Brentwood is a stunning city in Contra Costa County, California. Since the late 19th century, Brentwood has been renowned for its amazing agricultural products. The most famous of all the produce from this city is cherries, along with corn and peaches.
Since the 1990s, many of the old farms and orchards have been replaced with suburban developments. Thankfully, there are still plenty of amazing cherry orchards that you can visit to pick your own fruit.
Because Brentwood is renowned for its incredible cherries and peaches, there are lots of orchards that offer pick-your-own seasons during the year. Below are some of the best places to visit to pick the most delicious cherries in Brentwood.
Situated on Walnut Boulevard in Brentwood is Cherry Time orchard. This beautiful orchard is owned and run by the Bloomfield family.
Despite this being a humble, family-run orchard, it boasts a wide variety of cherries including Bings, Brooks, Coral Champagne, Royal Tiogas, Sweethearts, and Lapins.
The cherry picking season at Cherry TIme orchard begins at the beginning of May and runs until Mother Nature determines that they have run out. This is often around the second weekend in June.
To get the best pick of cherries, it is best to visit before June. You can also purchase local honey that is made on the farm.
If you are looking for a cherry picking orchard that has been operating for a while, Mike’s U-Pick Cherries could be for you. This stunning orchard has been farming and selling cherries in Brentwood for over 30 years.
There are two locations that you can visit depending on the type of stone fruit that you are looking for.
At the orchard in Payne Avenue, Brentwood, only cherries are available to be picked. You can choose from Coral Champagne, White Rainiers, and Lapins varieties as they become available throughout the season.
If you want to pick other stone fruit to accompany your cherries, you can travel to the Concord Avenue orchard where you can pick white peaches and white nectarines from the end of May.
Located on Eureka Avenue is the beautiful Pomeroy Farm. This farm has been part of the U-Pick farms in Brentwood since 1927. The Eureka Avenue orchard is the largest of three locations that Pomeroy Farm has in the city.
Here, you can pick Bing, Skeena, Sweetheart, and Rainier varieties of cherries. You can also pick multiple varieties of apricots, nectarines, and peaches to fill out your fruit bowl. Shelled walnuts are also available here.
There are two smaller locations at Marsh Creek Road and Payne Avenue in Brentwood. These locations exclusively offer cherry picking with multiple varieties to choose from depending on the season.
As with most cherry picking orchards, the picking season runs roughly from May to June, exact dates can be found on their website closer to the season.
If you are looking for a U-Pick orchard that has plenty of different types of fruit available to pick, you will want to pay a visit to Airaya U-Pick Farm.
The farm is located on Marsh Creek Road in Brentwood and is a place where you can easily spend a long afternoon.
Airaya U-Pick Farm offers a variety of cherry trees as well as white peaches, yellow peaches, Asian pears, white nectarines, and yellow nectarines.
The picking season at Airaya Farm begins in early May most years. Best of all, this is a U-Pick farm that is open beyond just the weekend.
During picking season, they are generally open all day Saturday and Sunday and morning until early afternoon on Thursday and Friday.
It is recommended to check with the orchard before attending as the field is sometimes closed due to weather or ground conditions.
Another orchard located along Marsh Creek Road in Brentwood is Pease Ranch. This orchard has been owned and operated by the same family since 1983 and boasts a wide variety of cherries and blackberries throughout the season.
The picking season generally starts sometime in May depending on the weather throughout the winter and spring.
Pease Ranch is a U-Pick only orchard and all cherries and blackberries must be paid for. During the picking season, there are daily updates on the website to inform you of the condition of the cherries.
The season begins when the fruit ripens and ends when there is no ripe fruit left.
This is one of the original U-Pick orchards in Brentwood City. It is located on Walnut Boulevard right at the entrance to the city.
Because of the location and the long history of this orchard, it is easily the biggest and most popular cherry picking orchard in Brentwood. The cherry varieties on offer here include Coral Champagnes, Lapins, and Bings.
The varieties that are grown at Maggiore Ranch ensure that there are perfectly ripe cherries to be picked throughout the early and late seasons.
If you are concerned about the crowds at the Walnut Boulevard location, there are three other locations in Brentwood to visit including Hoffman Lane, Camino Diablo Road, and Sellers Avenue.
While you are on Sellers Avenue, you can also pay a visit to Nunn Better Farms cherry orchard. This is another family-run orchard that has been producing high-quality fruits and vegetables for Brentwood locals for over 150 years.
The orchard is spread across an impressive 70 acres and boasts multiple varieties of cherries. When you arrive at Nunn Better Farms, the friendly team will provide you with a bucket to gather your cherries.
You can spend as long as you like wandering around the orchard, taking in the stunning views and snapping photographs while picking the cherries.
At the end of your picking session, your bucket will be weighted, you pay, and off you go. Best of all, you don’t need a reservation for this orchard.
Down the road on Chestnut Street, you will find G&S Farms orchard. This farm is run by third-generation farmers who have built up the orchard’s reputation for producing non-GMO fruits and vegetables that anyone can come and pick.
The farm boasts five beautiful cherry orchards in the Brentwood area. Most of the orchards offer Coral Champagne, Sweetheart, Rainier, and Lapin varieties.
However, if you have a particular variety of cherries in mind for picking, you should ring the farm ahead of time to find out which orchard has your preferred variety.
There is also an amazing pumpkin patch that is open for picking during the fall months if you want to make a second trip.
Three Nunns Farm, located on Walnut Boulevard, is home to multiple types of fruit and vegetables that you can pick throughout the year. The farm boasts cherries, peaches, strawberries, and pumpkins.
If you are looking for cherry picking specifically, you will need to visit between May and June for the best crops.
The farm is owned and run by the Nunn family, however, they have a team of dedicated professionals that help them to produce the highest quality produce they can.
Six varieties of cherries are grown on the farm, including Corals, Lapins, Tiogas, Garnets, and Black Pearls. If you are short on time, there are also pre-picked cherries that you can purchase.
If you are willing to travel a little bit outside of the Brentwood area, you can enjoy cherry picking at Gilroy U-Pick in Gilroy. This is a quaint, family-operated U-Pick farm.
Gilroy farm prides itself on providing fresh fruits and vegetables that have been grown without using any kind of spray whether it is organic or inorganic.
The orchard produces Santa Clara cherries among others. This is an early ripening variety that is ready to pick at the very beginning of May which is a lot earlier than other varieties.
Best of all, this farm is open on Mother’s Day, perfect for a fun and wholesome family day out.
Finally, we have Bacchini’s Fruit Tree. This is another family owned and operated orchard on Walnut Boulevard in Brentwood. The farm has been growing premium fruit since 1945 and they open each year between May and June to allow you to pick your own fruit.
Cherries are Bacchini’s Fruit Tree’s specialty, however, you can also pick peaches, blackberries, plums, nectarines, apricots, and Olallieberries. If you are short on time there is also pre-picked fruit to purchase.
Final Thoughts
There are plenty of stunning cherry orchards that you can choose from in Brentwood, CA. This article featured some of the best orchards with a wide variety of cherries to choose from during your trip.
Frequently Asked Question
Can You Eat Cherries As You Walk Around The Orchard?
Although it can be incredibly tempting to eat some of the cherries that you pick as you walk around the orchard, this isn’t good practice. All the fruit you pick has to be paid for in order to support the farm and the business.
If you aren’t sure you can make it around the orchard without getting peckish, especially with little ones, it is a good idea to pack some snacks to avoid temptation.
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