2024 Cornwall and Devon, England Blackberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards

Blackberry U-Pick Orchards in Cornwall and Devon, England in 2024, by county

Below are the PYO orchards and farms for blackberries and other brambles that we know of in this area. Not all areas have blackberries and other brambles orchards or farms that are open to the public. If you know of any others, please tell us using the add a farm form!

Remember to always check with the farm's own website or Facebook page before you go - or call or email them if they don't have a website or Facebook page. Conditions at the farms and crops can change literally overnight, so if you want to avoid a wasted trip out there - check with the farm directly before you go! If I cannot reach them, I DON'T GO!

PLEASE report closed farms, broken links and incorrect info using the "Report Corrections" form below.

Cornwall

• Mitchell Fruit Farm - strawberries, green and sweeter red gooseberries, black currants, Tayberries, red currants, raspberries,
  Mitchell Fruit Garden, Mitchell, Newquay, Cornwall, TR8 5BZ UK. Phone: 01872 510774. Open: Monday-Friday 11am - 5pm; Saturday 10am - 5pm; Sunday 10am - 4pm weather permitting. In case of bad weather please ring to check we're open. Strawberries are available from May to October, but PYO from June to September. For the latest information on availability, please see our Season page. For PYO daily availability and opening, please contact us. (UPDATED: July 10, 2015, JBS)
• Pencarrow Fruit Farm - currants (red and black), gooseberries, Loganberries, Raspberries, strawberries
  Pencarrow Washaway, Bodmin, Cornwall, PL30 3AG. Phone: 01208 841 371. Directions: Pencarrow is between Bodmin and Wadebridge, signposted off the A389. The fruit fields are next to the car park. Click here for more directions and a location map. We are open May, June, July, August. Our hours are: Open every day that fruit allows, from 10 am to 5 pm. Phone for availability. (UPDATED: June 15, 2009)
• Trevaskis Farm - apples, strawberries, Raspberries, Loganberries, gooseberries, more
  Gwinear Road, Connor Downs, Hayle, Cornwall,TR27 5JQ UK. Phone:01209 713931. Email: hello@trevaskisfarm.co.uk. Open: 8am - 7pm every day. Set amidst 28 acres of beautiful countryside, Pick Your Own is a wonderful family day out. Choose from an abundance of fruit and vegetables, with information signs dotted around the farm park you can learn while you wander. Best of all, farm entrance is free! You only pay for what you pick. From loganberries to gooseberries, apples to beans, peas, Raspberries, and not forgetting strawberries,­ there’s something for everyone. Even if the rain sets in, welly boots and puddles are great, not to mention our all weather polytunnels and plenty of shelter from our trees to protect you from the coastal breeze. There’s no need to book, Pick Your Own is open 8am - 7pm every day, just turn up! (UPDATED: July 21, 2020 JBS)

Devon

• Halberton Court Farm Shop - strawberries, Raspberries, farmshop, restaurant, beef,
  High Street, Halberton, Tiverton, Devon EX16 7AW. Phone: 01884 829543. Email: info@halbertoncourtfarmshop.co.uk. Open: see the Halberton Court Farm Shop Facebook page for updates. Directions: Halberton near Tiverton. The farmshop has vegetables grown on the farm along with a wide range of locally-sourced fruit, meat, dairy and other grocery items. Beef raised on the farm. Swans Neck Cafe. (ADDED: 9 March 2023, JBS)
• Oak Tree Gardens - Strawberries, Raspberries, blackberries, Blueberries, Gooseberries, Tayberries, Blackcurrents, Redcurrents, Broad beans, Sunflowers,
  Oak Tree Gardens, Ashprington, Totnes, Devon TQ9 7UU. Phone: 01803 732451. Email: annie.waller2606@gmail.com. Open: typically, in season, starting in mid to late June, from 10 am to 5 pm. Directions: Oak Tree Gardens is situated in the South Hams countryside just 10 minutes drive from Totnes. They first opened for Pick your own in the late 1960’s. (UPDATED: March 8, 2023, JBS)
• Shute Fruit and Produce - beetroot, blackberries, broad beans, corn (sweet), courgettes, currants (red and black), flowers, green beans, potatoes, pumpkins, raspberries (red), summer squash, winter squash, strawberries,
  Shute Farm Newton Road Bishopsteignton, Teignmouth, TQ14 9PN. Phone: 01626 777570. Email: info@shutefruit.co.uk. Open: Daily 11 am to 5 pm; Closed rainy days and Mondays, until end of October. Booking not necessary, but, as always, check their website before going . Directions: On the main Teignmouth to Newton Road at Bishopsteignton. Click here for a map and directions. Open June to end of October Closed rainy days and Mondays. Payment: Cash, Cheque. Special events, group visits and preserve making courses offered occasionally. Handmade award winning preserves made from the farm produce for sale at the farm stall. (UPDATED: 9 October 2020 JBS) (ADDED: August 20, 2010)
• Thornes Farm Shop - blackberries, currants (red and black), gooseberries, green beans, raspberries (red), strawberries,
  Hawthorne Gardens, Stockleigh English, Exeter, EX17 4BH. Phone: 01363 866933. Email: athorne@thornesfarmshop.co.uk. Open: Monday to Friday the shop is open 9:00am until6:00pm Saturday the shop is open 9:00am until5:00pm Sunday the shop is open 10:00am until4:00pm(during the summer); The cafe shuts an hour before the closing time of the the shop. Directions: Please ring for detailed directions to get to the farm shop. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Cheque, Debit cards, Visa/MasterCard. The farm shop is also the home to a traditional butchery, deli and a cafe. The farm shop is lucky enough to have it's own wind turbine as well as solar pannels. The energy is then uses to supply the shop. We are open Sundays during this strawberry season. PYO available as well as ready-picked in various sizes! Come and stock up on the most succulent, mouth-watering strawberries in mid Devon, good for eating, baking, jam … A fun, family day out with cafe food and beverages on tap to buy while you pick, as well as admiring the far-reaching views and stocking up on local foods to fill your cupboards. (UPDATED: July 28, 2015, JBS) (ADDED: June 15, 2012) (UPDATED: September 11, 2012) (UPDATED: June 30, 2013)

Brambleberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

If you are getting ready to pick some brambles, either at a farm or along the roadside, you might want some useful information first! Brambles are both wild and domestic blackberries as well as similar sprawling berries, which typically includes the various hybrids like Loganberries, Tayberries, Boysenberries, and raspberries. Brambles typically peak during July, but it can range from early June through October, especially since new everbearing varieties like the American PrimeArk blackberries have been commercialized.

Varieties of Brambleberries, Blackberries, Raspberries and Hybrids

There almost countless variants of brambles. See this page for detailed descriptions of many bramble varieties found at British farms and orchards.

 

Before you leave to go to the farm:

1. 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!
2. Leave early. On weekends, then fields may be picked clean by NOON!
    
3. Most growers furnish picking containers designed for Blackberries, but they may charge you for them; be sure to call before you go to see if you need to bring containers.
   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. I like the plastic storage containers.
4. Bring something to drink and a few snacks; you'd be surprised how you can work up a thirst and appetite! 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 Bramble berries

1. There are two types of brambles 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, I dump mine into the bucket. Repeat the picking process with both hands.
4. Don't overfill your containers or try to pack the berries down.

General Picking Tips

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

1. Pick only the berries that are fully black, or a purple. Of course, there are a few varieties that are yellow orange or red when ripe, too. Typically, the should feel firm and plump and readily separate from the plant with a gentle tug. .
2.  Reach in between the stems to grab for hidden berries ready for harvest. Bend down and look up into the plant and you will find loads of berries that other people missed!
3. 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

1. DON'T wash the berries until you are ready to use them or freeze them. Washing makes them more prone to spoiling.
2. Pour them out into shallow pans and remove any mushed, soft or rotting berries
3. Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash off the others, drain them 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 (while they are in the fridge)!
4. 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

Blackberry Recipes, Freezing and Jam directions

1. How to make Blackberry jam - It is VERY easy - especially with our free Blackberry jam directions - very easy!
2. How to make Blackberry jelly
3. How to freeze berries
4. Blackberry syrup, make and can it!
5. Seedless blackberry pie!
6. Blackberry Festivals: Where, When and More to Find an Blackberry Festival Near You this year:

Blackberry Facts and Tips

• Black Raspberries, also known as "black caps" are a very healthy food; packed with anthocyanins!
• The USDA says 1 cup (228 ml) of blackberries has about 62 calories.
• 1 cup of blackberries, not packed down weighs about 140 grams.
• Select plump, firm, fully blackberries. Unripe berries will not ripen once picked.
• Ohio State University's Article Regarding Their Prevention of Cancer
• Oregon Berry Black Raspberry Brochure
• 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".
• Guide to blackberry varieties
• 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 blackberries are the most potent cancer fighting berries of them all, by nearly 40 percent!
• U-pick Blackberry farms typically sell berries by the pound. A quart equals 1 and 1/2 pounds of fresh berries.
• Do the math and be careful not to over-purchase as Blackberries quickly mold when left at room temperature, and only last a couple of days in the refrigerator.
• You can easily freeze berries that you cannot 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.
• Want to go to a blackberry festival? See this page for a list!