G&S Farms U-Picks

Our annual family pumpkin patch picking day.This year they are charging $5 to enter the pumpkin patch and corn maze. Still worth it since there's still lots to do with the kids after getting your pumpkins.They have tracker rides, pumpkin bowling,pumpkin mini golf and more.Great place for the whole family

First time picking cherries (as an adult) . We settled on G&S Farms, as we saw a friend who recently came here last week. Apparently, it is a very, very popular farm. We came here around 10 am, and it was very crowded, over 250+ cars.Each family needs to sign a waiver before being able to pick your fruit. Rainiers were mostly already picked. They did have pre-packaged ones for $14/2 lbs.They had a Middle Eastern food truck onsite. 4 port-a-potties, some picnic tables to sit at. They have a tractor hitched to a wagon that people can ride, and they will transport you to the picking site, or you can walk on your ownIt was a nice day, albeit a warm day (78 ~ 85 degrees). We learned a lot from a young family who comes every year to G&S Farms. We learned more about the different varietiesMid May Cherries- Coral: coral has a very sweet flavored cherry with a glossy dark flesh. It matures early mid-season and is an export-quality fruit that is firm and large to very large in fruit size. Late May to Mid June Cherries- Bing: It is a sweet, juicy, and firm cherry with excellent flavor. - Rainier: Rainier is distinct by its large, yellow cherry with a hint of pink blush and light yellow flesh. Exquisitely flavored, this sweet treat has an almost creamy texture and ripens shortly after Bing.-Lapins: Lapin cherries are a flavorful cherry that features a dark deep red to almost black skin. They are only available for a brief time after the Bing variety during the cherry season.They only had Coral to pick from. Super fun time picking fruit with my family.

I remember the first time I went cherry picking was 25 years ago when Brentwood was mainly fruit orchards, there were no crowds or commute traffic.A lot has changed in 25 years but being G&S Farms on a late Friday afternoon with the trees still teeming with fruit, I felt like I stepped back in time. I only saw a total of 3 people strolling through the orchards, I could hear myself think and the occasional fine feathered friend as we picked 14 lbs of rainiers and brooks in just over an hour. We literally closed the place down.Corals, rainiers, and brooks were available for U-pick at their Home location, corals and rainiers at their Denali location during the season. Waivers are required prior to picking, ladders are available to reach those higher fruits but for this privilege, be respectful of the owners and their property. DO NOT forcefully yank or break the branches. This is their business and livelihood and they are kind enough to share with us.

Family farm with a variety of dried fruits and vegetables,as well as fresh fruits and vegetables, plus breads and a variety of of honey The owners are very friendly and everything I have bought has been a ten plus

I come to G&S to U-Pick Cherries every year with my family and this farm never disappoints! G&S has several locations in Brentwood but right now their 409 Sellers Ave location is open. I accidentally came to their main location today, but there was a nice man there who led me to the 409 location. The cherry picking experience here is organized and well maintained. When you arrive there are people who lead you to parking and also to the exit while you leave. Parking is free and there are no reservations needed. You have to fill out a waiver online via their QR code but it's quick. They don't have any baskets here for upick but they give plastic bags out to hold your cherries. If you have your own basket, I would recommend that since it's easier to hold and has more structure than a plastic bag. My family and I came on 9 AM on a Saturday and there was already a good amount of people picking. However when we let at 11 AM, the place was packed! I recommend coming early for less crowds and cooler weather. Cherries here are amazingly sweet & delicious. $4/lb is a better deal than most grocery stores and you get to pick the ripest cherries. Checking out is also quick and efficient. I enjoyed my time here and I recommend this place for family fun!

This was my 1st time going cherry picking and I loved it! So much fun!GS Farms makes it easy for you to pre pay and purchase your entrance fee which currently is 10 dollars per vehicle. The 10 dollars later goes towards your purchase of cherries. Lots of parking and I recommend getting there early in the morning due to the sun and the heat. We got there a little bit after 9am.I ate a lot of cherries along with picking them. There are a few ladders laying around and you can climb up and pick thr darker cherries higher up on the trees. Dark and delicious!Spent about 2 hours there and it was close to 97 degrees when I left towards lunch time. They charge you 4 dollars a pound versus the 6 dollars currently charged at supermarkets. A lot of cherries to pass out to friends and family. Bring lots of water and hat and sunscreen!

Great u-pick spot (even with plenty of other options around) with tons of seasonal fruit. They also have a great market with all kinds of stuff from their farm and nearby farms (like rare mulberries from nearby).Pretty decent prices and they just let you wander loose in their immense orchard to go pick fruit. The signage is great, so you know what's in season and where you're supposed to go. They offer baskets or bags so you can get as much (or as little) as you want.The fruit was outstanding. We picked apricots, nectarines, and plums, plus bought a pile more from the store. Very, very good. Quite happy with our visit and we would love to return next summer!

A cherry-picking guide from a veteran -Getting the very best cherries depends on several factors:1. the Farmer - G&S (Brentwood) is one of the best. Known over many years for high quality practices, famous for its white corn in San Mateo Farmer's market, and a Brentwood standout. In South Bay, Lazy K Ranch (Gilroy) is one of the best. I do think G&S and Lazy K are *the best* but haven't tried everything.2. Timing - picking too early for a certain cherry variety is going to result in cherries which haven't had the time to fully develop so less sweet and less flavor. There's a sequence of ripening from the earliest varieties (Royal Tioga, Royal Hazel, Royal Lynn) to Coral Champagne then Brooks then Bing to Rainier and the later varieties (Lapins, Sweetheart). Going too late for a variety means you'll find slightly shriveled cherries that don't look great...although they can pretty good as flavor is more concentrated. Each u-pick variety has its own 1-2 week ideal harvest window, otherwise have to wait til next year.3. Cherry Variety - certain varieties don't taste as good and have a ceiling no matter how good the harvest timing and the farmer. Taste is personal, but I think Royal Lynn (at G&S Farms Stonecourt location this time) is the best of the earliest cherry varieties. But fyi the earliest cherry varieties aren't going to taste the best, because they're maximized to be so early. Of the earlier cherries, Brooks is the best tasting and way better than Corals, although Corals look great since' they're pretty big. Nothing beats Bing for flavor, which is why it was the original popular cherry. Rainer is stunningly beautiful, especially if you use a ladder find the ones with heaviest red blush near top of the tree, but way too sweet for me. Milder-tasting varieties that aren't my preference are Lapins (but huge size) and Sweetheart (but super firm). Also not a big fan of Santina, but a great dark black color. Van isn't bad, very firm and slightly more tart for those who don't prefer super sweet.4. the Tree - "A good tree produces good fruit." It's critical to find the right tree in the orchard with the plumpest, darkest fruit. Best to ask the farm staff about the part of orchard where the best cherries are, rather than spend time wandering around. Then after you find the right part of the orchard, it's good to focus on a single tree or two that you like the most. For some varieties (like Brooks), if the cherry easily detaches from the stem it's a sign of ideal ripeness.5. Handling/Storage - Keep the stem on the cherry (so they last longer), and try to avoid directly grabbing the cherry itself. Best not to stack cherries too high for too long or they can crush each other (maybe up to 3 cherries high). Also good to store cherries on top of something soft (like in a bag on top of a blanket in a cart) to cushion the bottom when at the farm. You'll want to avoid having the cherries in high heat or direct sun (shade is great). And when you get home, refrigerate them dry & uncovered (they'll sweat in plastic which isn't good as the moisture promotes mold/decay) and they'll firm up nicely a little bit. Maybe keep on top of paper towels in an open container to absorb moisture. Don't wash cherries until about to eat.Conclusion -Even if things don't go perfectly (and they normally don't), what matters is that cherry picking is always a wonderful & affordable experience with family and friends of all ages to get outside and enjoy God's creation :)Hope all this helps!

We had a GREAT time picking cherries on 5/24/24. Beautiful day and amazing fruit. It is always fun.The staff at G and S were all friendly, as has been our experience in the past.Cherries are beautiful and SOOOOOO many!If you do the waiver online ahead of time, take a screenshot . You can use the screenshot if you come back another day to show that you've done your waiver. Weekends and holidays can get pretty busy there.This year they're using bags (not buckets) so they ask you how many bags you want to fill . Each plastic bag holds a few pounds (probably 4-5?). We brought our own produce bags and used them, which worked out great. ENJOY!

Great cherries, friendly staff and lots of parking. Bit of a walk to the best trees, but there is someone waiting to tell you where to find the best trees, and they are loaded with lots of fruit on lower branches so ladders aren't necessary (though there are some, if you want that experience). Worth seeking them out. Support this multi-gererational family business.