Cherry Picking Near Los Angeles
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Itās cherry season!! One of my favorite memories as a kid is picking peaches with my grandparents in Arkansas. I have always loved fruit and since my first u-pick experience, I have always sought out picking experiences of my own. Growing up near Dallas, TX I didnāt have a ton of close options and the produce variety was slim to none. Now that I live in Los Angeles, Iāve tried to take advantage of my proximity to farms and try to support local while Iām at it.
In the 1.5 years Iāve lived here, Iāve been able to experience apple picking outside of Los Angeles as well as berry harvesting near LA. Iāve experienced blueberry, peach, and blackberry picking in several states, but had never cherry picked until last weekend! Cherries are arguably one of my very favorite fruits, so it has been on my list for a while. Surprisingly, I found it one of the easiest picking experiences ever, since the cherrie trees offer a lot of shade and you donāt have to bend down as much to gather them.
Keep reading for where we cherry picked near LA, tips for the trip, and other farm options!
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Cherry season kind of sneaks up on you and goes as quickly as it came. It is usually just month of June - maybe late May, but early - mid June tends to be the sweet spot. I bookmarked it to do last year and the orchard I was going to visit sold out within the first two days. While there are cherry orchards within two hours from Los Angeles, the bulk of them are more like 5+ hours away and not really a doable day trip. I was planning to visit Rolling Thunder Orchards this year, but they only opened on a Thursday and a Friday, then closed for the season. This year I didnāt give up! I realized that if there was one cherry orchards there were probably a couple nearby. While that isnāt the case in Texas per se, it usually is in California. I learned that Oak Glen is known for apple picking and that there are scads of apple orchards in close proximity, so I decided to test that re: cherries. Sure enough, I searched for cherry orchards in the Leona Valley and several options popped up! We ended up going to Full Moon Cherries and it was great. We arrived on opening day / morning, so there really werenāt a ton of people there and we got our pick of the litter! Their crop was mainly burgundy and ebony pearl cherries, with some radiant pearl as well. I wasnāt super set on a cherry varietal, but other farms around town had different options if thereās a specific kind you are looking for. They provided buckets and bags and sold them for $6 a pound. Each bucket carried around 3 pounds and we left we around 5 pounds of juicy cherries! They also sold some water and pre-packaged snacks, as well as local honey.
The Leona Valley is only about an hour drive / 50ish miles from West LA (where I live). Since we went on a Saturday morning the traffic getting there was very light. It isnāt a super close trip though, so we did make a day of it! We stopped in North Hollywood on the way to grab breakfast burritos and Bread and Breakfast. Be sure to place your order right when they open, because you will be waiting a while if you donāt. We placed ours at 8:10 am and it was already a 30 minute wait. They had only been open for 10 minutes! I grabbed the bacon and sausage burrito, but next time Iām going to get the Soujouk burrito, because that spicy Halal beef is where it is at! Nick likes to get the cheese coating as well, but that is a little much for me. After that, we went straight to Full Moon Cherries. Service gets kind of spotty, so make sure you are familiar with how to get there / the map prior to driving. Also make sure you have cash, as that is what most of the farms take and there really arenāt any ATMs nearby. We maybe spent an hour there? It was probably less than that, though we did pause to take some photos here and there. After cherry picking, we started our trek back to town, but stopped in Los Feliz for lunch. Nick had been wanting to try Loupiotte Kitchen, so we walked around the area and enjoyed brunch there as well. That was pretty much our day! We left around 7:45 and got home around 2:30, so it is a pretty easy day trip that is lots of fun!
I always like to give narration, but will list all the details out below in bullet format as that is easier to read!
U-PICK CHERRY FARMS NEAR LA
Full Moon Cherries. This is where we went! They donāt have a website, so just check their facebook page for updates. This year they opened their season at 9:00 am on June 5. $6 a pound // burgundy and ebony pearl cherries, with a small amount of radiant pearl. They provided buckets and to-go bags. Cash only. They have honey too, and it is divine!
Rolling Thunder Cherry Ranch. Iāve never been been here, but it was the first one I found. They donāt typically open on the weekends and have a very short season. This year they were only open on June 3 and 4. They have rainier, bing, and skeena cherries. They have a website, but their Facebook page gives the most up to date information. I think they typically provide buckets, but have been handing out plastic bags at entry instead due to COVID-19. Iām not sure how much per pound they charge. Cash only. ***UPDATE *** We visited here June 2023 and it was great. With the twins (1.5 years old) in tow, we had a blast. I think it was around $7.00 a pound, but I love small businesses / u-pick so I wasnāt paying attention, plus with twin toddlers, can you blame me? They have an area in the back with goats, chickens, and turkeys, which the twins loved viewing as well. We grabbed several jars of honey as well. They were out of eggs, or we would have bought some of those too.
Villa Del Sol Sweet Cherry Farms. We drove by this one on the way back and I took note of it, because it appeared to be large. I wanted to include it because the two above have smaller crop offerings. Villa Del Sol offers brooks, bing, and rainier cherries. Iād use their website over their Facebook page for information. I think they opened on June 3, but list their days on their website. Iām not sure how much per pound they charge, but they do have a $6.50 minimum purchase requirement. You can bring your own bucket or they will provide you with a container. Bonus! They take cash AND credit cards.
TIPS FOR CHERRY PICKING
Dress comfortably. The valley is hot. Luckily cherry trees provide shade and it really isnāt too bad. I wore a loose dress and sneakers.
Wear sunscreen. True, you will most likely be shaded in the trees, but sunscreen is always a good idea. At the very least, put some on your face.
Bring your own bags. Just in case. Ours ended up providing them, but Iām glad we brought them should we have needed them.
Pay in cash. Most places only take cash. It is good to have on hand in case they donāt take card or the machine is down.
Bring water. Because it is hot ;) Most places will sell you some, but brining your own water is free.
Go for the darkest / most ripe. Theyāll tell you how to pick, but if the cherries are a traditional red coloring, the darkest ones are ready to pick first. The fruit should easily come off / donāt grab for the stem. If it doesnāt budge, then just leave it.
Double check days. These farms will often start whenever they feel like it. Itās not a super quick drive, so I suggest double checking days and opening times to be sure it will actually be open when you get there. Iād suggest morning as the best time to go, because it is often less crowded and cooler temperature wise.
Refrigerate. Place cherries in the fridge as soon as you get home! Ours are in a paper bag which is fine, just donāt keep them in a plastic bag. Move to a bowl or container otherwise.
FAVORITE CHERRY RECIPES
You have all of these cherries, now what?! I made these homemade cherry poptarts and they were divine! Iād probably make the jam filling again just to keep in the fridge and put it on toast. Another one of my favorites is to make a batch of homemade whipped cream and add some cherries - it is delicious and easy! I also love to make a batch of brownies and add in some cherries / cherry juice. I typically use this recipe sans frost. I usually half the amount of chocolate chips and add in a half cup of chopped cherries and a splash of cherry juice. Works like a charm! We also thought it would be fun to make some boozy cherries. I havenāt decided on a recipe yet, but these look good. You might think Iām crazy, but Iām not really a cherry pie person. Iām sure Iāll make some cherry muffins or bread or something along those lines though!
BONUS: I donāt have a cherry pitter and I used a metal straw to push out the pits. Worked like a charm!
I loved cherry picking. We will probably be back next year and bring the twins!! Until then, I have some other u-pick things to cross off my list, like lavender!! Let me know if you have any favorite u-pick spots or cherry recipes. So excited to try them all!
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