Community Favorite ‘U-Pick Peaches’ Makes its Return to Chico State’s University Farm This Week

The trees have spoken—it’s time for the community to get to Chico State’s University Farm for a juicy tradition.

The popular annual “U-Pick Peaches” event begins Wednesday, August 23, giving the community the chance to enjoy the University Farm’s lusciously delicious peaches and select succulent stone fruits for themselves. Peach picking and sales will take place on Wednesday from 8 a.m. to noon and will continue August 24 from 8 a.m. to noon or until supplies run out. The University Farm is located at 311 Nicholas C. Schouten Lane south of Chico.

Visitors are asked to enter at the gate at Nicholas C. Schouten Lane and follow the signs to the peaches located at the back of the Farm.

For the 2023 event, individuals will be able to pick as many peaches as they wish for $20. The University Farm will provide bags and boxes visitors can use to pick peaches and take home with them. Farm officials discourage visitors from bringing their own containers since transferring the fruit can cause bruising and note that over-handling of the peaches can diminish quality.

The University Farm will offer longtime favorite Fay Elberta peaches for picking this year. This fruit features a large, yellow-skinned freestone with a slight red blush, with good shape and flavor, and is a popular variety for canning. Picking is first-come, first-served, and the University Farm accepts cash, check or credit card.

“We are excited to continue the tradition of the U-Pick peach event this year,” University Farm Director Ricardo Orellana said. “This event not only provides an opportunity for the public to get affordably priced fresh local fruit. It also brings all ages together to get a chance to see what the University Farm has to offer.”

Last year, the University Farm sold approximately 21,000 pounds of delicious and juicy peaches to enthusiastic community visitors. The money raised during this event will help support the College of Agriculture’s orchard program.

“The University Farm is a pivotal piece of our students’ experience in the College of Agriculture and all of Chico State,” Orellana said. “The hands-on learning opportunities our students receive in the orchards and the farm continue to provide our students with engagement in classes, internships and undergraduate research.”

For the most current information on peach sales, please contact the U-Pick Peach Hotline at 530-898-4989. In addition to its annual peach sales, the University Farm continues to operate its meats laboratory, which will be open for public sales next Wednesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.—the facility is typically open solely on Thursdays and Fridays. And although it doesn’t coincide with peach sale times, the University Farm also sells greenhouse plants and organic vegetables at the Greenhouse from 1 to 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays.