Photo courtesy Blooms & Berries Farm Market.
As summer reaches its peak, delicious produce is ripening and ready to pick. Beyond the fruits and vegetables, farms around the Cincinnati area offer everything from fruit festivals to pick-your-own experiences for the whole family. These are some of the area’s best farms to pick and buy fresh fruit before the summer ends—it’s sure to be a berry good time.
Blooms & Berries Farm Market and Garden Center
Blooms & Berries has just about everything you need for an unforgettable farm experience. Cathy and David Probst started the farm back in 1999 with strawberry plants and a desire to teach and support their children, and the family has since expanded their facilities and produce variety. Their son, Jeff Probst, is now one of the owners. “We have an awesome team,” Probst says. “We’ve built a really beautiful farm and beautiful facility here with an amazing product. And it’s done nothing but attract just a really solid set of just outstanding people that have helped us to do what we’ve done.”
Photo courtesy Blooms & Berries Farm Market.
Blooms & Berries offers many fruits and vegetables, from strawberries in the spring and early summer to pumpkins in the fall. “What I love is just the seasonality of it,” Probst says. “I really love kind of building our farm out to embrace the beauty of the seasons and to be able to make everything really special and unique.” Though the summer hasn’t run its course, Blooms & Berries will also host seasonal events this autumn such as Fall on the Farm, featuring fall bakery treats, a corn maze, and more. Blackberries are now in-season at the farm for visitors to pick, but you can shop for more seasonal produce at their on-site Market Barn, the Maineville Farm Stand, or the Loveland Farm Stand. 9669 S. St. Rt. 48, Loveland
Berryhill Farm is a pick-your-own berry farm with delicious fresh fruit available year-round. With blueberries available now until the beginning of August and blackberries available in early August, visitors are sure to have a blast picking delectable berries this summer. According to owner Sarah Sutton, the family-run farm has been around for almost 27 years. This year has been a record year for blueberries at Berryhill Farm, with well over 3,200 pounds of blueberries picked so far. “What I love about the farm is the community, and just getting to know our community and making friends,” Sutton says. “And obviously, having four acres of blueberries in my backyard is nice, too.”
Sutton says Berryhill Farm offers some of the best berries in the area, and customers can trust in their quality. “We have a family that eats [berries] right out of the field. So we’re comfortable letting other people do that too because we don’t use any chemicals on them.” Berryhill Farm also has annual fruit festivals to celebrate the seasons, including the recent Blueberry Festival and upcoming Pumpkin Festival in October. Visitors can buy produce at their farm stand on-site, but you can also find Berryhill’s produce at the downtown Xenia Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings. 127 E. Krepps Rd., Xenia
Indian Springs Berry Farm has become one of the area’s best blackberry farms in just a few short years. In 2017, owner Jason Pratt opened the farm after adapting part of his mom’s land for berries. Pratt started selling sweet honey and delicious pick-your-own blackberries. “[Honey] is the first thing I got into, because I thought, you know what, I wouldn’t mind having some bees,” Pratt says. “Like, hey, I could bring the bees out on the farm and it would all kind of work out pretty well. And it does.” Visitors don’t need to bring anything but excitement to pick berries when they visit—Indian Springs Berry Farm provides baskets for 75 cents and rows of blackberry plants to pick from.
Photo courtesy Indian Springs Berry Farm.
If you’ve never tried farm fresh blackberries, the delicious fruit might surprise you with its sweetness. “When you pick the blackberries, you get them just right,” Pratt says. “They’re really soft and super sweet, and they taste different than in the grocery stores.” Customers can stop by the on-site farm stand for u-pick information, delicious berries, honey, and even jellies and jams made from the farm’s produce. Indian Springs Berry Farm is usually open two days a week, so make sure to check out their Facebook page to stay up to date. 2840 Tylersville Rd., Hamilton
Stokes Berry Farm is one of the area’s longest-running farms, and their produce and farm experiences are tried and true. Established in 1962, the farm has stayed in family hands for over 60 years. Though the Stokes family has grown a wide variety of produce, they now specialize in raspberries and strawberries. “The pick your own business has always been a staple of our farm”, Co-owner Stephanie Stokes says. “There is nothing like eating a sun-kissed berry picked straight from the fields. It’s also a tremendous opportunity for families to build core memories.”
Though strawberry season is over, visitors can enjoy gorgeous views on the farm and pick up some delicious black raspberries at the on-site farm stand when they are available. The farm also sells frozen fruit year-round, perfect for making pies and jams. Stokes Berry Farm also provides black raspberries to restaurants, bakeries, breweries, and even researchers throughout the state. “The research on black raspberries and cancer prevention originated here on our farm in conjunction with Dr. Gary Stoner and the James Cancer Center at The Ohio State University,” Stokes says. “The research is now taking place worldwide.” Stay up to date with Stokes Berry farm on their Facebook page, and look out for their produce at Pipkin’s Market and the Dorothy Lane Markets. 2822 Center Rd., Wilmington
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