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Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, and Blackberries at Plow Creek Farm in Tiskilwa, Illinois |
   
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"The best berries are the ones you pick yourself."
Plow Creek Farm is located near
Tiskilwa, IL in Bureau County.
Some people say "pick your own" (PYO), "Pick it yourself" or "self-pick"; others say "You-Pick" which is written "U-pick", "U-pik" or even "U-pic", but any which way, it is a fun and economical way to get the fresh berries you want.
Bring the family or the gang. Children are very welcome -- even if they eat more than they put in their containers. First-timers may benefit from this detailed description of how to pick strawberries.
Pick Your Own crops include:
Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries and Raspberries.
For current availability and schedule, visit our Crop Calendar or Farm Headlines page, which is updated daily during harvest season.
Strawberries 2008 Pictures News How to pick strawberries
At Plow Creek we often hear a preference for Jewel strawberries. Since many of you value them this year we offer Jewels in 94 of our 114 rows of strawberries.
But our other varieties of strawberries should not be overlooked. Here is the list in the approximate order in which our berries ripen.
Earliglow yields deep red uniformly colored berries known for their sweet flavor. They are usually the earliest to ripen. Many of us here think they are the best tasting. But after the first picking, later berries are often pretty small. Many think the extra work is worth it. They're great for making jams and jelly. Four rows.
Northeaster is prized for its very fine flavor and attractively firm berries. The strong flavor is interesting and has been described as like strawberry candy. Four rows.
Honeoye is our most misspelled strawberry. The berries are large, firm, and bright red with an "old-fashioned" strawberry flavor. Eight rows.
Jewel has very large, excellent quality fruit, especially delicious for desserts and for freezing. Currently 94 rows in production.
Allstar bears large symmetrical, very firm fruit with a mild, sweet flavor. It is considered by some to be the most outstanding recent variety. It is ripe without turning a deep red color; don't let this fool you. Four rows.
In April 2008 we planted 8 rows of Honeoye, 5 rows of Darselect, 1 row Wendy and 14 rows of Jewel, to start production in 2009.
Blueberries Pictures News How to pick blueberries
Plow Creek blueberries are on the rise. We have several delicious varieties to extend the season and will offer several more in a few years. In 2006 we planted 550 new bushes to replace those that had died over the years.After the significant investment of drip line replacement, we enjoyed our best crop ever in 2007. The 2008 crop about as good, but be sure to check our schedule before coming to pick.
People are learning about newly discovered health benefits of blueberries.
Blackberries Pictures News
Many think thornless blackberries lack flavor so we grow the thorny ones, so dress appropriately for the challenge.
Raspberries Pictures News
We have a limited quantity of red raspberries early in the summer, and tremendous quantities of red raspberries available for U-Pick in late summer and early fall. Most bushes are the Heritage variety. No black raspberries this year (well, maybe a few samples from the fall 2006 planting, which will produce in 2008).
We strive to grow all crops using healthy, sustainable, even if not certified organic, farming practices .