Best Strawberry Picking Eau Claire, WI

One of our favorite Wisconsin summer activities is strawberry picking.

If you haven’t had a fresh picked strawberry, dirt brushed off with your hand, in the field while picking them, you haven’t fully lived. You have the opportunity to participate in this bucket list event at a local family berry farm.

When is Strawberry Picking Season in Wisconsin?

Strawberry season in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and most of the rest of the Chippewa Valley normally runs from about mid-June to mid-July in the first weeks of summer.

It is a precious 3 to 4 week window of time and a short season to harvest some of the yummiest strawberries you’ve ever eaten. Hotter temperatures in the spring are usually a sign that strawberries will ripen closer to the front of this time window. Early heat also helps to make the strawberries sweeter.

Going to pick strawberries at a local farm is one way we embrace thrifty living when we are at home and not traveling.

Picking Strawberries Yourself Gets You a Better Price

Picking the strawberries yourself normally gets you a much better price than buying them at a strawberry stand and a wayyyyy better price than buying them at a grocery store. You get the opportunity to support a family owned business and get a better price because you are supplying your own labor to pick the strawberries.

Strawberry picking is usually quick work too. We often can fill a full ice cream bucket in under 30 minutes! If you bring your own bucket, sometimes the berry farm will also give you an additional discount for bringing your own.

Where is the best place to pick strawberries near Eau Claire, Wisconsin?

We really love Mcilquham Strawberries. Last year we picked a random Tuesday to voluntarily get up at 5 a.m. to be at Mcilquham Strawberries when they opened for picking at 6 a.m. and be back for the start of the work day with a delicious treat to enjoy throughout the week.

Weather is a major factor in determining if the owners will open the strawberry fields for picking. For example, if there has been too much rain, the fields will be too wet and will likely not be open for picking. So prioritize this experience quickly when the fields are open.

How to Use Your Strawberries

Many people will pick A LOT of strawberries to make jams and pies and to freeze to remember Wisconsin summer in January. We prefer to eat our strawberries fresh so only picked one bucket. We also delivered some of our treasures to Jeff’s parents and grandma who live in our same town.

We had our one bucket full in about 30 minutes, and more than a few were taste tested during the picking. That bucket cost us $11 and when weighed at home was just under 7 pounds of delicious berries! This works out to around $1.60 per pound.

This is our idea of eating locally, supporting a local small business, and thrifty living all wrapped up in one full outing. These strawberries are far more delicious than anything we find in a grocery store and a deal to boot!

When the fall season arrives, we also love McIlquham for their amazing HoneyCrisp apples. The apples are even easier to harvest than the strawberries so make sure to plan a stop by to McIlquham’s in the fall.

Once you have your freshly picked berries, use them for delicious breakfasts and dessert to make your week a whole lot sweeter! Enjoy!