{"id":212483,"date":"2026-06-06T13:55:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T13:55:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/212483\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T13:55:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T13:55:08","slug":"your-2026-guide-to-berry-picking-in-pennsylvania-when-where-to-find-fresh-summer-fruit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/212483\/","title":{"rendered":"Your 2026 guide to berry picking in Pennsylvania: When & where to find fresh summer fruit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pennsylvania is one of the country\u2019s\u00a0leading agricultural producers<\/a>, and that extends to your favorite berries. But outside of the grocery store or your\u00a0local farmers market<\/a>, you can also find berries such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries at\u00a0U-pick farms across the state<\/a>, where you can fill a bucket with berries you\u2019ve picked yourself while enjoying time in the sun.<\/p>\n

Different types of berries are available to pick at different times based on region and weather. Read on to learn all you need to know to go berry picking in Pennsylvania and bring home these sweet treats of summer.<\/p>\n

When to go berry picking in Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

Which berries are in season varies by region and shifts throughout the summer (this also means that you can go berry picking all summer if you know where to go). Availability also depends on berry variety and weather conditions, so the season dates we\u2019ve included are estimates.<\/p>\n

Southeastern Pennsylvania is generally warmer and at a lower elevation than much of the rest of the state, so some berries may ripen a little earlier in this part of Pa. We\u2019ve noted when that\u2019s the case!<\/p>\n

Strawberries: Late May through June<\/p>\n

In Pennsylvania, strawberries are typically in season at U-pick farms in late May through June (and sometimes into July). They\u2019re usually the first major U-pick crop of the year!<\/p>\n

\"\"A bucket of Strites\u2019 Orchard strawberries beckons. Strites\u2019 offers pick-your-own berries in Harrisburg. (Strites\u2019 Orchard)<\/p>\n

Blueberries: June through mid-August<\/p>\n

Blueberries are typically ripe on their bushes between June and mid-August\u2014most of the summer season.<\/p>\n

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Raspberries: July through September<\/p>\n

There are both summer and fall varieties of raspberries. Summer raspberries are typically available to pick in July, while fall raspberry picking is in August and September. In addition, you can find both traditional red raspberries as well as rarer\u00a0black raspberries<\/a>\u00a0throughout Pennsylvania. Black raspberries have a much shorter season than their red counterparts and usually peak in late June.<\/p>\n

In southeastern Pa., summer raspberries are typically available a little earlier than the rest of the state: mid-June through early July.<\/p>\n

\"\"A woman picks black raspberries. The red berries aren\u2019t red raspberries, but unripe black raspberries! (Alexey Stiop\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n

Blackberries: July through early August<\/p>\n

Blackberry season tends to peak in mid-July and end in early August, though the berries may peak earlier in southeastern Pa.<\/p>\n

Where to go: Pick-your-own berry farms in Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

U-pick farms in Eastern Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

Brecknock Orchard \u2013 Mohnton area (Lancaster County)<\/p>\n

Brecknock Orchard<\/a>\u00a0in Lancaster County is a berry-picking paradise, offering pick-your-own strawberries, blueberries, red raspberries, black raspberries, and blackberries. The\u00a0pick-your-own schedule<\/a>\u00a0on the orchard\u2019s website is detailed and includes prices. Plus, as the orchard is in\u00a0relatively warmer<\/a>\u00a0Lancaster County, red raspberry season is set to run from early June all the way to early November.<\/p>\n

Weaver\u2019s Orchard \u2013 Morgantown<\/p>\n

Berks County farm\u00a0Weaver\u2019s Orchard<\/a>\u00a0grows strawberries, blueberries, red raspberries, black raspberries, and blackberries, all available for U-pick. The orchard reports that for the 2026 season, the strawberry crop is \u201cdecent\u201d and expected to have an extended season into July, the raspberry and blackberry crops are \u201cgood,\u201d and the blueberry crop is lighter than usual. Check out the\u00a0pick-your-own schedule<\/a>\u00a0for more details.<\/p>\n

Spring Mountain Farms \u2013 Lehighton (Carbon County)<\/p>\n

You can grab (read: pick) your classic blueberries and blackberries at\u00a0Spring Mountain Farms<\/a>\u00a0in Lehighton, but the farm also offers pick-your-own\u00a0currants<\/a>\u00a0(red, white, and black) as well as\u00a0kiwiberries<\/a>\u2014small kiwis without the fuzz!<\/p>\n

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The farm is set to open for the season on the Fourth of July, when pick-your-own blueberries will be available. Currants are also scheduled to be available for picking in July, while kiwiberries have a later season and are set to be available to pick in September, October, and December.<\/p>\n

\"\"You don\u2019t often see currants for sale in Pennsylvania, much less available to pick yourself! Red currants at Lehighton\u2019s Spring Mountain Farms taste bright, sweet, and tart. (Spring Mountain Farms)<\/p>\n

U-pick farms in Western Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

Triple B Farms \u2013 Monongahela (Allegheny County)<\/p>\n

Triple B Farms<\/a>\u00a0in the small town of Monongahela has pick-your-own strawberries, black raspberries, and blueberries. It is currently U-pick strawberry season, which runs\u00a0through early July<\/a>. Check the\u00a0Triple B Facebook page<\/a>\u00a0for updates about pick-your-own availability for strawberries and U-pick plans for other berries.<\/p>\n

Triple B is also home to a kids\u2019 play area,\u00a0Pop\u2019s Farmyard Fun<\/a>, which has a playground, games, and other fun activities.<\/p>\n

\"\"One of the best parts of picking berries at Triple B Farms in Washington County\u2019s Monongahela is getting to taste the fruits of your labor when you\u2019re finished. (Triple B Farms)<\/p>\n

Soergel Orchards \u2013 Wexford (Allegheny County)<\/p>\n

Soergel Orchards<\/a>\u00a0in Wexford, just over 20 minutes from Pittsburgh, offers pick-your-own blueberries and strawberries each year. This year, while blueberries are set to be available for picking in July and August, strawberry crop availability is uncertain.<\/p>\n

The farm usually has a strawberry festival to kick off the pick-your-own season, but a freak freeze this spring led to major damage to the strawberry crop,\u00a0making the festival impossible<\/a>\u2014an example of how farming, and thus pick-your-own availability, is subject to the whims of nature. Check\u00a0Soergel\u2019s Facebook page<\/a>\u00a0for updates on whether the farm will be able to offer strawberry picking later in the season.<\/p>\n

\"\"A girl picks strawberries at Soergel Orchards in Allegheny County\u2019s Wexford. (Soergel Orchards)<\/p>\n

U-pick farms in Central Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

Strites\u2019 Orchard \u2013 Harrisburg<\/p>\n

Strites\u2019 Orchard<\/a>\u00a0in Harrisburg is currently offering pick-your-own strawberries. It also grows blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries, all of which are available for picking.<\/p>\n

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Because growing conditions can change quickly, the farm\u00a0recommends reaching out<\/a>\u00a0to check on the status of the crop you\u2019re interested in picking to ensure it\u2019s available.<\/p>\n

Updates to the pick-your-own schedule are also posted on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Shenk\u2019s Berry Farm \u2013 Lititz<\/p>\n

Lancaster County\u2019s\u00a0Shenk\u2019s Berry Farm<\/a>\u00a0offers pick-your-own strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. According to the farm, the early strawberry crop did not do well, so U-pick strawberries will be open \u201cintermittently\u201d as berries continue to ripen.<\/p>\n

Shenk\u2019s is quite good at sharing updates on its website (almost daily!), so you can be sure to know how the different berry crops are faring as the season unfolds.<\/p>\n

Berry picking tips before you head out<\/p>\n

We have some tips to make sure you have the best experience berry picking in Pennsylvania this summer.<\/p>\n

For many farms, you\u2019ll want to arrive as close to opening time as you can, not only to avoid the heat of the day but also so that you have the best selection of ripe fruits before others can snag them!<\/p>\n

Some farms only accept cash, so if you\u2019re unsure whether a farm takes credit cards, it\u2019s a good idea to bring some cash along just in case (or call in advance to check).<\/p>\n

Bring plenty of water to drink so you stay hydrated\u2014you usually won\u2019t be in the shade when you\u2019re picking berries from bushes and shrubs. You\u2019ll also want to wear a hat and sunscreen.<\/p>\n

Many farms provide containers to use for picking, though you can also often bring your own. (Policies will vary by farm.)<\/p>\n

Weather and temperature can abruptly affect crop availability, so be sure to confirm that your fruit of choice is available and the farm is open for picking. You can check a farm\u2019s social media for updates or simply give it a call.<\/p>\n

Note that blueberries and strawberries are more common U-pick crops on Pennsylvania farms than raspberries and blackberries (which may be grown at a given farm but not available for pick-your-own). So, if you have your heart set on berry picking this summer, be sure to verify what fruits the farms around you offer so you can plan ahead.<\/p>\n

What to do with your berries<\/p>\n

I personally like to eat my berries like popcorn\u2014quickly and in one sitting\u2014but there are many other ways to use the fruits of your labor! Here are some ideas.<\/p>\n

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Bake a crisp or pie<\/p>\n

It\u2019s extremely satisfying to bake a treat from scratch with fruit you picked yourself. A\u00a0berry crisp<\/a>\u00a0is delicious, especially with ice cream, and is also easier to make than a pie. However, the effort involved in baking\u00a0a pie<\/a>\u00a0might make your dessert doubly satisfying.<\/p>\n

\"\"A delicious blueberry cheesecake I made with fresh-picked berries. (Alas, I am not a food photographer.) (Kalena Thomhave)<\/p>\n

Make jam<\/p>\n

The classic use for a load of berries:\u00a0jam<\/a>! Besides ensuring plenty of tasty breakfasts, processing berries into jam is also a great way to make your berries last; the jam will stay good for weeks in the fridge, compared to just days for fresh berries.<\/p>\n

Freeze your berries<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not sure how you\u2019d like to use your berries and you\u2019d just like to preserve them, you can easily freeze them for a flavorful future project. The best way to freeze berries is to first flash-freeze them by spreading them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper\u2014try not to let the berries touch\u2014and then freeze for about two hours. Then, once the berries are frozen solid, you can transfer them to an airtight freezer container, and they won\u2019t freeze all stuck together.<\/p>\n

Frozen berries, when thawed, won\u2019t be as plump as when they were fresh, but you can easily use them in baking or in smoothies.<\/p>\n

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<\/p>\n

Related: PA\u2019s pumpkin paradise: 10 of the biggest pumpkin patches to visit<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pennsylvania is one of the country\u2019s\u00a0leading agricultural producers, and that extends to your favorite berries. But outside of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":212484,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[21193,894,5523,524,12504,1510,5626,3685,837,21024,28,30,29],"class_list":["post-212483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-affordability","tag-allegheny-county","tag-carbon-county","tag-community","tag-eat-local","tag-family","tag-farming","tag-lancaster-county","tag-lifestyle","tag-morgantown","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212483"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212483\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/212484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}