Sacramento is surrounded by farms, orchards, and ranches, which is why the region calls itself the Farm-to-Fork Capital. Farmers’ markets are the easy way to get good produce. Driving out to the farm is the better one.
Many local farms run a stand where you buy what was picked that morning. Some let you pick it yourself. U-pick is seasonal work, and that is what most lists get wrong. What is available depends on the week you go, not on the month on the calendar.
WHAT IS ACTUALLY RIPE WHEN
U-pick is not one season. It is a sequence, and the crop decides the month.
- Spring. Asparagus is the spring crop at the farm stands. At 24 Carrot Farm in Placerville, the year-round stand runs organic seasonal produce: asparagus in spring, tomatoes in summer, apples in fall, mandarins in winter.
- May. Strawberry picking at Granny May’s Strawberry Farm in Granite Bay begins in May, and the Summer Pickin’ Patch at Impossible Acres outside Davis typically opens in late May with cherries, peaches, and berries.
- June. Berry season opens. Amber Oaks Berry Farm in Auburn starts u-pick berries in June, u-pick peaches at The Cloverleaf Farm in Davis open on select weekends beginning in June, and u-pick blueberries at Rainbow Orchards in Camino begin June 20.
- July. U-pick blackberries, raspberries, tomatoes, and flowers open at 24 Carrot Farm in Placerville.
- Late summer into early fall. U-pick tomatoes at Amber Oaks in Auburn, and nectarines and peaches at Rainbow Orchards in Camino beginning in late summer.
- Winter. Mandarins at the 24 Carrot stand, which stays open year round.
THE STRAWBERRY FARMS
Strawberries are where most people start. Granny May’s Strawberry Farm in Granite Bay requires reservations, so you buy a ticket in advance and get a bucket on arrival. They also have blackberries, peaches, cherries, and other fruits and vegetables.
Pacific Star Gardens in Woodland is an organic, family-run farm where strawberries are the draw. Bring your own container or borrow a bucket. They also have u-pick blackberries and apricots, a flock of chickens to visit, and fresh eggs to take home. Sun Strawberry in Elk Grove does u-pick strawberries through the growing season and u-pick blackberries, with a roadside stand selling fava beans, sugar snap peas, cherries, and watermelon.
THE BERRY FARMS AND ORCHARDS
Harris Family Farm in Pollock Pines has been in operation for seven generations, with u-pick blueberries, marionberries, blackberries, and flowers in summer, plus a picnic area and a shop with fresh-baked goods, jams, and preserves.
Rainbow Orchards in Camino is the blueberry stop, with picking from June 20 and reservations required, and nectarines and peaches starting in late summer. Amber Oaks Berry Farm in Auburn is a small family farm with u-pick berries from June, u-pick tomatoes in late summer and early fall, and a farmstand with peaches, figs, pomegranates, and kiwi.
The Cloverleaf Farm in Davis is organic and grows several varieties of peach, with u-pick open on select weekends beginning in June and farm boxes that include apricots, nectarines, figs, and plums. Daisy Creek Farms in Galt grows strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and boysenberries, plus plums, peaches, and summer vegetables like tomatoes, chiles, and squash, with guided tours of organic gardening and pre-order pickup if you are short on time.
THE FARMS THAT ARE REALLY A FARM STAND
Not every good stop is a pick-your-own operation, and some of these are worth the trip for the stand alone.
Davis Ranch in Sloughhouse is best known for sweet corn in summer, and also grows asparagus, green beans, squash, and melons, for u-pick or at the outdoor farm stand. Foothill Roots Farm in Meadow Vista is certified organic, with a family-run stand carrying salad greens, spring onions, blackberries, and bok choy, and u-pick flowers in summer.
24 Carrot Farm also sells plant starts if you would rather grow your own garden at home. Impossible Acres outside Davis is the one with the animal barn to go with the Summer Pickin’ Patch.
WHAT GOES WRONG AT A U-PICK FARM
This is the part the photos leave out. A u-pick farm is a working farm, and the weather decides, not the listing.
- Confirm before you go. Farms are at the mercy of the weather. Produce might not be ready for harvest, and a field can be picked out. Check the day before you drive.
- Reservations are a hard deadline. Granny May’s and Rainbow Orchards require them in advance, and The Cloverleaf Farm opens on select weekends. A spontaneous Saturday can end at a closed gate.
- Go in the morning. It is cooler, it is less crowded, and you get the first pick.
- Dress for a field. Closed-toed shoes or boots, ideally waterproof. Fields are muddy, dusty, and uneven. Bring your own containers and reusable bags even if the farm lends buckets.
- Stay on the paths and watch the kids. Cutting through rows damages the plants and affects future yields. Raised rows, irrigation pipes, and farm equipment are real hazards for small children.
- The distances add up. Camino, Pollock Pines, Meadow Vista, and Sloughhouse are not Sacramento. Plan one farm per trip instead of two.
THE COMPARISON I REACH FOR, AND WHERE IT STOPS WORKING
The comparison I reach for is a farmers’ market, because that is usually what people mean when they say they want to eat locally. The instinct is right. You cut out the middle, and you meet the people growing your food.
Where it stops working is control. At a market, if one stall is out of peaches, you walk twenty feet to the next stall. At a farm, the field is the field. If the blackberries are not ready, there is no substitution and no backup, and the trip may be a miss. That is the trade for produce being as fresh as it gets. You are buying a morning outside, and the crop decides whether it works.
Two things before you load the car and the buckets. I keep every area guide in one place at the neighborhoods hub, and if this would be your first house and the farm towns are on your list, the first-time buyers page walks the order things happen in.
Question for you: would you rather pick it yourself or buy it already picked from the stand? People answer that quickly, and it usually tells me whether you want a farm town or a suburb.
Adapted from U-Pick Farms & Farm Stands in the Sacramento Area to Visit this Season, originally published by Windermere Signature Properties at windermerecalocal.com.
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