Be aware of the weather and dress appropriately. For instance, if it's rainy, wear a raincoat and boots.

Wear loose, comfortable clothing. You will be stooping over and bending often. If you plan to pick Thorny Blackberries or Raspberries (which have thorns), wear a loose fitting, LONG sleeved shirt and long pants. Carefully lift the branches slightly, as many of the ripe berries will be underneath. Gloves are cumbersome for picking. Just be careful where you put your hands - and use the long sleeved shirt as protection. And remember, most berries stain really well - don't wear your “favorite” shirt into the field (or pants, or shoes).

A hat is great sun protection.

Sunscreen (always!) and bug spray.

• Black Raspberries, also known as “black caps” are a very healthy food; packed with anthocyanins!
• Select plump, firm, fully black berries. Unripe berries will not ripen once picked.
• Blackberry tea was said to be a cure for dysentery during the Civil War. During outbreaks of dysentery, temporary truces were declared to allow both Union and Confederate soldiers to “go blackberrying” to forgage for blackberries to ward off the disease.
• Blackberries were enjoyed by the ancient Greeks, who believed them to be a cure for diseases of the mouth and throat, as well as a preventative against many ailments, including gout.
• The blackberry leaf was also used as an early hair dye, having been recommended by Culpeper, the English herbalist, to be boiled in a lye solution in order to “maketh the hair black”.
• Researchers have known for quite some time that berries contain antioxidants which help to fight cancer causing free radicals. A study at the University of Ohio has found that black berries are the most potent cancer fighting berries of them all, by nearly 40 percent.
• A quart of blackberries equals 1 and 1/2 pounds of fresh berries.
• You can easily freeze berries that you can not use right away - just wash, cut the hulls off and pop them into a ziplock bag, removing as much air as possible.

Before you leave to go to the farm:

• Always call before you go to the farm - And when they are in season, a large turnout can pick a field clean before noon, so CALL first!
• Leave early. On weekends, then fields may be picked clean by NOON!
• We furnish picking containers designed for Blackberries. If you use your own containers, remember that heaping Blackberries more than 5 inches deep will bruise the lower berries. Plastic dishpans, metal oven pans with 3 inch tall sides and large pots make good containers.
• And don’t forget hats and sunscreen for the sun. Bugs usually aren’t a problem, but some Deet might be good to bring along if it has been rainy.

Tips on How to Pick Blackberries

1. There are two types of blackberries to know about: thorny and thornless! Obviously, the thornless are easier to pick, but some people claim the thorny varieties are sweeter. With the thorny plants, you want to reach into the plant in the gaps, so you don’t need to touch anything but the berry you’re after, avoiding the thorns.
2. A ripe blackberry is deep black with a plump, full feel. It will pull free from the plant with only a slight tug. If the berry is red or purple, it’s not ripe yet.
3. Repeat these operations using both hands until each holds 3 or 4 berries.Unlike strawberries, blackberries are usually pretty tough, and can be dumped into the bucket.
4. Repeat the picking process with both hands.Don’t overfill your containers or try to pack the berries down.

General Picking Tips

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when you pick Blackberries:

• Pick only the berries that are fully black. Reach in between the stems to grab for hidden berries ready for harvest. Bend down and look up into the plant and you’ll find loads of berries that other people missed!
• Avoid placing the picked berries in the sunlight any longer than necessary. It is better to put them in the shade of a tree or shed than in the car trunk or on the car seat. Cool them as soon as possible after picking. Blackberries may be kept fresh in the refrigerator for up to a week, depending upon the initial quality of the berry. After a few days in storage, however, the fruit loses its bright color and fresh flavor and tends to shrivel.

When you get home:

• DON’T wash the berries until you are ready to use them. Washing makes them more prone to spoiling.
• Pour them out into shallow pans and remove any mushed, soft or rotting berries
• Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash off the others and freeze them up! (Unless you’re going to make jam right away) Blackberries are less perishable than blueberries or strawberries, but refrigerate them as soon as possible after picking. Temperatures between 34 F and 38 F are best, but, be careful not to freeze the blackberries!
• Even under ideal conditions blackberries will only keep for a week in a refrigerator, so for best flavor and texture, use them as soon as possible after purchase

Picking tips:

• Select firm, bruise-free apples. The color can be anything from dark green, to yellow, pink, orange, bright red, dark red or even a combination. It all depends on the variety. And color is not really how you tell when an apple is ripe.
• Apples ripen from the outside of the tree towards the center, so the apples out the outside of the tree will ripen first.
• The key will be to ask Farmer Ben which are ripe. He will know because it is calculated from the number of days since the trees flowered. And he will track that date carefully , if he’s a good apple grower!
• The farmer will also know what characteristics to look for in the particular varieties that he is growing.
• Once picked, don’t throw the apples into the baskets, place them in gently, or they will bruise and go bad more quickly.
• Don’t wash apples until just before using to prevent spoilage.
• Keep apples cool after picking to increase shelf life. A cool basement is ideal, but the fruit/vegetable drawer of a refrigerator will work, too. Kept cool and dry, fresh-picked apples will generally keep weeks, but it DOES depend on the variety. Red and Yellow Delicious apples do not keep well, for example; but Rome, do!

Apple Facts:

• Apple trees take four to five years to produce their first fruit, but you normally buy 2 or 3 year plants at the nursery, so it’s only 2 years till they produce!
• Most apples are still picked by hand in the fall.
• Apple varieties range in size from a little larger than a cherry to as large as a grapefruit.
• Apples are a member of the rose family.
• 25 percent of an apple’s volume is air. That is why they float.
• It takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.
• Apples are the second most valuable fruit grown in the United States. Oranges are first.
• In colonial time apples were called winter banana or melt-in-the-mouth.
• Newton Pippin apples were the first apples exported from America in 1768, some were sent to Benjamin Franklin in London.
• A bushel of apples weights about 42 pounds and will yield 20-24 quarts of applesauce.
• It takes about 36 apples to create one gallon of apple cider.
  

Before you leave to go to the farm:

• Always call before you go to the farm - it’s hard to pick in a muddy field!
• Bring your own container to pick in, or use one of our Homestead Farm boxes.
• Don’t forget hats and sunscreen for the sun. Bugs usually aren’t a problem, but some deet might be good to bring along if it has been rainy.

Tips on How to Pick Green Beans

• Most beans these days are “stringless”. That refers to a string, tough filament of the bean that runs along the outside from one end to the other. Some beans have two, one on each side; and some have one.
• Snap the bean off the plant just below where the stem attaches to the bean. If you do this, it will save time when you get home, because one end of the bean has already been trimmed. But this only makes sense if you will be using, cooking, caning or freezing the beans that day.
• If you won’t be using the beans the same day, then break off the bean from the plant along the thin stem that connects the bean to the plant.
• The beans snap off pretty easily. hence the name “snap beans”.

General Picking Tips

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when you pick green bean.
Look for beans that are :

• firm
• green (not yellowish - unless you’re picking yellow beans!)
• smooth, not wrinkly on the surface - that’s an old or dried out bean.
• not lumpy - those lumps are the beans that are developed - that’s an overripe green bean! Of course, if you want mature beans (not including the pod) then that’s a different story, but we’re talking about green beans here).

Avoid placing the picked beans in the sunlight any longer than necessary. It is better to put them in the shade of a tree or shed than in the car trunk or on the car seat. Cool them as soon as possible after picking. I prefer to bring a cooler with ice in it. Green Beans may be kept fresh in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days

When you get home:

• Put them in the vegetable crisper in the fridge, in a loose plastic bag.
• Can or freeze the extra green beans .

Before you leave to go to the farm:

• Always call before you go to the farm - Peaches are affected by weather (both rain and cooler temperature) more than most crops. And when they are in season, a large turnout can pick a field clean before noon, so CALL first!
• Leave early. On weekends, then fields may be picked clean by NOON!
• We furnish picking containers designed for peaches; be sure to call before you go to see if you need to bring containers.
• If you use your own containers, remember that heaping Peaches more than 14 inches deep will bruise the fruit on the bottom. Plastic dishpans, metal oven pans with 3 inch tall sides and large pots make good containers.
• Don’t forget hats and sunscreen for the sun. Bugs usually aren’t a problem, but some deet might be good to bring along if it has been rainy.

When you get home:

• Spread the fruit out on towels or newspapers and separate any mushy or damaged fruit to use immediately.
• Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash and cut the others and freeze them up!
• Even under ideal conditions peaches will only keep for a week in a refrigerator, so for best flavor and texture, use them as soon as possible after purchase

How to tell if the peaches are ripe!

• Attached to the tree: Peaches are best picked when the fruit separates easily from the twigs. If it is hard to pull off the tree, it isn’t ripe!
• Color: Green is definitely unripe, but you can’t use red color as an indicator of how ripe a peach is. Different peach varieties have differing amounts of red blush in their natural coloring. Pick them when the ground color changes from green to yellow, orange, red (or a combination). The skin of yellow-fleshed varieties ripens to an orange tint, while the skin of white-fleshed varieties changes from greenish- to yellow-white.
• Softness: unless you like your peaches very firm, pick your peaches with just a little “give” when gently pressed. Peaches at this stage are great for eating, freezing, and baking. Peaches won’t ripen very much after picking!
• Aroma: It should smell sweet and ripe!

Tips on How to Pick Peaches

A peach is softer than most fruit, so it is important to pick a peach gently, with little pressure. Using the sides of your fingers rather your fingertips helps to avoid bruising. Grab the peach firmly and pull it straight off the branch. DON’T drop the peach into the basket, but set it in gently!
Marks on the Peachs: Bugs (particularly squash bugs and stink bugs) bite fruit during development and this results in some imperfections in the peach. This is especially the case with organically raised fruit. These look like dents in the peaches if the peaches were bitten by a bug when they were young. This causes a spot that does not grow properly and makes a wrinkle in the peach. There’s nothing wrong with these peaches. They may look funny, but they will taste just as good as blemish-free peaches, and it’s better not to have the pesticides!

How much do you need?

• One pound peaches= 3 medium peaches
• 2 cups sliced peaches
• 1 1/2 cup peach puree
• peaches are virtually fat free. A medium size peach contains less than one gram of fat.
• peaches are naturally sodium free.
• peaches have no cholesterol.
• peaches are a low calorie snack. A medium size peach contains only 40 calories.
• peaches contain vitamin A which helps us see in dim light.
• peaches are considered a good source of fiber. The skin of a peach provides both roughage and fiber.

Temporary Storage Tips

• Ripe peaches have a creamy or golden undertone and “peachy-sweet” fragrance.
• Peaches should be refrigerated and used within a few days.
• Putting peaches and nectarines in a loosely closed paper bag at room temperature for a day or two can help ripen firm fruit.
• For best flavor, allow the fruit to ripen fully on the tree.
• Store at 33°F to 40°F and high humidity (a vegetable drawer in the fridge).

For the kids!

How to plant a peach pit (also works with nectarines and apricots). If you save a peach pit you can grow your own fruit tree.

• Clean the pit and store it in the refrigerator in a plastic bag until September or October.
• Place the pit about five inches beneath the soil surface.
• In the spring, your tree will start to grow and should be visible by July!
• Keep the tree watered and fertilized (fruit tree spikes from
• Wal-Mart, HomeDepot, etc.) and you’ll have fruit in 2-3 years!

Raspberry Facts and Tips

• Raspberries come in many colors besides red: there are also black, purple and gold raspberries.
• Raspberries are a very healthy food; they are high Vitamin C and naturally have no fat, cholesterol or sodium. They are also a good source of iron and folate (which is used especially in treatment of low red blood cells or anemia). Raspberries contain a natural substance called ellagic acid, which is an anti-carcinogenic (cancer-preventing) compound. Raspberries have been shown to lower high blood cholesterol levels and slow release of carbohydrates into the blood stream of diabetics.
• Raspberries are high in fiber. Half to one pound of raspberry fruit per day can provide twenty to thirty grams of fiber which is adequate for an adult daily nutrition requirement.
• Select plump, firm, fully black berries. Unripe berries will not ripen once picked.
• Raspberries 1 pint = 2 cups and about 3/4 lb. and is good for about 2 to 4 servings.
• Raspberries are a type of bramble, like blackberries and are also known as “Cane berries”
• Raspberries are different from blackberries in that the fruit has a hollow core that remains on the plant when you pick the raspberry.
• Raspberries are so expensive in the grocery store because, since they are so soft, they bruise easily, spoil quickly and do not ship well. It’s much better to pick your own!
• 2 pints (4 cups) of raspberries are needed for a 9” pie
• 1 - 1 1⁄4 cups = 10 oz. package frozen berries
• 1 cup of raspberries is only 61 calories and high in dietary fiber
• Raspberries are high in potassium, vitamin A and calcium
• Raspberries contain about 50% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C.
• U-pick Raspberry farms typically sell berries by the pound or pint. A pint equals 3/4 pounds of fresh berries.
• Raspberries only last a couple of days in the refrigerator.
• You can easily freeze berries that you can not use right away - just wash, cut the hulls off and pop them into a ziplock bag, removing as much air as possible. Those vacuum food sealers REALLY do a good job of this! The berries will keep for many months frozen without air

Before you leave to go to the farm:

• Always call before you go to the farm - Raspberries are affected by weather (especially rain and cooler temperatures) more than most crops. And when they are in season, a large turnout can pick a field clean before noon, so CALL first!
• Leave early. On weekends, then fields may be picked clean by NOON!
• We supply Homestead Farm picking boxes. If you use your own containers, remember that heaping Raspberries more than 3 inches deep will smush the lower berries. Plastic dishpans, metal oven pans with 3 inch tall sides and large pots make good containers.

• Don’t forget hats and sunscreen for the sun. Bugs usually aren’t a problem, but some deet might be good to bring along if it has been rainy.

Tips on How to Pick Raspberries

• Gently grasp the berry with your fingers and thumb, and tug gently. If it is ripe, it will easily come off in your hand, leaving the center part attached to the stem.
• Repeat these operations using both hands until each holds 3 or 4 berries.
• Carefully place - don’t throw - the fruit into your containers. Repeat the picking process with both hands.
• Don’t overfill your containers or try to pack the berries down.

General Picking Tips

Whether you pick Raspberries from your garden or at a Pick-Your-Own farm, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Be careful that your feet and knees do not damage plants or fruit in or along the edge of the row.
• Pick only the berries that are fully red. Part the leaves with your hands to look for hidden berries ready for harvest.
• The plants don’t have thorns, but they do have little tiny stickers, like velcro. Those with tender skin will find that annoying or painful, so it’s best to just touc the berries! Thankful, the berries stand out from the rest of the plant, so it’s not hard to do!
• Avoid placing the picked berries in the sunshine any longer than necessary. It is better to put them in the shade of a tree or shed than in the car trunk or on the car seat. Cool them as soon as possible after picking. Raspberries may be kept fresh in the refrigerator for two or three days, depending upon the initial quality of the berry. After a few days in storage, however, the fruit loses its bright color and fresh flavor and tends to shrivel.

When you get home

• DON’T wash the berries until you are ready to use them. Washing makes them more prone to spoiling.
• Raspberries are more perishable than blueberries or strawberries, so make a point of refrigerating them as immediately as possible after purchase. Temperatures between 34 F and 38 F are best, but, be careful not to freeze raspberries! (Fresh raspberries are highly prone to freeze damage).
• Even under ideal conditions raspberries will only keep for 1 - 2 days in a refrigerator, so for best flavor and texture, consume them as soon as possible after purchase.
  • Pour them out into shallow pans and remove any mushed, soft or rotting berries
• Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash and cut the caps (green tops) off the others and freeze them up!

• Select plump, firm, fully red berries. The small berries are often most flavorful. Only the berry on the far right is completely ripe.
• Strawberries measurements: 1 quart = 2 pints = 4 cups and is about the same as 1 liter and weighs 1.25 lbs (or 600- 625 g). 1 quart is normally enough for 4 servings
• Unripe berries will not ripen once picked.
• We sell berries by the pound. A quart equals 1 and 1/2 pounds of fresh berries.
• You can easily freeze berries that you can not use right away - just wash, cut the hulls off and pop them into a ziplock bag, removing as much air as possible. Those vacuum food sealers REALLY do a good job of this! The berries will keep for many months frozen without air.

Before you leave to go to the farm:

• Always call before you go to the farm - strawberries are affected by weather (both rain and cooler temperature) more than most crops. And when they are in season, a large turnout can pick a field clean before noon, so CALL first!
• Leave early. On weekends, then fields may be picked clean by NOON!
• We supply Homestead Farm picking boxes. If you use your own containers, remember that heaping strawberries more than 5 inches deep will bruise the lower berries. Plastic dishpans, metal oven pans with 3 inch tall sides and large pots make good containers. I like the Glad storage containers like the one at right.
• Don’t forget hats and sunscreen for the sun. Bugs usually aren’t a problem, but some deet might be good to bring along if it has been rainy.

Tips on How to Pick Strawberries

• Grasp the stem just above the berry between the forefinger and the thumbnail and pull with a slight twisting motion.
• With the stem broken about one-half inch from the berry, allow it to roll into the palm of your hand.
• Repeat these operations using both hands until each holds 3 or 4 berries.
• Carefully place - don’t throw - the fruit into your containers. Repeat the picking process with both hands.
• Don’t overfill your containers or try to pack the berries down.

General Picking Tips
Whether you pick strawberries from your garden or at a Pick-Your-Own farm, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Be careful that your feet and knees do not damage plants or fruit in or along the edge of the row.
• Pick only the berries that are fully red. Part the leaves with your hands to look for hidden berries ready for harvest.
• To help the farmers, also remove from the plants berries showing rot, sunburn, insect injury or other defects and place them between the rows behind you. If they are left in the plants, the rot will quickly spread to other berries.
• Berries to be used immediately may be picked any time, but if you plan to hold the fruit for a few days, try to pick in the early morning or on cool, cloudy days. Berries picked during the heat of the day become soft, are easily bruised and will not keep well.
• Avoid placing the picked berries in the sunshine any longer than necessary. It is better to put them in the shade of a tree or shed than in the car trunk or on the car seat. Cool them as soon as possible after picking. Strawberries may be kept fresh in the refrigerator for two or three, depending upon the initial quality of the berry. After a few days in storage, however, the fruit loses its bright color and fresh flavor and tends to shrivel.

When you get home

• DON’T wash the berries until you are ready to use them. Washing makes them more prone to spoiling.
• Pour them out into shallow pans and remove any mushed, soft or rotting berries
• Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash and cut the caps (green tops) off the others and freeze them up! (Unless you’re going to make jam right away)