Stone Hill Farms features vibrant strawberry and blueberry patches where you can enjoy the experience of harvesting your own sweet treats. Stop by our testimonial page to see what folks have to say about our berries and the U-Pick experience!
It’s a great time for people of all ages! Everyone can appreciate the peaceful, relaxing experience of berry picking. Our fields provide a scenic opportunity to see the countryside as you participate in gathering your own food directly from the source. For families, it’s a wonderful way to teach kids first hand how the food they consume is grown, picked, and the journey it makes from the soil to their stomach.
Our berry patches are open seasonally (mid June through early August). You can pick them yourself from the patch, have us pre-pick them for on the farm sales, or find us at three Farmer’s Markets in the surrounding area.
Growing Blueberries and Strawberries
People are often surprised to learn that blueberries take 7 years to begin bearing fruit once planted. There is a lot of time, effort, and work that goes into a blueberry plant long before you can ever see the first berry. Also, unlike strawberries, once you pick from a blueberry plant, it has reached the end of its life cycle.
Strawberries take two years from planting to yield a crop. We plant in the spring and don’t pick any berries until the following year. Unlike vegetables which can be harvested more quickly, a lot of labor (especially weeding) and love goes into these plants before the first berry can be picked.
How It Works
We provide the containers – you get all the fun. There is no limit on the amount of buckets you can pick in a day.
We’ll direct you to pick from certain rows to ensure you get the ripest berries that are best for picking. The berries are perfect for anything you can imagine – from eating fresh, to pies, smoothies, freezing, jams, jellies and more.
The berry season starts in mid to late June. Hours are usually 8am to noon and are subject to change. During the season, we’ll post hour updates on our Facebook page.
Do I Have To Pick My Own?
We also offer pre-picked berries. Simply give us a call at 218.296.2473 to pre-order and we’ll try to pick your berries the morning of your pick up. We offer this service because we know not everyone may be able (or want) to get into the fields and pick their own berries.
Why Strawberry Patches Matter Locally
Having a strawberry patch is a family tradition for us. Nikki grew up picking strawberries with her grandma and mom. After having fun picking buckets and buckets, they’d haul them home to freeze, make jelly, bake pie, or just eat them fresh!
Also, Minnesota has an emerging strawberry shortage. Consumption hasn’t been matching local production for years because many small farms were run by older residents that have retired.
After returning to the area, we learned from talking to many people in and around Browerville that they missed the strawberry patch that was here about 20 years ago. This was something they wanted back to make more memories.
Picking berries isn’t just about having fun, meeting a shortage, or eating fruit – it’s also about education. There’s a lot of dissociation between what we eat and where it comes from. We help people see and learn how berries grow, why berries taste different from the store in winter vs fresh from the farm in summer, how farming has progressed over time, and the importance of growing quality food in sustainable ways.