There’s nothing that screams summer more than a warm-off-the-tree peach, with the sweet juices dripping down your chin. With farms a-plenty and peaches ripe for the picking, choose your spot from the list below, grab your baskets and babes, and head to one of these u-pick farms.
The peach-picking season in the Garden State really gets going in mid-July and carries on through August and early September at some farms. Before you go, call ahead or check the farm’s Facebook page to make sure crops are still plentiful and what, specifically, is available on any given day. (You might also be able to pick blueberries, which are available at many farms through July.)
Read on to find out where the juiciest fruit can be found.
Follow up your peach picking with a pony ride and other kid-friendly fun at Alstede Farms. Photo courtesy of the farm
Alstede Farms – Chester
Alstede entices visitors with a slew of entertainment extras in addition to pick-your-own peaches. Plan your visit around the farm’s annual Peach Festival or Peaches and Pancakes Breakfast. The farm is open daily, and picking is $5.99 per person ($7.99 on weekends) plus you pay for what you pick. Unlimited access to the pony rides, bounce house, corn kingdom, and wagon train rides plus picking is $15.99 per child ($17.99 on the weekends).
Battleview Orchards – Freehold
Staggered varieties means peaches are available at this popular farm through mid-September. The orchard is open daily from 9am–3pm and peaches are $1.45 per pound (cash only). You’ll need to arrive at least 20 minutes prior to closing to pick your fruit. Don’t leave without a visit to the country market, where the farm’s famous apple cider doughnuts are baked fresh daily.
Demarest Farms – Hillsdale
This popular farm offers more than 12 varieties of peaches for picking and is open to the public on the weekends from 10am–3pm. The $5 admission includes a hayride, petting zoo, and access to the picnic area, and there's a $10 flat fee for a bag that holds up to 10 pounds of peaches you pick.
Eastmont Orchard – Colts Neck
Already home to 15 peach varieties, summer 2018 will see the farm introduce a new variety growing on 22 trees: the Saturn Peach, a doughnut-shaped peach that your kids might think also resembles a UFO. Peach picking is from 9am–5pm weekdays and 9am–6pm on weekends. The farm only accepts cash and checks. Boxes and wheelbarrows are available to really ambitious—and hungry—customers.
Giamarese Farm & Orchards – East Brunswick
Home to several varieties of peaches and nectarines, this 35-acre, family-run farm has been around for more than seven decades. Orchard hours are Wednesday–Saturday 10am–6pm and Sundays 10am–3pm (closed Mondays and Tuesdays). Plan to arrive at least an hour before closing. Check out the website for coupons that can be used on pre-picked produce for sale at the farm market, including corn, tomatoes, and lettuce.
Johnson's Corner Farm – Medford
Johnson's offers 10 varieties of peaches in its orchard, which is accessed by a hayride. The hayride costs $4.50 per child and $2.25 per adult. Pick-your-own is offered weekdays from 10am–1pm and weekends from 10am–4pm, with evening hours on Wednesday and Friday from 5–7pm. Once you’re done picking, cool down at the farm’s splash pad or check out the pedal go-kart track and obstacle course at the Discovery Barnyard and Animal Farm (for an additional fee).
Krowicki’s Farm Market & Greenhouses – New Egypt
Bring your own bags or bushels to collect peaches at this farm, open seven days a week from 9am–6pm. Don't forget to stop by the farm market for other fresh produce and baked goods.
Lee Turkey Farm – East Windsor
Celebrating 150 years of farming this year, this farm has the pick-your-own process down to a science. The $2 Pick-Your-Own Club membership covers a family for the entire season. When you come to pick, there’s a $5 picking deposit per adult that goes toward your final purchase. The farm says this nominal fee is to offset the irresistible peaches you’re bound to taste as you pick. The orchard is open Monday to Saturday 9am–6pm and Sunday 2pm–6pm, and you must arrive by 5:15pm for entry. There’s a nice park right across the road with picnic benches and a pavilion where you are welcome to eat.
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Take your pick of more than 30 varieties of peaches at Melick's Town Farm. Photo courtesy of the farm
Melick's Town Farm – Califon
Melick’s low-key farm experience allows pickers to walk right into the orchard, where you’ll find 30 varieties of peaches—both yellow and white—growing on more than 5,000 trees. Luckily, the trees are low to the ground, making the fruit easy for little arms to reach. There’s no entry fee; just pay for what you pick. The farm is open for picking 9am–6pm, seven days a week.
Mood’s Farm Market – Mullica Hill
Look out for the orange windmill on Route 77 and you’ll know you’ve reached this peach paradise. Bring your own bucket or box (plastic bags are not allowed) to pick peaches at this picturesque farm. Once you check in, hop back in the car to drive to the easily accessible orchards. Closed Sundays, but picking is available every other day of the week from 8am–7pm.
Phillips Farm – Milford
Stop by the farm stand at this working farm to get your containers weighed before walking out to the orchard. Pick-your-own is offered Wednesday through Monday (closed Tuesdays) from 9am–6pm. The farm’s clingstone yellow peaches (meaning the peach flesh “clings” the the pit) are already in full swing and range from $2–$2.75 per pound depending on how much you pick.
Russo’s Orchard Lane Farm – Chesterfield
Traveling through New Jersey’s countryside on a charming tree-lined road, you’ll come to Russo's Orchard Lane Farm. This 250-acre, family-run farm produces peaches and nectarines available for picking daily from 9am–5:30pm. There’s a 10-pound minimum, and you'll find freestone peaches in many varieties, including both yellow and white.
Stoneyfield Orchard – Belvidere
This adorable country farm offers pick-your-own peaches Monday 3pm–6pm, Saturday 2pm–5pm, and Sunday noon–5pm. Call first if you would like to come outside of these hours, and the staff will do their best to accommodate you. After you’re done peach picking, stop in for a visit with the animals or peruse the goods at the farm store. No credit cards are accepted here, so be sure to bring cash or check.
Strawberry Hill Farm – Chesterfield
Despite the farm’s name (it doesn't t in fact grow any strawberries), this totally sweet farm is a top spot for Jersey peaches and nectarines. You can see the bright peaches hanging from the orchard’s trees from almost a mile away as you approach the farm along winding Waln Road.
Terhune Orchards – Princeton
While you can’t technically pick your own peaches here, Terhune more than makes up for it with its annual Just Peachy Festival, a two-day celebration of all things peach. The fresh family fun includes wagon and pony rides, face painting, and a petting zoo, with live music and cooking demonstrations under the festival tent. Baskets overflowing with just-picked peaches and nectarines are ready to take home from the farm store to make your favorite peach recipes. Or try one of the orchard’s delicious freshly baked peach cobblers or pies.
Treelicious Orchards – Port Murray
You’ve likely seen Treelicious’ perfect peaches at your local farmers’ market, but you can't beat picking your own at this hilltop farm. The 130-acre orchard is open Saturday and Sunday from 9am–6pm, or plan your visit to coincide with the farm's Peach Festival in August. Come early to pick, then stay for the live music, games, crafts, tasty treats, and cooking demonstrations. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the view.
Valley Crest Farm & Preserve – Lebanon
Nestled in the rolling hills of Hunterdon County, Valley Crest Farm & Preserve is located on 100 sprawling acres of gorgeous views and vistas. Not only are the peaches ripe for the picking, but every pick-your-own purchase supports Valley Crest's mission to donate fresh, nutritious produce to people in need. In the last two years, the farm has donated more than 100,000 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables to feed the needy.
Wightman's Farms – Morristown
Membership is required to pick your own peaches at Wightman’s Farms. An annual family memberships (for up to five people), includes a tote bag which can be used for this and other fruit-picking visits, two bottles of water, and farm coupons. The orchard is open Saturday and Sunday only from 9am–5pm. You can only pick into provided containers, and peaches are $2.29 per pound.
Updated 2018.
