strawberry picking

I think I saw a posting about this awhile ago, but couldn't find it even through mulitple searches. I did find a list through google, pasted below. My questions are:
- are there any farms closer to Chicago?
- Will there still be good berries the weekend of the 4th of July? I can't get there til then, due to working every other weekend

Thanks in advance!

Backwoods Berry Farm
27244 Hettick-Scottville Rd.
Hettick, IL. 62649
217-436-2510
Strawberries, asparagus, blueberries, and blackberries.

Berry Patch
351 Spangle
Stauton, IL 62088 (Madison County)
(I-55 Frontage Road 1 mile North of Livingston)
618-637-2686

Pick Your Own: strawberries
Open: Open after May 15- June 9
Suggest you call before coming. Expect a good crop.

The Berry Patch
James & Charmaine Orr
11471 Lynn Road
Buffalo Hart, IL 62515 (Sangamon County)
217-364-5606
[email protected]
www.the-berry-patch.com

Pick Your Own and Roadside Market: asparagus,strawberries, blackberries, red raspberries (fall crop), pumpkins, ornamental corn, gourds.

Blue Berry Hill Farm
675 Wrights Crossing Road
Cobden, IL 62920
(Strawberry farm just off Hwy. 51, north of Cobden)
618-893-2397

Pick Your Own and Roadside Market: fresh blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes and watermelons. Fresh peppers, squash and turnips.

Broom Orchard
12803 Broom Road
Carlinville, IL 62626 (Macoupin County)
217-854-3514

Pick Your Own: fresh apples, Roadside Market and Wholesale: peaches, plums and strawberries (crop is good).
Open: May

Demange Farm
10349 W. Astor Road
St. Jacob, IL 62281 (Madison County)
618-644-9218

You pick or they pick. Ready end of May.
Open: Around May 20, 7 am - 7 pm daily (only)

W. J. Donahue Sunshine Farm
3540 Fairmont
Collinsville, IL 62234 (Madison County)
618-345-0766

Pick Your Own: strawberries
Open: 8 am - 7 pm

Dunn's Farmstand
21302 W. Angle Rd.
Wilmington, IL 61481 (Will County)
815-476-7667


Pick Your Own and Roadside market: asparagus, strawberries, green beans, okra, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant..
Open 9 am

Messy!

Where I go can be a Chowist combo trip:

Thompson's Strawberry Farm
Wisconsin Rt 50, 1 mile west of I-94
(Less than 5 miles from the Illinois boarder)

Tel: 414/857-2353 (Wisconsin)
847/679-8140 (Illinois)

Picking began at this location on June 16th and is expected to run 3 weeks.

I just got off the phone with the Illinois hotline indicating picking today. Warning there was rain last night, the fields are muddy but straw has been placed between the rows.

A 4-quart basket costs, which they supply: $6.25
If you pick 6, then you get the 6th basket free, which is what we do. Sometimes we go overboard and do a dozen.

Prepicked 4-quart baskets cost: $10

No raspberries this year.

Other Chowist stops nearby: Woodman's grocery store just east of the expressway; run up to Kenosha to buy Kringle; in Racine is Kewpie's slogan: "Hamburger with pickle on top / Makes your heart go flippity-flop." Just over the boarder in Illinois in Zion is my favorite take-out shrimp at Captain Porky's just north of the south entrance to Illinois Beach Park.

I would suggest do your excursions before picking as the strawberries are delicate creatures who need processing fast when they are at peak ripeness. Or bring a very generous cooler.

Regards,

Oooh, thank you!

Now I have questions, though:
Do you think this is the closest out of the (kooky) list I posted, or is it just your favorite?

Seems that picking will go til July 7 - three weeks from start date. Do you think there will be enough berries left, to go on June 30th or July 3rd?

What is Kringle?

Ps. Thanks for your postings recently - I have really enjoyed reading them!

Hi,

Distance is in the eye of the beholder. I don't think you realize that some u-picks you listed take you mid-state around Springfield and St. Louis or due west to the Mississippi.

I go to Thompsons because it is 25-30 miles due north of me, plus I have my little routine to amuse myself and my workers ... oops nieces!

Those which are within convenient driving distance from your list:

Dunn's Farmstand
21302 W. Angle Rd.
Wilmington, IL 61481 (Will County)
815-476-7667

Mary's Berries
9495 E 1500 N
Momence, IL 60098 (Kankakee County)
815-472-6015

McCann Berry Farm
18110 Kishwaukee Valley Road
Woodstock, IL 60098 (McHenry County)
815-568-8810

Theis Produce
6 N 593 County Line Road
Maple Park, IL 60151 (Kane County)
815-895-9712

Thank you for your comments about my postings. If I didn't do it, then all my fun would go away!

Kringle is a pastry which is quite popular in that immediate area. I am providing a link but check around as there are several competitors. My Mom bought one the other day made with blueberry and cheese filling. Unfortunately the crispness was long gone, I prefer ones filled with nuts which don't exude too much moisture and keep the pastry crisp.

Regards,

One more note to Cathy's usually thorough post. PLEASE call the places before showing up planning to pick. First, some of these places do not always have a lot of berries and sometimes it is too muddy to pick.

BTW, I didn't know about the place on Kishawaukee Valley Rd. And I live right off of it by the Claussen plant!

Try Berrien County Michigan--closer than many of the Illinois places listed. We picked there two weeks ago. The Michigan Department of Agriculture maintains a list at http://www.mda.state.mi.us/market/u-pic ... mplate.asp

But I strongly echo the advice to call first.

Hi,

In my earlier post, I referred to Kringle from Racine. I just found a thread on the other board from someone who understands better where to go:

Where to go for Kringle

Regards,

Ann Fisher wrote:Try Berrien County Michigan--closer than many of the Illinois places listed. We picked there two weeks ago. The Michigan Department of Agriculture maintains a list at http://www.mda.state.mi.us/market/u-pic ... mplate.asp

But I strongly echo the advice to call first.

I went to the Farmer's Market this morning in South Bend.Many of the vendors are from Berrien County. Strawberries are slim pickings. OTOH, lots of very nice blueberries, some cherries, and blue and black raspberries.

Call first.

HI,

I drove by Thompson's Strawberry Farm on Route 50 just west of I-94 over the Wisconsin border. They expect the season to begin in mid-June, though you can conditions at their website.

Thompson's Strawberry Farm has been reduced. Where they now plant 26 acres of U-Pick Strawberries at their peak they had 150 acres. There is a new subdivision on the old acreage. In total, they now manage 100 acres with 40 devoted to pumpkins and others to raspberries.

In the past and probably still today, the best deal is to pick 6 gallons of strawberries because the 6th one is free. These berries are great to eat out of hand, freeze or make jams.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:HI,

I drove by Thompson's Strawberry Farm on Route 50 just west of I-94 over the Wisconsin border. They expect the season to begin in mid-June, though you can conditions at their website.

LOL, my strawberries will be done and gone by then. I've been picking in my yard for over a week.

Local conditions and varieties make a huge difference as will the recent rains. Cathy2's suggestion to check local conditions is spot on. It always pays to call ahead.

That said, July 4th is stretching the season a bit so I'd go now if possible.

Diannie

If anyone wants to set up an excursion for berry picking next Wednesday, send me a pm, as I could drive. I have a pretty big cargo area in my car.

Strawberry season is now. At least as far as Thompson's Strawberry Farm is concerned. Here are some highlights from today's trip:
















ps: they still have the "buy 5, get 6" deal. One bucket was $6.50.

Hi,

How many gallons did you pick? How long did it take with X people?

Once it took me 2.5 hours when I came toward the end of the season to collect 6 gallons. While it began with 2 adults and 3 children. The kids got their education and drifted off to inspect the farm after about 15 minutes. My Mom pooped out after an hour or so. I was there for the full time butt up in the air and head to the ground.

Since then I have come earlier in the season, usually on a Thursday or Friday evening to pick. I freeze the ripest on cookie trays when I get home. The rest is for eating and jam.

Thanks for the report and inspiring pictures. Picking came earlier than I would have expected.

Regards,

daveco_hen wrote: Here are some highlights from today's trip:

Wow, great pictures!

daveco_hen wrote:

If another LTH calendar ever materializes, I nominate this picture as Miss June.

Cathy2 wrote:I was there for the full time butt up in the air and head to the ground.

I do not nominate that picture, however.

Cathy, do you can the strawberries (as jam, I assume?) That seems like a huge amount to process quickly...

Has anybody tried the Alton Brown method of freezing, which he proports to produce firm thawed berries?

MHays,

You'd be surprised how quickly berries can disapeer into jam. You have to crush enough to make a quart (or whatever the quantity). If I am using pectin, then I do single batches and sterilize the containers before filling. I sometimes crush berries, add sugar, then cook until reduced and thicked in double batches and don't sterilize the containers. Pectin added jams have shorter hot water bath processing times because they can break down. Reduced jam with no pectin can handle a full 10 minutes processing time. The threshold between having to sterlized jars in advance or not is 10 minutes processing time.

I will also make strawberry preserves using whole berries.

While I prefer a straight rhubarb pie, I might make 1-2 strawberry rhubarb pies to keep people happy.

One year I had two guests from Poland who very enthusiastically helped me collect 12 gallons of berries. I was ready to stop at 6, but they had so much fun I just let them do their thing.

Due to the changing dynamics of my family, I haven't made strawberry jam in at least two years. I am out and in the mood for it this year. It is just a matter of finding the time.

Regards,

I'm currently out of the country, but if anyone is looking to go between June 25-29, I'd be in! I don't have a car, but would definitely contribute to gas expenses for whoever drove. I haven't been strawberry picking since I lived in Wisconsin 5 years ago.

Mmmm, homemade strawberry preserves...


-Katherine

Cathy2 and I went to Thompson's yesterday. Unfortunately, there were few very ripe berries. A couple more days of hot weather and they should be ready -- maybe next week/weekend according to the people working there.
I hope to go again, Katherine, so when I do, I'll let you know. BTW, the cheap gas ($2.94/gallon on 6/15) in Wisconsin pays for your trip!

Josephine, that would be great. I've only been on the forum for a few days, but I've already read a lot by Cathy as well, so it would be a lot of fun to meet you two. Keep me posted!

At the farmer's market, one of the vendors was saying the hot weather would mean the end of strawberry season - is that true? (they were from further south, so probably not the same climate zone)

Earl's Berries, Fennville, Michigan

Given that strawberry season is over, this post is for informational purposes only at this point. Nevertheless, Earl's Berries in Fennville, Michigan, should you be up that way, makes for a nice U-Pick experience. U-Pick raspberries and blueberries are also available at Earl's.

Coming up on Blue Star Highway (A-2) from the South, look for Earl's Dutch-style barn:





The strawberry patch was in full swing 2 weeks ago:



The best strawberries are under the leaves, as they say:



After about an hour in the field:



Earl's also has a farm market where, on that day, beautiful asparagus and shelled fresh peas were sold:



Later, macerated strawberries for shortcake:



Earl's Farm Market
1630 Blue Star Highway
Fennville, Michigan
(Exit 30 of I-196)
(269) 227-2074

Looks like the season is almost upon us, so I thought I'd bump this thread, lest I forget. I checked the Thompson's website, and they're saying that the season will be a bit later this year because of the cool start - June 20 was the date they gave (though this recent hot spell has me wondering) Earls' website says June 18 for U-Pick (though this week is listed for we-pick)

I called these 4 today, and listed underneath each what I found out:

Dunn's Farmstand
21302 W. Angle Rd.
Wilmington, IL 61481 (Will County)
815-476-7667
--ready! 9-5, also open Sundays

Mary's Berries
9495 E 1500 N
Momence, IL 60098 (Kankakee County)
815-472-6015
--Ready! 11-4 this Sunday - sorry, don't know times other days of the week

McCann Berry Farm
18110 Kishwaukee Valley Road
Woodstock, IL 60098 (McHenry County)
815-568-8810
--Many already picked, advising to wait until the 16th, but fruit available until the 4th of July. Open 8-4

Theis Produce
6 N 593 County Line Road
Maple Park, IL 60151 (Kane County)
815-895-9712
--Number is disconnected

After FOUR YEARS of wanting to do this, I am finally making it happen this weekend!
Will post when we get back.

FYI: Thompson's said they hope they will be ready 6/20/08.

Thompson's
14000 - 75th Street
Bristol, WI 53104

Anyone know of any strawberries patches in the Northern Illinois area that are ready now?

When I went picking in Vermont last year (highly recommended Strawberry festival if you're in the area), they had about a dozen varieties including one that was a dark magenta that they said tasted like a raspberry at the center. I'm not so sure about the berry taste-cloning, but it was nice to walk and pick amongst choices. Some were delicious and very different than your supermarket varieties (what isn't?).

Do any farms around here have more than one variety of strawberry? They don't seem to advertise them on their sites.

We finally made it! Yesterday, we headed southwest to:
Dunn's Farmstand
21302 W. Angle Rd.
Wilmington, IL 61481 (Will County)
815-476-7667
This is not a well advertised area, or a full-blown strawberry operation - just something they are doing on the side. Also, if we had been 10 minutes later, we would have missed them as they were "headed into town", so it would be smart to call ahead. You pay by the pound, on the honor system, and drop money into the box by their scale (which is in pounds and we picked 15 lbs! )
Dunn's picking is more on the foraging end of things because they do not use pesticides and so their field is a mixture of weeds, grass, thistles, etc, and quite a lot of undergrowth covering up the berries. The berries themselves were wonderful though, and many large clumps of fruit could be found with some patience. I could easily sit for about 5-10 minutes per spot and keep finding prolific plants.
We had lunch at the Lauching Pad, which was not very good (but definitely better than the only other choice, McDonald's). It's about an hour and a half drive from the city so if you really need sustenance I'd pack lunch next time. Interestingly, it's on route 66 and next to the Gemini Giant: http://www.legendsofamerica.com/IL-Wilimington.html

Last night I made 20 jars of jam...they will taste so good in December!

Sounds wonderful! I love strawberry picking time; one of my favorite times of year. Did you do a cooked jam, or a freezer jam (or both)?

I did freezer jam, because I like the lower-sugar recipe as well as the fresher taste. I followed the directions on the Sure Jell box for Lower Sugar Recipes. When looking at the boxes side by side in the grocery store, it's hard to tell which is which, but just pick the one that has more pectin in it, and it will also say for lower sugar recipes somewhere on there. Sorry I already threw away all the boxes and recipes, otherwise I could describe it better and copy the recipe. Even though it's lower sugar, I still used quite a bit, ie., for 20 10 oz jars of jam I used 10 cups of sugar. The final product has a clean, bright, fresh strawberry taste, and it's very soft so you could spoon it onto ice cream and shortcake as well as toast.

I was going to document with pictures, but it was enough work alone just prepping the berries and making the jam! Someday, everyone will see the mess I create, but not now.

OK, using the map, I decided to try Johnson's Strawberry Farm in Hobart, IN - and maybe we'll stop at the Dunes...who knows. A call confirmed they're ready for picking and open from 8-6 daily. I'll post with delicious pictures when we get back!