Awe, berry season! The blueberries are plump and ready to eat, blackberries will surely glisten underneath the summer sun in the weeks to come, and the raspberries are just about ready to fall off the vine. Freshly picked berries offer many health benefits for children and adults alike, but beyond the beneficial nutrients and antioxidants, there are many other advantages to berry picking. One such advantage of visiting your local u-pick berry farm is that it provides you and your children the opportunity to enjoy the summer sunshine while bonding over the picking and, dare I say, devouring of freshly picked fruit.
Shaina Olmanson recently shared the many benefits of taking your children to a local, u-pick berry farm in her highly regarded food blog, Food for My Family (foodformyfamily.com).
· Exposing kids to the full circle of the food process helps them connect with their food. When they have met the farmers and seen the plants, they have a new respect for where those berries come from and gives them a sense of ownership over their food and food choices.
· That connection gets stronger and can garner a sense of accomplishment when they get to share their berries or the product of their picking with friends and neighbors later.
· Get your kids excited about new dishes by incorporating your freshly picked berries into different dishes. When you introduce new foods with foods your children like, they can be more willing to give them a go. Try adding them to salads, flipping them in flapjacks, baking them up in new breads, or freezing them into green tea ice pops.
· Finally, picking berries is a great summer activity that gets you out of the house and on the move. Because berry picking happens in the early-morning hours, the sun usually isn’t full strength yet, and it can be a great way for kids to work up an appetite for lunch.
Since the Willamette Valley is one of the most important production areas in the entire world for berry crops, your options for picking are only limited to how far you are willing to drive. Many farms offer additional picking opportunities, including peaches and plums, and some even provide opportunities to encounter and interact with domesticated animals.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we recommend that you call ahead to confirm the hours of operation along with the particular social distancing practices in place at the u-pick farm you are planning to visit. By calling the farm directly, you will also be able to get the most up-to-date information about which berries are available for you and your kiddos to pick.
So, get your buckets, baskets, baseball caps, and sunscreen ready, because it’s berry picking time!
Here are just some of the many u-pick farms that await you in the Willamette Valley:
Portland Metro Area:
Columbia Farms U-Pick
21024 NW Gillihan Road
Portland, Oregon
503-621-3909
Sauvie Island Blueberry Farm
15140 NW Burlington Court
Portland, Oregon
503-621-3332
Douglas Farm
15330 NW Sauvie Island Road
Portland, Oregon
503-621-3177
Roshak Berry Shak
11300 SW River Road
Hillsboro, Oregon
503-590-3201
Smith Berry Barn
24500 SW Scholls Ferry Road
Hillsboro, Oregon
503-628-2172
Beach Family Farm
27626 SW 147th Avenue
Sherwood, Oregon
503-625-6314
Our Table Cooperative
13390 SW Morgan Road
Sherwood, Oregon
503-308-8276
Mid Valley:
Boones Ferry Berry Farms
19602 Boones Ferry Road NE
Hubbard, Oregon
503-678-5871
Bernard’s Farm
18755 SW Highway 18
McMinnville, Oregon
503-472-4933
Cora’s Crop U-pick Blueberry Farm
21897 Case Road NE
Aurora, Oregon
503-678-6021
Morning Shade Farm
8345 South Barnards Road
Canby, Oregon
503-651-2622
Olson Farms
6925 Joseph Street SE
Salem, Oregon
503-363-5942
Rogue Farms
3590 Wigrich Road
Independence, Oregon
503-838-9813
Fordyce Farm
7023 Sunnyview Road NE
Salem, Oregon
503-362-5105
Koch Family Farm
4745 Raybell Road NE
St. Paul, Oregon
503-538-6834
Elliott Prairie Farm
32747 S Orchard Lane
Woodburn, Oregon
503-634-2615
Lower Valley:
Blueberry Meadows
3860 NE Highway 20
Corvallis, Oregon 97330
541-753-2614
Davis Family Farm
4380 NE Highway 20
Corvallis, Oregon
541-752-0697
Radke’s Farm
490 SE 3 Mile Avenue
Corvallis, Oregon
541-753-5680
Thistledown Farm
91455 River Road
Junction City, OR 97448
541-689-2019
Johnson Farms
89733 Armitage Road
Eugene, Oregon
541-343-9594
Adkins Farm
85995 Gossler Road
Eugene, Oregon
541-953-4872
Little Wings Farm
2245 River Loop 1
Eugene, Oregon
541-335-9011
