Long Island U-pick farms for raspberries, tomatoes and more
Pints of just-picked strawberries sit by the farmstand at Condzella's Farm in Wading River. Credit: Randee Daddona
Whether you're looking to fill your pantry with pungent hard-neck garlic or stock up on berries to make homemade jams, you can head to Long Island U-pick fields to gather your fruits and vegetables.
"As a pick-your-own item, garlic is unique. Unlike berries, you need to put muscle into pulling the bulbs out of the ground. It’s a great storage crop and you can also decorate your kitchen with it and if you pull enough of it, it will last you through the winter," says Caroline Fanning, head grower at Restoration Farm in Old Bethpage
Then comes the bounty of late summer vegetables — tomatoes, peppers, eggplant — before fall's splendor of crowd-pleasing apples and pumpkins. Here's a list of locations to guide you along your way when the time is right. You'll always want to call ahead before you travel to check that fields are open and the crop hasn't been picked out.
COOPER FARMS
Kyle Cooper looks for ripe tomatoes at Cooper's Farm in Mattituck. Credit: Lynn Petry and Randee Daddona
2200 Breakwater Rd., Mattituck
U-PICK Eggplant, string beans, Swiss chard, beets, cucumbers, onions, watermelon and peppers (mid-July through October); tomatoes (August-October)
OPEN 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
COST Starting from $1.25 pound for pick-your-own vegetable or fruit;
MORE INFO 631-276-6215
LENNY BRUNO FARMS
740 Wading River Rd., Manorville
U-PICK Peppers, eggplant, tomatoes (late August through September)
OPEN 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Sunday
COST Strawberries are $10 per pint and include a hayride into the strawberry field; $30-$45 per bushel for vegetables.
MORE INFO lennybrunofarms.com, 631-591-3592
LEWIN FARMS
Layla Grunert picks apples at Lewin Farms in Calverton. Credit: Iris Marquez-Mauras and Nichole Grunert
812 Sound Ave., Calverton
U-PICK Raspberries (June-late August), blueberries (until mid-August); blackberries (July-August); peaches (July-late September); tomatoes, peppers and eggplant (August-late October); apples (late August through late October); pumpkins (mid/late September to late October)
OPEN 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Monday. Closed Tuesday.
COST Starting $2-$7 per pound
MORE INFO lewinfarm.com, 631-929-4327
PATTY'S BERRIES AND BUNCHES
Clockwise, a freshly-picked pint of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries; people pick berries in a field; a group looks for ripe fruit at Patty's Berries and Bunches in Mattituck. Credit: Randee Daddona and Corey Sipkin
410 Sound Ave., Mattituck
U-PICK Blueberries (July-August); raspberries (July-August); blackberries (August)
OPEN 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily (last u-pick entrance is at 5:30 p.m.)
COST $8 a person includes one container of fruit
MORE INFO pattysberriesandbunches, 631-655-7996
RESTORATION FARM
Ada Fanning picks vegetables at Restoration Farm in Old Bethpage. Credit: Caroline Fanning
140 Bethpage-Sweet Hollow Rd., Old Bethpage
U-PICK Hard-neck garlic
OPEN 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 9-22
COST Bulbs will be measured and charged according to size: small (3 oz.): $2; medium (3-5 oz.): $2.50; large (5+ oz.): $3 per bulb
MORE INFO restorationfarm.com
SEVEN PONDS ORCHARD
People pick apples at Seven Ponds Orchard in Watermill. Credit: Nicole Horton and Tiffany Lee
65 Seven Ponds Rd., Water Mill
U-PICK Raspberries (July-end of September), sugar snap peas (late June till beginning of August), blackberries and blueberries (mid-July till end of Aug.), tomatoes and cherry tomatoes (mid-July through end of September), apples (Aug. 25-Thanksgiving), pumpkins (Sept-Oct.), sunflowers (end of June till end of October)
OPEN 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
COST Starting at $8.99 per pint for berries; $8.99 for a quart for veggies; 5 stems of sunflowers for $9.99
MORE INFO 631-726-8015
WINDY ACRES ORCHARD
Ely Almonte, his son, Matthew, and their dog, Jada, pick apples; Jack Haber does the same at Windy Acres Orchard in Calverton. Credit: Randee Daddona, Morgan Campbell and Elizabeth Haber
3810 Middle Country Rd., Calverton
U-PICK Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries (July-August), peaches (mid-July-September), tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, nectarines and grapes (begin in August), apples (August-November)
OPEN 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday-Sundays; call ahead for hours on weekdays
COST From $8 a person includes one container
MORE INFO 631-727-4554
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