze, child-sized haybale maze, and prepicked produce, gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, tractor-pulled hay rides, face painting, pony rides, petting zoo
  137 W. Knowlton Road, Media, PA 19063. Phone: . Email: info@linvilla.com. Open: 8am to 6:45pm daily; Last hayride departs at 6pm sharp to begin picking; The fields will close promptly at 6:45pm; Crop availability changes quickly due to weather, the number of visitors, how much they pick or the abundance of a particular crop at any given time. Directions: From Philadelphia via Interstate 95, Take 95-South to Exit-6 \(352 320-Widener University\)., Follow signs for 352-North., Follow 352-North for approximately 4 miles through Brookhaven borough., Look for the Pathmark K-Mart Shopping Center on your right., Continue about 12 mile to the next traffic light, which is Knowlton Rd., Turn left onto Knowlton Road - Linvilla Orchards is 34 mile on the right. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover.
  Linvilla Orchards Facebook page.

 

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