When it comes to strawberry picking, Illinois might not be a state that you’d automatically think of. However, we can happily say that there are various places around Illinois that offer some amazing strawberry picking experiences!
But this famous state isn’t exactly small, so where exactly are you meant to be looking? Well, don’t worry because we’ve got a list of the best strawberry picking Illinois right here.
We all love strawberries, they’re great to eat, used in a drink and fun to pick – so let’s find out exactly where we can get our hands on them!
Read on for more.
Without further ado, let’s get right into this list and find out where you can get your hands on some juicy, plump strawberries in this amazing state. We hope you enjoy this.
We kick off our list with this superb farm and orchard, located just off River Road. Cody’s Farm and Orchard aims to provide its customers with extremely high quality and fresh homegrown produce.
They make some amazing extras too, and one of the most popular products is their strawberry glazed donuts!
As a family business, they value the public’s health and wellbeing, along with the hope to provide happiness and education to the children that come to the farm to pick the strawberries.
People of all ages are welcome to visit this beautiful farm, but the most people to see here is during the month of June, when strawberry picking becomes the thing to do!
However, if you miss this window – you can still enjoy this place for some vegetables and fruit picking.
For example, you can pick corn, broccoli, green beans, onions, peppers, squash, cabbage and zucchini.
Heider’s Berry Farm is known for its focus on family. Not only are they run by a family, but they invite you and your family to come and enjoy the land with them!
For over five generations, this berry farm has been your classic Midwestern style farm with plenty of livestock like goats, pigs and cows – but also plenty of fresh fruit, berries, vegetables and the rest that you’d expect with a traditional farm.
They love to give their customers a quality experience and a quality service. It’s entirely natural and they don’t charge you to come down or park your car.
You’ll get to enjoy their most luscious berries and pick your own using their containers.
You can pick as many strawberries as you can handle, so bring your entire family down to Heider’s for the most amazing experience you can have with a farm like this.
Don’t forget, it’s not just strawberries either – so they hope you’re fond of raspberries!
This farm is one of the best places you can go if you are looking for a place that provides a fun, friendly and warming environment for both you and your family. A day out in the country has never been as fun as this farm!
Handily located just Northwest of Chicago, you can find this huge farm which supplies over 2,200 acres of corn, fruits, vegetables and soybeans which they then sell directly to their customers (Also check out Farmers Markets Chicago)v.
As a result, it’s become one of the most popular farms of its kind in the region – especially when it comes to picking your own produce!
Tomatoes, sweetpeas, green beans, peppers, apples and raspberries are all available for you to pick – and of course, strawberries!
Perhaps one of the best things about this farm though is how it has managed to incorporate everything you’d expect with a farm and market, but also plenty of entertainment and fun for the kids.
You can take your children down to the nearby petting zoo and see all of the cute, friendly animals. Failing that, why not let your kids enjoy the slides or get involved with a hay ride!
There really is so much to do, and in the fall – you can even go back for pumpkin picking!
Of course, you can just go and pick your own strawberries if you want to, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
But it’s a place that you can spend the entire day and this is great if you’re looking for a fun-packed family adventure!
Jeffries Orchard is a place that produces extremely high quality produce which is fresh and ready for its customers all year round.
However, they understand the importance of looking after the land which provides so much for us.
Luckily though, by looking after their land so well, they are able to produce plenty of unique vegetables and fruits like rhubarb and asparagus, along with what you would expect from a place like this, such as blackberries and strawberries.
Of course, you need to head here during the right picking season. If you’re hoping to get the very best out of the strawberries, then you should plan your trip and pick to be in late May.
However, if you want blueberries, you should look at June.
Yes, this orchard is very diverse with a lot to offer. You can go and purchase some corn, tomatoes, squash, apples, cabbage, broccoli, apples, eggplant and peppers!
Located right in the heart of Illinois, Braffet Berry Farm has been producing gorgeous strawberries for decades, in fact ever since 1995.
The owners Peggy and Curt Braffet are very friendly and they invite you and your family to join them for some fun!
They work very hard all year round to plant, mulch, water and weed the area so that you can get the very best out of the strawberries before you pick them.
Of course, everybody wants this sort of experience – especially when the summer is right around the corner.
On top of this, the farmers recognize the challenges that a winter season in Illinois can present when trying to grow strawberries, so their extensive knowledge and experience has allowed them to keep the farm going so everybody benefits!
The season to start picking your strawberries is just after Memorial Day weekend, and then it lasts for around three to four weeks afterwards, but as you can imagine, this is largely dependent on how the weather performs!
If you want to pick your own strawberries, they’ll help you by giving you some containers! If not though, they’re quite happy to oblige and sell you some fresh produce right from the store.
Terrapin Orchards proudly say that their biggest passion is to produce excellent crops which you and your family would be pleased to pick yourselves – which they hope you will do in the glorious sunshine!
They love to be friendly towards more than just their customers though. They are kind to the earth and mother nature with their practices which support sustainability and they use natural resources for pest control.
Terrapin Orchards have around four acres of land which you have the run of when you’re there. However, the best time to get here is during the picking season for the strawberries which is when they ripen.
Similarly as before, this is around Memorial Day and it lasts for around four weeks or so, depending on the weather conditions.
If you can’t, or you do not want to, pick your own strawberries – the staff can sell you some of their pre-picked strawberries!
And of course, there’s a lot more on offer here. You can find a lot of other fruits and vegetables for sale, all of which are incredibly fresh and full of flavor! What we would say though is don’t wear anything too fancy.
This is because kids will likely get a lot of red strawberry juice on them – so if you want to avoid white shirt stains, then maybe consider something more practical!
Located in Mundelein, Sun Berry Orchard Farm offers a huge selection of fresh produce and products from their farm – including, but not limited to, some glorious apple cider!
There’s a whole lot to see and do here. If you have brought your family, you can head to the nearby petting zoo for some of the very happy animals, or maybe you want to have a short tour of the cider mill.
On top of their impressive range of things to do though, you can also go shopping in their brand new market store, where you will find incredibly succulent cuts of meat, fresh eggs, fresh vegetables and fresh fruits.
So, if you’re the type of person who enjoys fresh produce which are organically sourced and ethically sourced – then this is the place for you. The grass-fed meats and raw honey are among the best you could hope for.
Sustainability is also at the heart of Sun Berry’s mission, so you can be sure you’re getting the very best whilst also looking after Mother nature!
The one thing you might find when you head to a lot of farms or orchards is that the produce is a little… samey. However, Blackwoods Berry Farm loves the fact that they sell a massive variety of products.
Of course, you can still expect the classics like tomatoes, apples, blackberries, peaches and asparagus – but you will also find some other hidden gems scattered around.
This is an ideal farm if you’re trying to source some of the freshest ingredients for a home-cooked meal.
Since the early 1990s, this berry farm has been producing specialty crops and also making excellent finished products for their customers to take home with them, such as freshly baked apple pies, other baked goods and even canned goods.
When you go here, you can absolutely expect the top quality of products – and this applies to the strawberries!
The season for picking strawberries here is late May though, so be sure to get here right on time so you don’t miss out! They’re super popular.
Crosswind Farms looks to give its customers the very best experience when it comes to picking strawberries. They really want you to have a quality experience in the sunshine, while you get some fresh air and exercise!
During the summer period, Crosswind Farms loves it when people turn up and pick blackberries, strawberries, raspberries and so much more! They’ll be plump, juicy and very sweet – making them perfect for a home cooked pie!
And if you’ve got some time to spare, why not go over and say hello to their resident goats who are more than happy to see you.
Finally on our list, we have an amazing place that is pretty much a “new kid on the block” in terms of places where you can go and pick your own produce. It was only opened in August 2022, but has quickly seen a rise in popularity.
As you may expect, there’s a strong focus on freshness with the products. They want everyone to enjoy their experience but they want everyone to pick things that are high quality and especially fresh!
This place loves people to come as groups, especially families. They are working tirelessly to create a new environment where families can have more than just a simple “pick your strawberries and leave” experience.
They’re hoping for so much more to come! So, if you’re near the area, this is definitely a place you should check out and see how far they’ve come in such a short time.
Final Thoughts
Illinois might not be your first thought when it comes to picking your own strawberries, but as we have seen – there’s so many options out there that not only offer some beautifully fresh strawberries, but also much more like vegetables, fresh honey, jam, jellies and pies!
Hi, my name is Amelia Haslehurt and I am a food blogger. As you can guess, I am passionate about what I eat, but what is most important to me when reviewing is high quality, fresh, organic, delicious ingredients.
I wanted to create an online space where others could sample some of my favorite recipes, and share in my passion for home-grown produce.
Whether you are looking for vegan recipes, easy recipes, healthy recipes or your favorite yummy snacks to brighten your day, I can help you out here at LocallyGrownGardens.com
