When the weather warms up, our family loves to head out to Brentwood in Contra Costa County to pick delicious fruit. There are U-Pick farms all over the country, but we have found our favorites in Brentwood, including a few owned by BIPOC families!
The 40+ U-Pick farms in Brentwood feature fruit trees, berry bushes, and vegetable patches available just for folks to come by and pay to pick their own fruit and veggies.
In our area, early summer (May-June) farms offer cherries and strawberries, mid-summer (June-August) welcomes stone fruits like peaches, plums, and pluots, and late summer (August-September) opens up to tomatoes and apples. And don’t forget pumpkins in the fall!
Here are a few of our favorite U-Pick and family-friendly farms to visit during May-September in Brentwood:
Brentwood is located on the stolen lands of the Miwok and Yokut.
Before you go:
- Consider what produce your family will enjoy picking – You may love cherries, but are your littles tall enough or willing to climb a tree to pick their own? We loved cherry-picking with our school-age children, and the shade provided by the cherry trees is a welcome respite from the sun. Does your skin burn easily, or is it hard for you or your kids to bend down to pick strawberries? My abs always get a workout when we pick strawberries, and with no cover against the sun, it’s best to pick them early in the morning.
- Check the farm’s website and social media channels in advance – Each farm has different hours and fruit available depending on the season. Some farms may be out of a certain type of fruit and may close early. Check the Harvest Time Brentwood website for a complete listing of Brentwood U-Pick farms, or the individual farm’s website before you visit or give them a call. I found that some websites were not as updated as the farm’s Instagram, so check that too.
- Prepare for a lengthy drive – The drive to Brentwood from the East Bay Area takes a little over an hour without traffic. Most farms are located within a 15-minute radius of each other, but the one-lane roads can get very congested as the day (and sun!) wears on. Plan to hit the road early to avoid traffic that builds in the late afternoon, and be sure to bring snacks.
- Bring cash – Many farms only take cash. The closest ATM may be a 15 minute drive away. Come prepared with cash just in case.
| Produce price per pound | $3.50 - $5.50 |
| Entrance | $5 per person (Dwelley) but is deducted from produce cost at check-out |
| Food truck food | *depends on availability |
| Fruit stand items | *honey, pre-picked produce, etc. |
What we packed
- Standard diaper bag essentials
- Sunscreen, water bottles, and hats
- Close-toed shoes if you’d rather not get your feet dusty
- Baby carrier
- Plastic bags to put picked fruit in
- Clothes you don’t mind getting dirty with mud and fruit juice
Best U-Pick Farms in Brentwood, California for Families with Young Kids
Berry Best Family Farms
Berry Best Family Farm is a Latine- and single family-owned U-pick farm in Brentwood, and is our go-to for strawberries, which are sold at $4 per pound, minimum one pound per person.
The farm offers rows and rows of delicious berry bushes ready for picking. On our last visit we saw many Latine, Asian, and South Asian families getting a taste of Berry Best’s strawberries.
Check out their local fruit and vegetable stand after you’re done picking fruit, or bring a strawberry plant home with you. They accept credit cards, and also welcome strollers on the farm, too, which was a relief for our friend-mama of twins!
Chao's Strawberries
U-Pick closed for the 2024 season. Chao’s Strawberries is a Iu Mien family-owned and -operated U-Pick and farm stand. Theirs is a smaller farm, so they may close earlier in the season, but still have a delicious selection of strawberries and other fruit at their farm stand.
As of spring 2024, their U-Pick is open only on weekends, while the farm stand is open all week.
At the time of our last visit, around Memorial Day weekend, Dwelley Family Farms was the only open organic cherry farm we found in the Brentwood area, and very popular.
It is a 4th generation family owned farm, with two U-Pick locations and one farm stand. We visited the TK’s Ranch location and found ourselves picking fruit next to many other BIPOC families.
Parking was limited, so get there early! They charge $5 for everyone over 5 years of age to enter, which gets credited to the cost of the fruit you pick.
Farmer’s Daughter Produce is a family-run farm that has sold stone fruit for over 40 years. We love their peaches, plums, and apricots.
This is one of our favorite places to pick peaches because the fruit has always been perfect—like, picture-perfect from a fancy gift box perfect.
They also have a playground on-site, a picnic area, and food trucks on the weekends.
We’ve only visited this farm from August-October, but the farmstand is open year-round.
Smith Family Farm is HUGE. The farmstand is located along the main road and has an amazing selection of picture-perfect produce.
Drive on back to reach the farm, which hosts various U-Pick options in the spring and summer and an amazing Pumpkin Patch in the fall.
Check out our blog post about how to visit the pumpkin patch at Smith Family Farm—our favorite pumpkin patch in the Bay Area!
Context Corner
Antiracism in Practice
Bay Miwok and Delta Yokult peoples first lived on the land known as Julpun, now known as Brentwood since time immemorial. The delta is a sacred watershed, and has brought life to plants, people, and communities for generations. Many Native families were relocated to Mission San Jose from this region, and many farms began to proliferate from European and American settlers in their absence. Majority of farms are owned by white families who have long histories in the area, and farmed by migrant farmers.
Our experience
My family felt safe and comfortable visiting these farms. There were often many other BIPOC families present, picking alongside us. Farm staff were mostly white, and pleasant towards our family.
Learn More
1. Learn more about Native Americans in the East Bay Area here.
2. Research the farms before you go and support locally owned and BIPOC farms first.
Two-thirds of the fruit and nuts grown in the United States are grown here in California. I want my kids to understand how important this is, how lucky we are to live in a place where fruit and veggies are grown, and how grateful we are for the hands that help grow our food.
Somewhere in the middle of picking berries and meeting the farmers I heard my toddler’s inquisitive mind ask about what farmers do and how strawberries grow. I would’ve been remiss if I didn’t bring up the Daniel Tiger song reminding us to “look a little closer to find out what we want to know.” We both looked a little closer on this trip to find out what we wanted and what we needed to know.
We recommend that you spend time in Brentwood connecting with the land, the food you eat, and the people who grow your food. Share with your little one how everyone plays a role in helping them grow big and strong, and how our food choices matter.
How do you talk to your kids about where their food comes from? Share in the comments below!
Puerto Rican & Indigenous mama of two. Bay Area native. Salsa dancer. Backpacker. Doula. Angel (she/her/hers) is a co-founding member of the Beautiful Brown Adventures team. She has traveled to over 30 countries and loves to explore the world with her two daughters & partner - one ice cream shop at a time.
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