Hungry for Fun: ‘U-Pick Peaches’ Returns to University Farm

It’s time to get out to Chico State’s University Farm for the return of a juicy community tradition.

The popular annual “U-Pick Peaches” event begins Tuesday, August 9, giving the community the chance to enjoy the University Farm’s delicious peaches and select their choice of the sensational stone fruits themselves. Peach picking and sales will take place on Tuesday from 8 a.m. to noon and will continue August 10–11 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.

Peaches are priced at $2 per pound, and 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.

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 nice flavor, and is a popular variety for canning. Picking is first-come, first-served, and University Farm accepts cash, check or credit card.

University Farm Director Dave Daley said he is grateful that U-Pick Peaches continue to be a beloved event that the community waits for all summer.

“This event brings visitors of all ages out to enjoy the University Farm, the peaches and everything else we have to offer,” he said. “We’re pleased to be able to continue providing the fresh-picked local fruit that has become such a summertime tradition in our community.”

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

“Like the rest of the Farm, the orchards provide unique opportunities for student engagement in experiential learning—classes, internships and undergraduate research—to benefit students in the College of Agriculture and all of Chico State,” Daley said.

For the most current information on peach sales, please contact the 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 Monday 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 Fridays.