U-PICK CHERRIES & APRICOTS AT WILLIAMSON’S
Summer is here and that means fresh, local fruit!
A trip out to the orchards is a fun family activity that will create lasting memories for years to come!
PICK DATES & HOURS
We aren’t open yet. We will post Pick Dates and Hours no earlier than week before we are set to open.
Cherries and Apricots picked fresh from the tree make a delicious and healthy treat.
Know Before You Go
The Williamson family and staff strive to make this a family friendly and educational experience. The Williamson family will be on hand to help guide you on where to go, what to look for in the perfect cherry and how to pick. We will provide all containers and will have staff on site for assistance and sales (cash/credit). When you arrive, park in the designated area and head to the check-in tents. There, you will select your containers and pay before entry into the orchards. We measure and sell all our cherries by the 5.5 lbs bucket. From there, visitors can wander through the trees while picking cherries and enjoying a piece of farm life! We recommend checking out our FAQ section for more answers and tips on how to have an enjoyable trip to the orchards.
About Our Fruit
We have three kinds of cherries: Kiona, Benton, and Rainier. The Kiona and Benton are both dark, sweet cherries (very similar to Bings). The Kiona cherries are big in size and firm fleshed; they are great for freezing, baking and (of course) eating fresh. The Bentons are medium-large in size with a big flavor; they are semi-freestone which makes them easy to use for baking and canning, in addition to being great for eating fresh. The Rainiers are very large in size and super sweet in taste, because of their light skin they bruise easily. Rainer cherries are great for eating fresh, jam and making maraschino cherries.
Bring the whole family and pick a bucket, or two, of these sweet and juicy gems.
The Kiona will be ripen first and be ready to pick at the beginning of the event. The Benton and Rainier need a little more time to ripen and will be ready to pick towards the second half of the event. That being said, we like to warn visitors that the Rainier’s are very popular. We only have 15 – 20 Rainier trees and these golden cherries are so sought after that folks often pick the trees clean with in the first couple of days. While we do not grow any tart pie cherries we do recommend both the Kiona and Benton for baking.
We have a small apricot block located above our cherry orchard. These trees are primarily Robada apricots. These typically ripen around the first weeks of July, Robada is a jumbo freestone with an attractive orange flesh with a red blush. The meat of Robada has a good balance of natural sugars, acids, and aromatic flavors. When ripe, these stone fruits are great for making jam/jellies, canning whole, baking, dried, fruit leather, and in smoothies, but we like them best eaten fresh!
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that our farm is dependent on the weather. In addition, we take the responsibility for maintaining the safety of our public’s health seriously. Maintaining both of these factor means that our dates, prices, availability and policies are all subject to change.
Fruit Prices
Prices will be posted no earlier than a week before we are set to open.
Scroll Down For Frequently Asked Questions
Driving Directions: Our U-Pick orchards are located just off of Karcher Rd/Highway 55, approximately 3 miles north of Marsing, ID. Look for directional signs starting near mile marker number 3. Turn east onto Williamson Lane and drive over the bridge and up the hill to the parking area above the orchard.
Google Maps Link
| *** Driving Direction Updates ***
Due to all the road construction happening this summer, we want to encourage visitors to give yourself more time when planning your visit to the orchards. Please be aware of the following: Farmway Road is now officially open! Exit 28 (10th Avenue): The westbound off-ramp is open, but the eastbound on-ramp is closed. Finally, we’ve come to understand that some GPS systems are leading folks to us from Eat-A-Bite Lane (off of Chicken Dinner Road). Be aware Eat-A-Bite Lane is a private lane with posted signage stating “No U-pick access. Private Property”. So if your GPS tries to route you down this back way, we are asking ALL visitors to re-route and continue west on Highway 55, past the big curve in the highway and turn left (uphill) on WILLIAMSON LANE to access our U-Pick orchards. |
For questions, or assistance with directions, please call 208-459-7333.
Guidelines and Safety in the Orchards
In an effort to reduce check in times to enter the orchard this year, we are encouraging folks to bring a signed copy of our Safety Guidelines and Liability Waiver (see below). Make sure that every adult in your group reads and signs the waiver. Bring this waiver with you to the orchard for a faster check in experience. If you cannot print the waiver, the rules will be verbally explained to you upon arrival.
DOWNLOAD SAFETY AND LIABILITY WAIVER
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I pay?
You pay onsite. We accept cash and most major credit cards. We do not accept checks.
Why is there an admission fee?
The admission fee is to ensure that everyone has a safe, smooth and fun experience on the farm. This fee helps to pay the following costs:
- Insurance – because there is always a risk of damage or injury when you allow the public onto farm property.
- Mobile point of sale system – because most people want to pay with a credit card.
- Port-a-potties – because sometimes nature calls when you are in the orchard.
- Staffing – to help make the experience educational, fun and easy.
- The cherries you are gonna eat while in the orchard – because most people don’t want to weigh themselves before and after. 🙂
Side note: You can totally pull a clown car if you want. Pack the car full of people and it’s still only $6!
How many people can I have in my car?
The admission fee will still be $6 per car load. You can pack as many people in your car as it will safely hold. If your group comes in two or more cars you will be charged 2 or more cover fees.
Do I need to bring my own boxes or buckets?
Nope, we provide all containers. We do this to speed up the sales process and so that we don’t have to have scales on-site. Otherwise we would have to weigh your containers when you get here and weigh them again when they are full. By using our containers, we know exactly how much fruit those buckets will hold.
Can I reuse my bucket from last year?
Yes, if purchased a bucket with our “I Picked, You Picked, We All Picked at Williamson’s U-PICK” sticker. We instituted the return bucket program in 2023 in an effort to reduce waste and give our return customers a little thank you for coming back year after year. Folks with the branded buckets will save $2.20 off their bucket price. We will not be discounting non-branded buckets. We will have branded buckets that will be eligible for future return bucket discounts available for purchase onsite.
Is this organic? Do you use sprays/chemicals?
We are not certified organic but we try to grow as naturally as possible. This means we do use organic and softer conventional sprays when we need help controlling pests and diseases in the trees to provide the best quality fruit for our customers.
Do you have other fruit to pick?
We currently only offer Cherries & Apricot event during our annual U-Pick event that typically takes place sometime between mid-June to mid-July. This orchard block has special dispensation within our growing certifications that allow us to let the public in to pick. This 5 acre orchard block is planted primarily in cherries (3 different varieties) and roughly 20 – 25 Robada apricot trees. These apricots are typically not ripe until early July, however, on years that the apricots are ripe at the same time as the U-Pick Cherry event, then we allow folks to pick these too. On those years, ripe apricots can be included in your bucket/boxes at the same price.
How long does it take to pick?
It depends on the person or group doing the picking, the amount of cherries you want to pick and how dense the cherries are on the trees. When the trees are loaded with fruit it might take an adult 15 minutes or less to fill one of our 5.5 lbs bucket. If the crop is small, the trees have been picked over and/or children are helping with picking the fruit it could take 30 minutes or more to pick a 5.5 lbs buckets. If you are having trouble finding fruit and filling your bucket, please feel free to ask our staff for help – that’s what we are here for!
Are dogs allowed in the orchard?
No pets are allowed in our orchards unless it’s a service animal. Food safety regulations that we are required to follow in order to sell fresh fruit to the public, requires that we minimize animal waste in the field as much as possible. We require service animals to wear their service vest and owners may be asked what job does the animal serve. If you don’t have a service vest, we advise you to leave your puppers at home.
Can I bring my children?
Yes! This farm family strongly believes in showing children where their food comes from and teaching them about the growing cycle. We train and trellis the tree branches to be low so that most little people can reach. However, we do ask that parents and guardians be responsible for their child’s safety and whereabouts at all times.
Do I need to bring a ladder?
Nope. We train the tree branches to be low enough that adults and children alike can pick. In an effort to prevent falls and injury we do not allow ladders during the event.
Do I need a reservation? Can I make an appointment?
No. We are not taking reservations or appointments to pick fruit. We post our open hours and ask that folks only visit us during these posted hours.
Can I come earlier or later than your open hours? Can I come a different day of the week?
We are not allowing folks to come at times outside of our posted open hours. We are a fully operational farm and, unfortunately, it’s not really financially feasible to staff the orchard for just a few people on a day that we haven’t advertised to be open. A gentle reminder that entering the orchards outside of the designated open hours is considered trespassing on private property.
Can I buy already picked fruit?
Not at this time. We have considered offering pre-ordered picked boxes of cherries. Unfortunately, we do not have suitable cold storage to hold the boxes and keep them cold until they are picked up. In addition, we simply do not have enough staff to pick pre-ordered cherry boxes while also maintaining the rest of the farm. We hope that this service might be available in future.
Why is it so expensive?
We understand that how hard it can be on families with prices of everything going up. As a family we try to keep our U-Pick pricing as affordable as possible while still covering our rising costs for labor, fuel and fertilizer. But the Williamson family feels strongly about providing quality fruit and a friendly, helpful and fun experience for the whole family, which is why we haven’t raised prices in since 2021.
Am I or my children allowed to climb the trees?
Absolutely not. While we are sure that you have a champion tree climber, we ask that children, and adults, refrain from climbing our trees to avoid potential injury or damage to the trees.
Are there places to sit in the orchard?
There are no provided benches or seats in the orchards but you are welcome to bring a blanket or camp chair and enjoy the shade of the trees.
Is this event ADA accessible?
While we don’t want to exclude anyone, this is a working farm and is not designed with public use in mind. We do train our trees to be low to the ground and easy to reach. However we want to make sure everyone is aware that there is uneven ground, tall grass, holes, low branches, and other obstacles that might make it difficult to maneuver.
Can I bring a stroller/wagon?
Yes, these can be very helpful when trying to transport kids & cherries. Consider the combined weight of the fruit/children when bringing a wagon. We recommend jogging strollers or wagons with bigger tires with a thick tread. These seem to maneuver better over rough ground.
Any other advice?
We highly recommend that you wear good sturdy shoes when in the orchards. Sandals, open-toed shoes, and flip flops are not advised as there are lots of sticks, burrs, and uneven ground in the orchards. We also recommend wearing sunscreen and/or a hat as there is very little shade when you are not directly in the trees.