Food Tastes Better When You
Pick It Yourself
For more information on Mississippi agritourism, scan the bar code with
your smartphone or visit VisitMississippi.org/
agritourism.aspx
F ew things are more fun than going on a hayride or more satisfying than picking your own blueberries, pumpkins
and tomatoes. Mississippi farms offer these
activities and more – even freshwater prawns.
“U-pick” places invite you to see what
it’s like to harvest your own produce.
Strawberry season at Mathis Orchards
near Meridian begins in April. Blueberries
begin ripening in May and June at such
places as Blue River Farms and Nursery
near Mt. Olive, Nesbit Blueberry Plantation
in Hernando, The Blueberry Patch in
Corinth and the state’s first certified
organic farm, Blue Tara, in Poplarville.
Reese Orchard in Sessums also grows
blueberries, along with Oriental persimmons,
muscadine grapes and Asian pears.
Summer brings vine-ripened tomatoes,
butterbeans, okra and other vegetables ready
for picking at Mitchell Farms near Collins.
In fall, the farm’s pumpkin patch draws
kids like honeybees to flowers. Other farms
with autumn delights such as corn mazes
and hayrides include Pumpkin Patch Farms
in Blue Mountain, Holley Farm in Fulton,
Adkins Farms near Booneville, The Pumpkin
Patch at Oak Knoll Farm near Osyka and
Burton’s Sugar Farm near Michigan City.
Autumn also brings the annual harvest of
freshwater prawns at Lauren Farms near
Leland. On two Saturdays in October, you
can purchase pond-bank prawns and catfish
straight from the farm. (Call 662.390.3528
to verify dates and place your order.) It’s
also the perfect time to pick up cornmeal
ground fresh at Sciple’s Mill near DeKalb, and
to look for treasures in old country stores
such as Pond Store in Woodville and The
Simmons-Wright Company in Kewanee.
During the holiday season, cut your own
fragrant evergreen tree at places such as
Pine Mountain Christmas Tree Farm near
Corinth and Christmas Memories Tree Farm
in Magnolia. Stop for pecans in Indianola,
Lumberton and Tutwiler. And for a bonsai
to give to yourself or to your favorite person,
head to Olive Branch and Brussel’s Bonsai,
the largest bonsai grower in the country.
Mississippi has farms that raise everything
from cattle to daylilies, emus and goats.
For a list of places that welcome visitors,
along with activities and festivals related to
agriculture, go to VisitMississippi.org. For a
list of U-pick farms by county, go to
www.pickyourown.org. For the best of
Mississippi, come for a visit in every season.
Themed Travel
Agritourism combines agriculture with ways to get back to the land
and experience Mississippi’s rich farming heritage.
1) Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Jackson
2 & 3) Mississippi Farmers Market, Jackson
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Food Tastes Better When You Pick It Yourself « Themed Travel
Themed Travel