DUCKWORTH FAMILY FARM

From downtown Mill Valley: (approx 47 mins via US 101N)
2950 Canfield Rd, Sebastopol, CA
707-829-7999
duckworthfarmblueberries.com
$5 parking fee per car, no dogs 

Our absolute favorite farm this season, Duckworth Family Farm, is everything you envision a morning of blueberry picking fun to be and more. 

The owner, Lorri Duckworth, is warm, accessible and friendly and every family is assured a wonderful experience.

The blueberry ice cream at this Sonoma county farm is a well-kept secret and visitors have an amazing time picking berries, eating delicious ice cream and checking out the chickens, horses, donkeys and swans on the property. 

The Duckworth family farm grows certified organic blueberries, wool and other food. The farm serves as a WOOF (Worldwide Opportunity on Organic Farms) site, hosting students who want to learn about organic farming. Students can also learn how to use wool from the farm’s sheep for drop spindle, spinning wheel and weaving.

Save your spot: The farm opened for you-pick blueberries on June 19 and their season lasts seven weekends. It is an extremely popular destination and reservations are required so nab your spot on their website. Reservations open every Wednesday for spots the following Saturday.

BORING FARM 

From downtown Mill Valley: (approx 46 minutes via US 101-N)
4200 Canfield Rd, Sebastopol, CA 95472
706-463-0191
Open Saturdays 9:00am–1:00pm 
$9.99/lb of berries, cash or credit card accepted

If you are looking to fill your berry cobblers with delicious raspberries hand-picked by little hands, look no farther. Unlike its name, spending a day at this farm is the opposite of boring, especially if you like raspberries!

On arrival you will be greeted at the entrance by the family that owns and runs it. You will then be asked to choose the size of your picking bucket to begin collecting your berries.

The rows are well tended, safe and easy to navigate. Red streamers are hung on rows that are ready to be picked, so nobody will go down a fruitless path. The raspberries are relatively thornless and easy for kids to take off.

The farm offers certified organic you-pick red raspberries, as well as access to their property where you can picnic on the rolling hills beside ponds filled with wildlife. 

Raspberry lemonade, popsicles and eggs from the farm are also sold onsite. 

Save your spot: Tickets must be purchased online with each ticket sold per car. The ticket purchase schedules you a 1-hour time slot to arrive on the farm and you are welcome to stay until they close at 1:00pm. 

Cloverfield Organic Farm

From downtown Mill Valley: (approx 36 minutes via I-560E)
501 La Paloma Road, El Sobrante, CA 94803
510-253-8859
cloverfieldfarm.us
Open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, 12:00pm–5:00pm
Charge by the bunch

A beautiful, family-friendly farm accessible with a few quick turns off the highway, this lovely locale features four acres of fruit and vegetables just waiting to be discovered. Here, biodiversity thrives. Over fifty varieties of fruits and vegetables can be found including plums, citruses, cherries, wild berries and a variety of greens like kale, herbs, edible flowers, squash.

At the back of the farm, there is even a therapy horse named Magic who’s waiting for you to tell him all your troubles. 

This is a place where mothers comfortably sit with a book on foldable chairs while their kids explore and people rest and fall asleep under the eucalyptus trees. 

The first certified organic farm in El Sobrante, gates open every weekend afternoon for U-Pick customers and visitors. Parking is available at the end of the driveway in front of the garden and orchard. 

Fresh produce and plants are for sale. It costs $30 to fill a basket with about 7-8 items. Visit includes a full farm tour.

GREENHEARTS FAMILY FARM CSA

From downtown Mill Valley: (approx 1 hour via CA-1S/Cabrillo Highway N)
40 Frenchmans Creek Road, Half Moon Bay
415-971-5703
greenheartsfamilyfarm.com
Open Saturdays 10:00am–3:00pm

On this 30-acre farm of organic produce, kids can climb on tractors, run around, pick wild flowers in July, and tomatoes in August and September.

Uniquely situated across from the beach, this is an easy way to book-end lunch with both a day at the beach and a morning at the farm in one fell swoop. 

The folks at Greenhearts Family Farm pride themselves on preserving time-honored traditions and methods of organic farming. Their hope is to share their harvest with a community of friends who put the environment, health and happiness first.

Their Half Moon Bay farm serves as an incubator for young farmers and they are open to visitors interested in sustainable farming.

For a flat fee, you can pick up a box of produce packed with love and do all your flower picking for free.

ALEMANY FARM

From downtown Mill Valley: (38 minutes via US-101s)
700 Alemany Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94110
650-451-3730
alemanyfarm.org

The largest urban farm in San Francisco, Alemany Farm offers everyone the chance to learn where their food comes from, pitch in to help, and take home fresh organic produce grown right in the heart of the city. 

This is not a U-Pick farm but it is a short drive from Southern Marin. It is a great volunteering experience for the kids, with delicious produce you can take home. 

The farm grows tomatoes, lettuce, green beans, onions, garlic, broccoli, chard and squash. 

They don’t do fruit picking as a business but they do take groups who want to volunteer. 

To sign up to volunteer, simply contact the farm with your desired volunteer date and your group size. Kids are welcome and it is a great experience. Sign up for Monday & Saturday workdays (1:00pm–5:00pm) by emailing community.gardeners@gmail.com

Apple-A-Day Farm

From downtown Mill Valley: (1 hour 7 minutes from downtown Mill Valley)
13128 Occidental Rd, Sebastopol, CA 95472
707-823-0538
appleadayranch.com 
$2 per pound of apples but subject to price change; leashed dogs welcomed 

Located in the rolling hills of Western Sonoma, this is one to bookmark for the end of summer or start of fall. Trust us — it’s worth the wait. 

It’ll be hard not to play the Johnny Appleseed song at least once in the car ride there, but beyond a great opportunity for story-telling to your kids, this legitimately will be a day to write home about.

Upon arrival, everyone will be given an apple picker (like a rake) and bags to collect your apples. Little kids often press their noses against the glass-paned windows of the farm’s big barn room where apple juice and small batch cider is made, conveniently situated on the pathway to the bathroom. 

Starting in September, the season could go through November or December, depending on the harvest.

Apple-A-Day is a mellow family farm with a big heart. They don’t charge an entry fee and traditionally only require visitors to pay $2 a pound with no registration or parking fee. Given the year we had plus record drought conditions, they may need to re-look at pricing but that is to be decided. 

Pickers have about eight acres of land to explore and can choose between Rome Beauties and Golden Delicious Apple varieties. Juice and cookies are sold at the farm and make a wonderful reward after a hard day’s work. 

For more information on when picking season kicks off, check their website and Facebook page. No reservation required, just show up!