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Pick Your Own Adventure

  • August 3, 2011
  • on 3/8/11
  • MoJo: want2dish

April Finnen

April Finnen

April Finnen

Submitted by citizen journalist April Finnen

My most vivid childhood memory is working alongside my energetic grandmother, our hands purple and faces flushed, as we carefully plucked the ripest wild blackberries from among the thorns in late summer. We would then walk home, our arms dragging buckets overflowing with hard-earned treasure, eating just one more juicy berry until the load was substantially lighter. (It was a long walk home.)

Blackberries are ripe now in Maryland. You can still find wild blackberries, even in developed neighborhoods like the Villages of Urbana, if you don’t mind a few thorns and mosquitoes.  (Note: before picking wild berries, make sure your neighborhood doesn’t spray forest areas with chemicals.)

For a more pleasant experience, and easier hunting, try a pick-your-own farm. Area options include:

  • Butler’s Orchard, Germantown, MD – Blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, flowers, potatoes. The market offers a large variety of local produce, canning supplies, pies and collectibles. 
  • Catoctin Mountain Orchard, Thurmont, MD – Black raspberries, dark sweet cherries, blueberries. Also has a large market with fresh produce, jams and other fruit products (including sugar-free options), pies and gifts.
  • Crooked Run Orchard, Purcellville, VA – Peaches, summer apples, blackberries.
  • Fox Hollow Farm, Gaithersburg, MD – Eggs (call ahead for availability 301-330-0165).
  • Frog Eye Farm, Knoxville, MD – Blueberries. 
  • Gardenour Orchards, Smithsburg, MD – Strawberries, blueberries, peaches, apples.
  • Glade Link Farms, Keymar, MD – Strawberries, blueberries.
  • Homestead Farm, Poolesville, MD – Strawberries, tart cherries, blackberries, peaches, flowers, pumpkins, Christmas trees.
  • Larriland Farm, Damascus, MD – Strawberries, peaches, nectarines, yellow plums, blueberries, blackberries, red raspberries, sweet onions, flowers.
  • Rock Hill Orchard, Mount Airy, MD – Flowers, peaches, fruits, vegetables.

Picking seasons can be short, and not everything listed above is in season now. We’re nearing the end of blueberry season, and raspberry picking will be best closer to Fall. Call ahead or check with each farm before you go to be sure what you want to pick is available that day.  If you bring your own container, ask the farm to weigh it before you go out, so you pay only for the weight of fruit you picked; some farms provide containers, and some you will need to buy them or bring your own.

To beat the heat and much of the crowd, go early—as soon as the farm opens. Don’t forget sunscreen, bug spray and water. You might also want to bring wet wipes to clean sticky hands, and cash, as some farms do not accept charge cards. As anyone with small children knows, you’ll need restroom facilities for trips lasting more than 4 ½ minutes. Butler’s Orchard offers portable restroom facilities at the market and between the blackberry and raspberry patches.

You can find additional options listed by state and county at http://pickyourown.org/. Happy picking!

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