2024 San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties in California Raspberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Raspberry U-Pick Orchards in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties in California in 2024, by county

Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for raspberries that we know of in this area.

Not all areas of a state have raspberries 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

San Luis Obispo County

• Cal Poly Fruit and Crops - apples, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, citrus, olallieberries, pears, peaches, pumpkins, raspberries
  California Polytechnic State University Use the Highland Drive entrance off of Hwy 1, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407. Phone: 805-756-2224. Email: orchardmanager@calpolyfruitandcrops.com. Directions: From Hwy 101 in San Luis Obispo, Take Highway 1 north toward Morro Bay, Right on Highland Drive, Follow the signs to the designated U-Pick area, Enter campus at Santa Rosa and Highland Road \(u-pick sign posted\). Take Highland Road straight until you come to the first road on your left - Mount Bishop \(u-pick sign posted\) - take a left. Make another immediate left on the driveway located next to the . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, credit cards. . Better call before you go; their website disappeared over the winter, so I put a link to the department's website; Saturdays 10am to 1pm Occasionally Wednesdays 3pm to 5pm Picking is available when the crops are readyFrom Hwy 101 in San Luis Obispo, Take Highway 1 north toward Morro Bay, Right on Highland Drive, Follow the signs to the designated U-Pick area, Enter campus at Santa Rosa and Highland Road (u-pick sign posted). Take Highland Road straight until you come to the first road on your left - Mount Bishop (u-pick sign posted) - take a left. Make another immediate left on the driveway located next to the Crops Unit (u-pick sign posted). Follow the driveway down until it becomes a dirt parking lot (u-pick sign posted). You will keep driving straight through this parking lot (running parallel with Highland Road) until you see the entrance to the Bramson Trail (u-pick signs posted on the right-hand side). Follow the path to the entrance to the first field on your right (orange cones at the entrance to the field). Enter the field and stay on the gravel road. You will dead end at the u-pick orchard. Take a left and park at the far end of the field. Parking is free on weekendsCrops are usually available all yearWe have Satsuma Tangerines in the Winter months and Various Navel Oranges, blood oranges and other citrus for most of the year. We also have many varieties of prepicked avocados that change throughout the year.April: at Cal Poly Orchards - Citrus Field - Moro Blood Oranges, Tarocco Blood Oranges, Daisy Mandarins, Pixie Mandarins & Gold Nugget Mandarins in 2023 are $2.50/pound . Blueberries are open in April, price in 2023 is $7/pound Feel free to bring your own clippers and a bag to pick into! please leave your pets at home (UPDATED: April 27, 2023, JBS)
• Rutiz Farms - strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, pumpkins
  1075 The Pike, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420. Phone: . Email: info@rutizfarms.com. Open: Tuesdays and Fridays: from 1 pm to 6 pm Saturday 10 am-3pm. Click here for a map and directions.
• Talley Farms - Uses natural growing practices, blackberries, boysenberries, loganberries, olallieberries, pumpkins, raspberries (red), raspberries (yellow), gift shop, restrooms, picnic area, school tours, group reservations
  Talley Vineyards 3031 Lopez Drive, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420. Phone: (805) 489-5401. Email: FreshHarvest@TalleyFarms.com. Open: Talley Vineyards is open seven days a week, 10 am to 4:30 pm. Directions: We are approximately 10 miles inland from Pismo Beach, on the way to Lopez Lake. We use natural practices, but are not yet certified Organic. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.
  Talley Farms Facebook page. . Alternate Phone: (805) 489-0446Fax: 805-489-5201 Our CSA boxes are available for sign up at our winery and farm stand. We can deliver our farm boxes most anywhere in the Western United States. (ADDED: May 02, 2018)

Santa Barbara County

• Santa Barbara Blueberries at Restoration Oaks Farm - Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
  1980 US Highway 101, Gaviota, CA . Phone: 805-686-5718. Email: info@santabarbarablueberries.com. Open: Call for availability and hours; during the season typically starts in May from 10 am to 6 pm; UPick closes at 5:30 pm; Fall Hours Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm for UPick raspberries and blackberries. Directions: Email, or call or . Click here for a map and directions. . Alternate phone: 805-683-2143. Call for availability and hours; during the season (typically starts in May) from 10 am to 6 pm; UPick closes at 5:30 pm; Fall Hours Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm for UPick raspberries and blackberries. The farm store will be stocked with already picked raspberries and blackberries as well as lots of other fun stuff through the weekendsee this page. Blueberry UPick season is from late May through June and July every year, and if the weather is good, we may open as early as April and have blueberries into August. After many surveys of our regular pickers, we planted 6 varieties of raspberries that will be ripe and ready from August through October. We will also have watermelons, cantaloupe and other fun fruits and veggies for picking in the late summer and fall. Every year, we open the fields for a day or two in the off-season to our registered VIP guests. The select fields will be open, even though the freeway signs will say "closed". We've had these VIP private field openings as late as Dec 10th. To participate in our private field openings, add your name to our VIP Email list. (UPDATED: March 19, 2021 JBS)
  Comments from a visitor on May 26, 2009: " I've been driving by and seeing their huge Pick Your Own Blueberries sign for months but I have not gone there yet. I just called to confirm they are open and my daughter and I plan to go this weekend and pick blueberries"
• Summerset Farm - Certified Organic, apples, blackberries, raspberries (Autumn, red), strawberries, pumpkins for sale in the shop or farmstand, pumpkin patch- already gathered from the field, corn maze, Bounce house, porta-potties, Inflatables/bounce house, weddings and wedding parties, school tours
  3450 Baseline Ave, Santa Ynez, CA 93460. Phone: (805) 245-0989. Email: summersetfarmsyv@gmail.com. Open: Tuesdays through Sundays, 9 am to 4:30 pm. Directions: Hwy 154 At Baseline & Edison. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.
  Summerset Farm Facebook page. . Alternate Phone: 805-895-7902We are certified organic for all crops! Come pick your own from our bumper crop! We have the traditional orange pumpkins, as well as others in greens, pinks, and blues in our farm market or you can find your perfect pick at the Summerset Farm Pumpkin Patch! There are also u-pick apples and berries. We also have a large selection of local items, such as honey, eggs, jams, and pickles. (UPDATED: October 21, 2022) A visitor writes on October 25, 2009: "I have been there a few times. It has an open barn feeling. Friendly, busy place for fresh produce all year. Fun place for kids and to take photos. "
  Comments from a visitor on June 30, 2010: "Went in June so we picked berries. They'd just finished their artichoke season and they have other crops and a pumpkin patch in the fall.,The farm is small but friendly and very convenient just off the main road and easy to pick fruit and vegetables in a contained area with a variety of easily-accessible produce. Also, right in the middle of Santa Ynez wine country so just adds to the experience of the region!"

 

Raspberry

Raspberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

Raspberries can produce an early summer crop or  a late summer and Fall crop. In the U.S. Spring / Summer raspberries (called florocanes) typically peak during June in the South, and in July in the North. The primocane varieties, which produce raspberries on shoots that come up each Spring are typically read from August until frost.

In addition to the variety a farm plants, the berries are ready at various times depending the local climate, such as which part of the state you are located. See this page for a list of raspberry festivals around the U.S.

And for those of you from the upper midwest through the west and up to Canada, if you are interested in Thimbleberries, see this page.

Before you leave to go to the farm:

1. Always call before you go to the farm - And when they are in season, a large turnout can pick a field clean before noon, so CALL first!
2. Leave early.  On weekends, then fields may be picked clean by NOON!  
3. Most growers furnish picking containers designed for raspberries, but they may charge you for them; be sure to call before you go to see if you need to bring containers.
   If you use your own containers, remember that heaping raspberries more than 5 inches deep will bruise the lower berries. Plastic dishpans, metal oven pans with 3 inch tall sides and large pots make good containers. I like the Glad storage containers like the one at right.
4. Bring something to drink and a few snacks; you'd be surprised how you can work up a thirst and appetite! And don't forget hats and sunscreen for the sun. Bugs usually aren't a problem, but some deet might be good to bring along if it has been rainy.

Tips on how to pick raspberries

1. Raspberry bushes don't have thorns, but they are a pick prickly, so if you want to hold the stem while picking, a pair of lightweight gloves is helpful.

   Raspberries Nutritional Data
   (fresh)

   Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
   Energy	220 kJ (53 kcal)
   Carbohydrates	11.94 g
   Sugars	4.42 g
   Dietary fiber	6.5 g
   Fat	0.65 g
   Protein	1.2 g
   Vitamins
   Thiamine	(3%) 0.032 mg
   Riboflavin2	(3%) 0.038 mg
   Niacin3	(4%) 0.598 mg
   Pantothenic acid5	(7%) 0.329 mg
   Vitamin B6	(4%) 0.055 mg
   Folate9	(5%) 21 μg
   Choline	(3%) 12.3 mg
   Vitamin C	(32%) 26.2 mg
   Vitamin E	(6%) 0.87 mg
   Vitamin K	(7%) 7.8 μg
   Minerals
   Calcium	(3%) 25 mg
   Iron	(5%) 0.69 mg
   Magnesium	(6%) 22 mg
   Manganese	(32%) 0.67 mg
   Phosphorus	(4%) 29 mg
   Potassium	(3%) 151 mg
   Zinc	(4%) 0.42 mg
   Other constituents
   Water	85.8 g
   Units μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams IU = International units
   Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source:

   
   
2. A ripe raspberry is deep color with a plump, soft but firm feel. It will pull free from the plant with only a slight tug. The center will remain on the plant. Keep in mind, raspberries come in many colors: red, yellow, black, purple, so you want to pick the darker shade of whichever it is.
3. Pick only the berries that are fully ripe. Reach in between the stems to grab for hidden berries ready for harvest. Bend down and look up into the plant and you will find loads of berries that other people missed!
4. I find it helps to hold the stem with one hand, while picking with the other.
5. Repeat these operations using both hands until each holds 3 or 4 berries. Repeat the picking process with both hands.
6. Don't overfill your containers or try to pack the berries down. Ideally, the collection containers should be wide so the pberries aren't more than a few deep.
7. Pick berries into a shallow container. If they get piled too deep they will crush each other.
8. Avoid placing the picked berries in the sunlight any longer than necessary. It is better to put them in the shade of a tree or shed than in the car trunk or on the car seat. Cool them as soon as possible after picking.

When you get home

1. DON'T wash the berries until you are ready to use them or freeze them.  Washing makes them more prone to spoiling.
2. DO refrigerate! Right after picking, place raspberries in the fridge. If your fridge tends to dry out produce, lightly cover the container.
3. Raspberries don't store for very long, usually just a few days. The reason the ones from the grocery store last longer is they are covered with fungicides!
4. Pour them out into shallow pans and remove any mushed, soft or rotting berries
5. Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash  off the others, drain them and freeze them up! (Unless you're going to make jam right away) raspberries are less perishable than blueberries or strawberries, but refrigerate them as soon as possible after picking. Temperatures between 34 F and 38 F are best, but, be careful not to freeze the raspberries (while they are in the fridge)!
6. Even under ideal conditions raspberries will only keep for a week in a refrigerator, so for best flavor and texture, use them as soon as possible after purchase
7. See this page for illustrated freezing instructions.

Raspberry Recipes

1. Now, get ready to make raspberry jam - It is VERY easy - especially with our free
   raspberry jam directions - very easy! or for a jam with a little kick, try raspberry chipotle jam
2. And if you want to freeze them to use later, see my How to freeze berries page.
3. You can also make your own raspberry vinaigrette,
4. See this page for an easy recipe to make raspberry chipotle sauce

 

Raspberry Facts

• Raspberries are a very healthy food; packed with anthocyanins!
• Raspberries contain more vitamin C than oranges, are super high in fibre, lhave a good amount of folic acid, are high in potassium, vitamin A and calcium.
• The USDA says 1 cup of raspberries has about 62 calories.
• 11 cup of raspberries, not packed down weighs about 140 grams.
• An average raspberry has 100 to 120 seeds.
• Select plump, firm, fully raspberries. Unripe berries will not ripen once picked.
• Raspberries belong to a large group of fruits known as brambles, such as blackberries, in the plant genus Rubus.
• Raspberries come in red, yellow, orange, purple and black colors.
• Yellow raspberries are red raspberries that don't make red pigment.)
• In most areas, raspberries begin to bloom in late May or early June.
• Bumblebees, honeybees, and other wild bees love to visit brambles.
• 60-70 pints of fruits can be harvested from 100 feet row.
  Raspberries can be harvested from early summer through fall, usually right up until a freeze
• The United States is the world's third-largest producer of raspberries (FAOSTAT, 2013).
• Production occurs across much of the country, although most of it is concentrated in California, Oregon and Washington. California leads the nation in both black and red raspberry production (NASS, 2015).
• According to the most recent Census of Agriculture, the United States has 8,052 raspberry farms totaling 23,104 acres (Census of Ag, USDA, 2012).
• U-pick raspberry farms typically sell berries by the pound. A quart equals 1 and 1/4 pounds of fresh berries.
• Do the math and be careful not to over-purchase as raspberries quickly mold when left at room temperature, and only last a couple of days in the refrigerator.
• You can easily freeze berries that you cannot use right away - just wash, cut the hulls off and pop them into a ziplock bag, removing as much air as possible.  Those vacuum food sealers REALLY do a good job of this! The berries will keep for many months frozen without air.
• Want to go to a raspberry festival? See this page for a list!

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