About an hour from Oakland, The Urban Edge Farm in Brentwood is a 34-acre organic farm producing 50 different vegetables, herbs, fruits, and flowers. You’ll leave with baskets and bags of your favorite produce. This hands-on experience allows kids to connect with nature, observe the unique characteristics of different plants, and witness what amazing produce can grow from the earth.
An Organic U-Pick Experience
While our focus was gathering flowers, there were many other foods ripe for the plucking. Picking organic produce invites families to plan a healthy meal or snack inspired by what they harvest on the farm. Strawberries? Yes, please. Sun gold tomatoes? Let’s taste them!
Pull up to The Urban Edge Farm, check in with the front desk to see what’s available for picking. They’ll provide you with clippers, buckets, and guidance. (You can also check their Instagram for current picking updates.)
I visited the Urban Edge with my daughter for U-Pick flowers on a Sunday afternoon. We loved looking through the variety of flowers and choosing which ones we wanted to pick. After choosing a few flowers, my daughter decided to take on the role of a supervisor from the shade of some peach trees. She then pointed at flowers while I braved the heat and did all the hard work. When we filled up our bucket, I was pretty pleased with the collection of flowers and greenery that we picked together.
U-Pick pro tips
- Check the weather. If it’s going to be in the mid-90s that day, go earlier in the day before it gets too hot.
- Call ahead to check that The Urban Edge Farm has what you’re looking for before you go. Phone: 925.634.4400
- Wear closed-toe shoes and a hat. It is a farm, and so there is dirt and dust. It can also get pretty warm, so we were grateful to have brought sun hats (even better if you match with your little one).
- Bring water for you to drink. Again, it gets hot.
- If you can, bring a bucket of water or a cooler if it’s a hot day to keep your pickings fresh on the ride home.
- If you have little ones, don’t forget to stop by the chicken coop to say hello to some feathered friends.
On your way home, get treats! If it’s a hot day, swing by Sip and Scoop in downtown Brentwood for ice cream and lemonade. It’s a cute little area, and their cool treats and drinks really hit the spot on a blistering hot day.
Plan your U-Pick visit to the Urban Edge Farm
- U-Pick Hours: Tuesday-Sunday [8:30 am to 4 pm] but always double-check before you go!
- From May through October, the U-pick orchard features juicy cherries, plums, apricots, peaches, nectarines, pluots, figs, pomegranates, and persimmons.
- Price: Beginning at $20, depending on size of container. We made three smaller bouquets out of one bucket of flowers.
- Location: 2017 Walnut Blvd., Brentwood
- No reservations are required.
- Parking: free
- Updates: Check the Urban Edge Farm’s Instagram or join their email list for updates on hours and produce availability.
