Imagine sunshine and Blue Ridge Mountains, a summer breeze, and biting into the juiciest, sweetest strawberry picked straight off the vine. Produce never tastes better than when it's in season and at its peak.
This simple pleasure can be had at several U-pick farms in the Asheville area, where you can go straight to the source to pick your own fresh fruits and flowers. It's a chance to see where the food is grown, harvest some for yourself, and treat yourself and your crew to a unique experience.
Be advised that it's always a good idea to call the farm before you go to confirm u-pick hours and availability of your desired fruit. It's best to pick in the mornings or early evening, but if you do go mid-day, bring a cooler to keep your pickings fresh.
Where Can I Pick My Own Produce in Asheville?
Late spring & summer: berries and blooms
- Cloud 9 Farm: Cloud 9 Farm offers an idyllic farm stay in Fletcher just outside of Asheville. Guests who stay in one of four on-site rentals can interact with the resident chickens, cattle, and honeybees. During July and August, the farm is open to the public on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. for U-pick blueberries.
- Flying Cloud Farm: This farm in Fairview has a roadside produce stand that sells a wide variety of seasonal vegetables and berries, flower bouquets, as well as vegetable, herb, and flower starts. It's a self-serve honor system and various forms of payment are accepted. From mid-June through October, you can also pick your own flowers at the farm.
- Long Branch Environmental Education Center: A nonprofit located in Leicester, this 1,400-acre conservation project and five-acre farm serves as an ecological sanctuary and educational center that's open daily to the public. It offers u-pick blueberries, native and heritage raspberry varieties, wineberries, blackberries, and heirloom apples. It also features workshops on organic gardening, permaculture, natural building, and herbalism, as well as a spring-fed pond and hiking trails with long-range views.
- The Berry Farm: Located in Marshall, this farm typically has black raspberries and blackberries for u-pick along with bottled water and vanilla ice cream available for purchase. Check their Facebook page for updates on picking dates and availability.
- The Never Ending Flower Farm: Located in Barnardsville in the Big Ivy community, 20 minutes north of Asheville, this family-owned farm offers rows and rows of u-pick flowers through an honor system from mid-May through October, as well as a twice-monthly supper club experience June through October.
- Piney Mountain Farm: Located only four miles from downtown Asheville, Piney Mountain Farm offers periodic u-pick flower events, which they announce on their social media accounts, but getting an appointment is the best bet for a you-pick opportunity. The farm is also home to friendly animals that enjoy treats and the occasional pat, including Ginger, the majestic white donkey.
Fall: apples and pumpkins
- Apple Orchards: It's apple season in the mountains and there are at least a dozen or so apple orchards near Asheville that offer u-pick opportunities.
- Hickory Nut Gap Farm: In nearby Fairview, this scenic, working mountain farm raises 100% grass-fed beef and pasture-raised pork and poultry. Stop by the on-site Farm Store for house-butchered meats, bacon, sausages, and a variety of locally sourced groceries and gifts. Visitors are welcome to explore the grounds, visit the animals, and take part in seasonal activities and events, including barn dances, monthly craft markets, yoga, birding tours, and more. In the fall, the farm offers locally grown pumpkins, apples, and fresh-pressed cider, along with hayrides and pony rides on weekends.
- Jeter Mountain Farm: This 411-acre orchard in nearby Hendersonville serves up a smorgasbord of u-pick opportunities, including blueberries, blackberries, peaches, sunflowers, dahlias, and other colorful blooms, grapes, gourds, and over 20 varieties of apples. There's also an on-site market selling pre-picked apples, apple butter, preserves and more, a 6,000-square-foot covered play area for the kiddos, an on-site barbecue food truck, a taproom serving hard cider, and a bakery churning out scrumptious apple cider donuts. They host live bluegrass music on the weekends.
- Sky Top Apple Orchard: This sprawling orchard in Flat Rock offers over 25 varieties of apples for picking, as well as peaches, Asian pears, and cherries. The scenic farm also has apple cannons, hayrides, a bamboo forest, gem mining, and a barnyard with sheep, goats, chickens, and peacocks. You can also pick up fresh baked items (including their popular apple cider doughnuts), local honey, apple butter, hard cider, specialty pumpkins, and more.
- Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard: Enjoy u-pick apples from their six orchards as well as pumpkins, grapes, sunflowers, and zinnias. There's also family-friendly farm activities, including a five-acre corn maze, an apple cannon, a jump pad, and wagon rides.
If you can't make it to pick your own, try some of the Asheville area's innovative farm to table restaurants or check out the many local farms and farmer's markets.
