Skip the store and go straight to the source at one of South Australia's bountiful pick-your-own fruit farms. From cherries to strawberries, apricots, figs and blueberries to citrus, apples and pears, South Australia's best produce is ripe for the picking and within reach of the city. Direct from the farm to your fruit bowl, take the pick of the crop with our guide to the best places to pick your own fruit in South Australia.
Cherries
As the weather warms up, cherry orchards around South Australia overflow with fruit, heralding the start of summer. The cherry on top? Jump in your car and within minutes of the city, you'll be plucking ruby-red fruit fresh for yourself with dozens of cherry farms in the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula. Some of our top picks include Martin Hill Cherries, Cherries at Verdun, Stella Creek Cherry Farm and Lenanne Orchard in the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Cherries just outside Willunga. Check out Cherries SA for more cherry farms in South Australia.
Strawberries
Nothing compares to the taste of a perfectly ripe strawberry picked straight from the patch, and South Australia is jam-packed with strawberry farms where you can do just that. Nestled in the Adelaide Hills, picking your own strawberries at Beerenberg Farm in Hahndorf is a rite of passage plus you can sample their famous jams, sauces and condiments direct from the farm shop. You'll also find pick-your-own strawberry patches at Harvest the Fleurieu in Mount Compass, and depending on the season you can also harvest farm-fresh blueberries, raspberries, tayberries, blackberries, cherries, apricots, plums, nectarines and a host of vegetables.
Want farm-fresh berries without the effort of picking them for yourself? During strawberry season, stock up on fresh fruit at Green Valley Strawberries and Cafè in Nairne, Walker Family Strawberries farm shed in Mylor or Mount Barker Strawberries. Strawberry season generally runs from November through to April.
Blueberries
You'll find a bumper blueberry crop ripe for the picking on the Fleurieu Peninsula at The Blueberry Patch. Sitting between the seaside bliss of Victor Harbor and lush wine country of McLaren Vale, this Mount Compass farm boasts more than 9000 blueberry bushes over four hectares. Wander through fields brimming with blueberries and pick to your heart's content. With a fleeting season from December through to February, it's the perfect family-friendly (and healthy!) summer school holiday fun.
Figs
Just minutes from the city, forage through almost 12,000 fig trees for perfect fruit at Willabrand Figs on Glen Ewin Estate. From February to April each year, the orchards of Glen Ewin are brimming with figs, with five main varieties; Archipal, Deanna, Spanish Desert, Brown Turkey, and Black Genoa. After picking a fig feast, settle down at the Figbar and enjoy the fruits of your labour paired perfectly with fig gin and a cheese platter. Sounds pretty figgin' good to us!
Apples
The apple doesn't have far to fall from the tree and into your basket in the Adelaide Hills, where orchards brimming with fruit await. Bag your own apples at Harrisville Orchards, with crisp, sweet fruit available to pick for yourself including Fuji, Granny Smith, Royal Galas and even pears. Nestled in the lush valleys of Lenswood, you can also pick your own cherries at this fourth-generation family-run orchard, as well as stock up on sparkling apple and cherry juice and homemade cakes at the shed door. Once a year during Autumn, a group of Lenswood apple growers also throw open the gates of their orchards and invite the public to pick fruit for themselves to celebrate apple season for Pick A Pink Lady weekend.
Citrus
Also known as Australia's fruit bowl, the Riverland is famed for its citrus and is the third largest growing region in Australia. From oranges, grapefruit and tangelos to limes, mandarins and lemons, endless groves of citrus prosper on the fertile river-side soils, particularly around the towns of Berri and Renmark. Meander through roads lined with groves and take your pick of the crop from a local farm gate or stock up at one of the many road-side stalls like the colourful Aggie's Fresh Fruit Stall. Once you've had your fill of fruit, check out our guide to the top 10 things to do in the Riverland.
Be sure to call ahead and find out about current harvest conditions.
Explore Adelaide with your family
Looking for more family-friendly fun in Adelaide? Get the kids off the couch and jam-pack the school break with more activities in Adelaide and beyond with our guide to the best family friendly things to do in Adelaide.
