Perfect Summer Activity – Sacramento Blackberry Farm

Blackberries are in season during July through August in the local Sacramento area! Aki and I recently found a very cute local Sacramento blackberry farm where we picked several pints of fresh blackberries!

Aki and I, and all our littles, love Sacramento’s local you-pick produce farms. Every year, we find seasonal farms that allow visitors to pick produce. In late spring to early summer, we visit Granny May’s Farm where we pick several varieties of sweet strawberries. In the fall, we find chestnuts & apple picking in the Apple Hill area, and – my faaaaaaaaavorite – mandarin orange picking every early winter. Picking seasonal fruits and nuts is the best way to enjoy nature in this West Sacramento area. Until recently, we didn’t know what to do after strawberry season ended. We typically waited until fall; however, this year, one of our friends told us about a local Sacramento blackberry farm. The thornless blackberry season begins in July and runs through the end of August and we knew we just had to try it out!

A family farm in Auburn California

The farm is Amber Oaks Berry Farm, a very cute family owned blackberry farm in Auburn, CA. Auburn is about 35-40 min by car from Sacramento, but it takes an few extra minutes to get to the farm through beautiful, winding roads.

This farm offers U-pick service throughout the year and also sells various seasonal fruits and veggies. We found that they even offer chestnuts picking in September through October, which definitely would be in our list to visit in fall! Check out their harvest calendar!

Currently, an appointment is required for visiting as they limit and manage the number of guests due to Covid precautions, but it’s still easy to get an appointment. Once you schedule your U-pick by phone, you are ready to go pick delicious blackberries! When you get to the farm, a lady welcomes you with a big beautiful smile and gives you baskets for picking. She also gives you tips for which row is recommended, and how you can tell whether the berries are ripe.

This picture on the left is an image of the baskets you’ll get for picking the fruit. Each cardboard box is filled with 12 berry pint baskets, so we decided to fill only 6 of the berry pints. Six green pint baskets of blackberries are about 4-5 pounds. This year (in 2021), U-pick blackberries are $5 a pound, so it ends up being about $20-25 to fill six mini baskets!

Once you grab your baskets, let’s head to the blackberry bushes! Do you see the white and orange construction sign at the back of the photo – it’s very tiny? This is where rows and rows of berry bushes are!

It’s blackberry heaven! You need to find any berries that showcase a dull black color and have plump berries. You can feel how plump the berries are by pulling gently: ripe berries are very easy to fall off when picked. By the end of the foraging, you will be an expert of berry pickings!

We picked 4.26 pounds of berries, which cost us about $21. That’s a great price for so many berries! Plenty for snacking, jamming, and sharing! Bonus points – they also freeze very well for smoothies. I also love tossing a handful of frozen berries into my oatmeal in the mornings. So good when you’re craving a bit of summer when cool fall weather arrives!