2024 Chicago and Northeastern Illinois Strawberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Strawberry U-Pick Orchards in Chicago and Northeastern Illinois in 2024, by county

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

Not all areas of a state have strawberries farms 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

DeKalb County

• Walnut Grove Vocational Farm - beans, beets, broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, eggplants, flowers, herbs or spices, onions, peas, peppers, raspberries (Spring, red), summer squash, strawberries, tomatoes, other vegetables, Other fruit or veg, restrooms, weddings and wedding parties, school tours
  33600 Pearl Street, Kirkland, IL 60146. Phone: (815) 793-0950. Email: nutmeg214@gmail.com. Open: U-Pick Strawberry patches typically start in mid-June. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard.
  Walnut Grove Vocational Farm Facebook page. Use this link to sign up: https://bit.ly/2N67dxx. Pick-your-own started in 2018. For everyone's safety: U-Pick is open only to adults & supervised children 12+. (ADDED: August 03, 2017)

Grundy County

• Olive Berry Acres - Minimizes chemical and pesticide use, raspberries (red), raspberries (Spring, red), raspberries (Autumn, red), raspberries (yellow), raspberries (black), raspberries (Spring, black), rhubarb, strawberries, U-pick and already picked, porta-potties are available
  2575 West Mine Road, Mazon, IL 60444. Phone: 815-474-6511. Email: oliveberryacres@aol.com. Open: See our website for current hours. Directions: Mazon is located on Illinois Route 47, about 15 miles south of Interstate 80. The farm is about 70 miles southwest of downtown Chicago, about an hour and a half drive. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. 88Olive Berry Acres They have a website here website here, but never actually put anything on it so it just gives an error message.
  Comments from a visitor on June 05, 2010: "We visited (Grundy County, IL) today and had a great time. The owner, Nik, was very friendly and informative. There were three varieties of strawberry available, all were very tasty and flavorful. There were plenty of berries. We picked ten pounds and it was a drop in the bucket. The price was very good ($2/lb). The farm is nice and tranquil, very relaxing. Raspberries will be ready next week, and even though we live in Chicago, we're trying to make time to go back."

LaSalle County

• Guelde Strawberries - asparagus, pumpkins, strawberries
  4779 E 1525th Road, Earlville, IL 60518. Phone: (815) 246-9609. Open: See their website for most current information; They are typically open May, June, September, October; 7 Days a week, 9 am to 6 pm, weather permitting. Click here for a map and directions. Click here for a map to our farm

McHenry County

• Cody's Farm - strawberries, pumpkins, corn maze
  19502 River Road, Marengo, IL 60152. Phone: (815) 568-7976. Email: codysfarmfreshvegetables@yahoo.com. Click here for a map and directions.
  Cody's Farm Facebook page. . Alternate phone: (815) 276-3799. . In the Spring, Strawberry U Pick will be available; usually Mid-June to the end of June. Please email us and we will send you the exact date when the strawberries are ready. There is a Pumpkin Festival, every weekend in Octoberand Orchard Facebook page. There is also an Autumn Drive with home grown vegetables/pumpkins, Fall decorations, plenty to eat, barrel rides, corn box, corn maze, pumpkin launcher, Children's tractor track, antique tractors, music and many craftors.
  Comments from a visitor on October 02, 2011: "Excellent little farm. Went on Saturday 10/01--not crowded at all! Delicious apple donuts, cider and good looking produce, especially pumpkins. Reasonable prices. They carry a few crafts and goat milk bath products. I will be back for the Autumn Drive!"
  Comments from a visitor on May 19, 2011: "Here is a great place for the Upick experience along with festivals!"
• Heider's Berry Farm - raspberries (red), raspberries (Spring, red), raspberries (Autumn, red), strawberries, U-pick and already picked
  1100 North Queen Anne Road, Woodstock, IL 60098. Phone: 815-338-0301. Open: Sunday through Saturday from 9am to 3pm as long as berries are available. Directions: From Chicago and suburbs: Take I90 west to Route 47 north. Go through Huntley to Woodstock. Turn right on route 120. Go 2 miles, then turn left on Queen Anne. Go one-half mile. Farm is on the right. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check.
  Heider's Berry Farm Facebook page. Facebook page. Strawberries: about June 10 to July 4 Raspberries: about July 4 to August 1 and about August 25 to frostYou may call ahead for each day's picking conditions and availability. The beginning and ending of each picking season depends on the weather.
• Stade's Farm and Market - apples, beans, beets, peas, peppers, pumpkins, raspberries (red), raspberries (Autumn, red), strawberries, tomatoes, concessions or refreshment stand, porta-potties, picnic area, inflatables or bounce houses, jumping pillow, ziplines, train rides (train on a track), pedal kart track, petting zoo, school tours, group reservations, events at your location (call for info)
  3709 Miller Road, McHenry, IL 60081. Phone: (815) 675-6396. Email: thefarm@stadefarm.com. Open: Pick - Your - Own is open 9 am to 5 pm whenever applicable; Visit our Facebook Page and website for current picking information. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover.
  Stade's Farm and Market Facebook page. . Alternate Phone: (815) 979-9212 Picking updates: Click here for picking updates Stade's Farm host several special events a year. Please refer to our website for all information about our Classic Car Show, Truck and Tractor Show, and Arts & Crafts on the Farm. UPick strawberries are available from mid June to mid July; Our fall festival in September and October. We are offering both fruits and vegetables for you to harvest, including strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes, sugar snap peas, green beans, peppers, and more. We offer a beautiful apple orchard with many of your favorite apples and about 30 acres of pick-your-own pumpkins in the fall. Stade's is home to a large entertainment area, including a petting zoo, corn maze, giant slides, hayrides, and a large variety of unique attractions. Our fall festival, Shades of Autumn, is a harvest time extravaganza featuring 40+ farm-related attractions, pumpkin picking, special events, great food, and lots of family-orientated fun(UPDATED: September 08, 2020)See comments about this farm here!
• Sun Berry Orchard - Uses natural growing practices, apples, cucumbers, pumpkins, strawberries, tomatoes, Turkeys (organic, not-hormone-fed), Fresh eggs
  3712 Greenwood Rd, Woodstock, IL 60098. Phone: (847) 404-7555. Email: Sunberryorchard17@gmail.com. Open: Typical season is from early May through November; in season, Everyday from 8 am to 6 pm. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Venmo, PayPal, ApplePay, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard.
  Sun Berry Orchard Facebook page. We use natural practices, but are not seeking organic certification (UPDATED: August 29, 2023, JBS) (ADDED: June 17, 2021)
• Tom's Farm Market - raspberries, apples, strawberries, farm market
  10214 Algonquin Road, Huntley, IL 60142. Phone: (847) 669-3421. Email: info@tomsfarmmarket.com. Open: during the Holiday Season so you can purchase pies and our specialty breads eggnog teacake, cranberry walnut or our miniature fruit cake. Directions: North on Randall Road to Algonquin Road, turn left \(west\) 3-one half miles. Located on north side of road OR north on Route 47 to Algonquin Road, turn right \(east\), go 1-one half miles. Located on north side of road. We have U-pick strawberries in June, and during our strawberry season, we bake fresh strawberry pies and have shakes and sundaes made to order. What a treat on those hot days! In July and August, we make great peach cakes from the harvest of wonderful Southern Illinois peach - truncated. . Click here for a map and directions.
  Tom's Farm Market Facebook page. . call, email or see their website for current hors and availability; strawberry fest on Father's Day weekendNorth on Randall Road to Algonquin Road, turn left (west) 3-one half miles. Located on north side of road OR north on Route 47 to Algonquin Road, turn right (east), go 1-one half miles. Located on north side of road. We have U-pick strawberries in June, and during our strawberry season, we bake fresh strawberry pies and have shakes and sundaes made to order. What a treat on those hot days! In July and August, we make great peach cakes from the harvest of wonderful Southern Illinois peaches we receive. Our market is always filled with a delicious aroma that can be smelled right after walking through the door. Our famous pies, cookies, scones and home- made breads are tasty and baked fresh every day. As the season changes, so do our bakery items. For our Fall Fest in September and October, we he have our famous apple cake that is applelicious! November we begin taking orders for our Thanksgiving pies. Call our bakery, to place an order. We are open during the Holiday Season so you can purchase pies and our specialty breads (eggnog teacake, cranberry walnut or our miniature fruit cake). In the Fall, we have a 5 Acre Corn Maze, Straw Mounds, Petting Zoo, Bunny Village, Goat Walk, Wooden Train/School Bus/Tractor, Spider Web)(ADDED: June 22, 2013X)

Will County

• Dunn's Farmstand - asparagus, strawberries, green beans, okra, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant.
  21302 W. Angle Road, Wilmington, IL 61481. Phone: 815-476-7667. Open: 9 am to 5 pm, daily. Click here for a map and directions. Appointments welcome2 miles east of Wilmington off Route 102. Follow signs.

 

Strawberry

Strawberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

In the U.S. strawberries typically peak during April in Florida and Texas, May in the deep South, and in early June in middle sections and later June in the far North and Canada. Keep in mind that crops are ready at various times of the month depending on which part of the state you are located. In order to produce good local strawberries, producers depend on ideal spring weather conditions. 

Before you leave to go to the farm:

1. Always call before you go to the farm - strawberries are affected by weather (both rain and cooler temperature) more than most crops. 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 strawberries, 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 strawberries 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 Strawberries

1. Grasp the stem just above the berry between the forefinger and the thumbnail and pull with a slight twisting motion.

2. With the stem broken about one-half inch from the berry, allow it to roll into the palm of your hand.

3. Repeat these operations using both hands until each holds 3 or 4 berries. 

4. Carefully place - don't throw - the fruit into your containers. Repeat the picking process with both hands.

5. Don't overfill your containers or try to pack the berries down.

General Picking Tips

Whether you pick strawberries from your garden or at a Pick-Your-Own farm, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Be careful that your feet and knees do not damage plants or fruit in or along the edge of the row.
   
2. Pick only the berries that are fully red. Part the leaves with your hands to look for hidden berries ready for harvest.
   
3. To help the farmers, also remove from the plants berries showing rot, sunburn, insect injury or other defects and place them between the rows behind you. If they are left in the plants, the rot will quickly spread to other berries.
   
4. Berries to be used immediately may be picked any time, but if you plan to hold the fruit for a few days, try to pick in the early morning or on cool, cloudy days. Berries picked during the heat of the day become soft, are easily bruised and will not keep well.
   
5. Avoid placing the picked berries in the sunshine 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. Strawberries may be kept fresh in the refrigerator for two or three, depending upon the initial quality of the berry. After a few days in storage, however, the fruit loses its bright color and fresh flavor and tends to shrivel.
   
6. For interesting and fun strawberry facts and trivia from the California Strawberry Commission, click here!

When you get home

1. DON'T wash the berries until you are ready to use them.  Washing makes them more prone to spoiling.
2. Pour them out into shallow pans and remove any mushed, soft or rotting berries
3. Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash and cut the caps (green tops) off the others and freeze them up! (Unless you're going to make jam right away) See this page about how to freeze strawberries.
4. If you like the strawberries you picked, ask the farm what variety they planted, and not the weather conditions the week or two before. The flavor of a strawberry is affected by the variety, the weather and the degree of ripeness when picked.
5. Now, get ready to make strawberry jam. It is VERY easy - especially with our free strawberry jam instructions - they're illustrated and easy.

Strawberry Recipes, Canning and Freezing Strawberries

• How to freeze strawberries!
• Strawberry jam (with pectin) (uses less sugar or honey and less cooking)
• Strawberry jam (without pectin) (requires much more sugar and cooking)
• Strawberry (and other berry) jams without sugar
• Strawberry jelly
• Strawberry-rhubarb jam!
• Homemade strawberry ice cream (regular, low fat, nonfat, low sugar, vanilla and even gelato)
• Canning strawberries
• Make gourmet chocolate-covered strawberries
• How to make fruit juice -  strawberry and other berries
• Strawberry pie filling
• Strawberry pie
• Easy Rhubarb-Strawberry pie
• Fig-strawberry jam
• Fig-strawberry jam, made with Jello gelatin

Strawberry Facts, Measurements and Tips

• Picking the best strawberries: Select firm, fully red berries. Strawberries DO NOT continue ripen after they are picked! In the photo, only the berry on the far right is completely ripe.
• Strawberry festivals: Most areas that grow strawberries have a strawberry festival, at which you can taste all kinds of fresh strawberry foods, pies, jams, cakes - and most commonly, fresh strawberry shortcake.  To find out where and when there is one near you, see this page for a list of strawberry festivals, sorted by state!
• Strawberries measurements: government agriculture websites tell us that
  1 quart = 2 pints = 4 cups and is about the same as 1 liter and
  1 quart of fresh strawberries weighs 1 lbs to 1.25 lbs (or 450 to 600 g). Of course, the weight varies on variety and weather conditions. 
  1 quart is normally enough for 4 servings, although I'll admit my son can eat 1 pint by himself!
• How much to pick? In general, 1 quart of fresh, whole, just-picked strawberries = approximately 3.5 cups hulled, whole berries. In other words, removing the caps/hulls and the occasional mushy berry means you lose 1/4 cup to 1/2 (it depends how much fruit you remove with the hull) or about 7 to 12% of every quart you pick.
• One cup of strawberries contains only about 50 calories
• U-pick strawberries are much healthier than store-bought.  Consumer reports says store bought strawberries have so many pesticide and fungicide residues on they, that they don't recommend you eat them at all!
• U-pick strawberry farms typically sell berries by the pound. 1 lbs of fresh strawberries is about 2/3 of a quart.
• It takes about  10 to 15 minutes to pick a quart, if the berries are reasonably plentiful
• The strawberry plant adapts to wide variety of soil conditions, but does not tolerate drought well, and the berries quickly rot if the weather is rainy. For this reason, the plants are usually grown on raised beds through plastic mulch!
• Cultivation of strawberries began in Europe in the 1300's, but the berry only became very popular in the early 1900's in California.
• Do the math and be careful not to over-purchase as strawberries 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 grow your own strawberries?  Here's an article about how to: Strawberries are an Excellent Fruit for the Home Garden, HYG-1424-98!
• See this page for many more fun and interesting strawberry facts, nutritional information and trivia

Other weird strawberry facts

• Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside.
• Strawberries were originally called strewberries because the fruit was 'strewn' amongst the leaves of the plant.
• California is king of strawberry productions because: California produces 75 percent of the nation's strawberry crops; one billion pounds of strawberries each year.  If all the strawberries produced in California in one year were laid berry to berry, they would go around the world 15 times. Each acre of land in California in strawberry production produces an average of 21 tons of strawberries annually, with a total of 23,000 acres of strawberries planted in California each year.

More conversions

1 pint (2 cups)  of fresh whole strawberries

• = about 8 oz (1/2 lb) of strawberries
• = 2.25 cups of sliced strawberries
• = 1 cup pureed strawberries
• = 12-14 large strawberries

2 quarts of fresh strawberries are needed for a 9" pie

A 10 oz package of frozen berries is about the same as 1 cup of sliced fresh strawberries

References:

• University of Illinois Extension
• Driscolls
• Ohio State University Extension
• Strawberries-Average retail price per pound and per cup equivalent

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