Get ready to have a jam-packed summer full of fun with strawberry and other fruit picking! We’ve compiled our recommendations of five farms within fifty miles of Gwinnett that are perfect for making sweet memories! Just be sure to check each farm’s website for when their picking season begins and ends officially before you get started on your berry adventure.
Washington Farms:
5691 Hog Mountain Rd, Bogart, GA 30622
This charming farm has been owned and operated by John and Donna Washington since 1993. They offer strawberry picking from mid-April until the end of May. Besides picking, they sell treats including strawberry donuts, slushies, ice cream and more as well as farm games during their select Super Spring Saturdays.
O5 Farms:
279 Storey Porter Rd, Jefferson, GA 305
As a chemical-free blueberry farm, this 6th-generation property is the perfect place for a day of blueberry picking! Starting in June and lasting until July, you can select a bucket for your berry-picking adventure and check out the farm’s animals, including Danny the Alpaca, afterward!
Jaemor Farms:
5340 Cornelia Hwy Alto, GA 30510
Since 1912, Jaemor Farms has been a premier u-pick spot with an upcoming strawberry and peach picking season. Besides the delicious fruit grown on-site, you can visit The Eatery for handcrafted sandwiches and BBQ along with the market selling freshly baked hand pies, Amish products, produce and boiled peanuts!
Southern Belle Farm:
1658 Turner Church Road, McDonough, Georgia 30252
If you’re interested in picking a variety of fruit this summer, this is the farm for you! This 330-acre working farm offers strawberry, peach, blueberry and blackberry picking during the respective seasons. They also have Belle’s Barnyard with farm games, a country market selling local honey and Mimi’s Bakery that sells fresh strawberry shortcake and other treats.
Pharr Farms :
Argonne Rd, Winder, GA 30680
Another local favorite is Pharr Farms, which offers u-pick strawberries. After an afternoon spent picking fresh strawberries, you can also indulge in their homemade desserts, from strawberry jam and strawberry pie to ice cream.
Now that you’ve picked your fill of strawberries (or other fruit), make a delicious batch of homemade jam! This is the easiest way to make sure your berries don’t go bad before you get a chance to eat them all.
Recipe for Strawberry Jam
Ingredients:
- 1lb of fresh strawberries
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1-2 tbsp of lemon juice
- 2 tsp of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- Pinch of salt
- Wash your strawberries and remove the husks.
- Place your strawberries, lemon juice and sugar into a saucepan on low to medium heat and let it come to a gentle simmer.
- Mash the strawberries with a fork or a potato masher to help the jam thicken.
- Let the strawberry mixture simmer for 10-15 minutes until it begins to thicken.
- Remove from heat and add the salt and vanilla extract.
- Let the jam cool slightly before putting it into a clean, airtight container (you can boil a mason jar for 10 minutes to sterilize).
- Put your jam into the fridge to cool and thicken more before enjoying!