Amber’s U-Pick Cherry Farm

Great little U-​Pick. Season was really short this year due to crop damage. Opened today and was sold out by about 2 p.m. We would love to come back next year. Even though we pretty much picked what the earlier pickers thought was damaged crop, the Brooks were sweet. Rainiers were not ready. It was still fun to see cherries on the tree.

Great family owned location perfect for kids. Great place to create cherry picking memories.

Been cherry-​picking up in Leona Valley a couple of times now, and I think we hit the jackpot with Amber’s. Nothing was lacking here. First off, we were able to go in the first couple of hours of their opening day because we got their EMAIL blast which is a big plus. We have completely missed cherry picking SEASON a couple of years now because those years it only lasted one or two weeks. This year we were signed up with Amber’s to get an alert and it worked. The place might be smaller than some of the huge cherry orchards, but it still was plenty big enough, AND the big plus is all the cherry varieties they have. Does it really matter how big the orchard is, if all there is are Bings and Rainers anyway? If that’s all you want, you can really just head to the next orchard down the street.
This place had so many types of cherries, and my boyfriend loves cherries so much, that we made a plan to taste test the cherries against each other when we got home. We printed out the handy maps (painted tree trunks color coded by type!) that were on their website, and we looked at the helpful cherries they had posted showing what the different varieties looked like when ripe, AND we looked at their handy list of what was ripest on the day we were there, and we went into the orchard with our maps, two buckets, a bottle of water, sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, and a bunch of plastic grocery store bags so that we could keep all the cherry types separate.
Back to the amenities though– they have parking right up next to the trees, as well as some overflow parking that is a longer walk from the end of the driveway. There were porta-​potties that were clean, picnic tables, and they sold some extra things like water and honey as well. We picked 16 different varieties over maybe 2 hours. Probably spent about $ 50 altogether (it was a LOT of cherries), and had a fun time doing it. We didn’t get there RIGHT at opening, which I’d be tempted to do next time just because it DOES get hot there at mid-​day, so it’d be good to avoid those hours I think, and next time I think I WOULD bring a snack as well and utilize the picnic area for a few minutes at least. My boyfriend was basically in a cherry-​picking frenzy once we were there, and there was no stopping him. Next time I would demand a break! I also think you should always call or check online to be sure the orchard is open before you go up there. You’re dealing with nature here, not a factory. If they do a lot of business and the ripe cherries get picked, they may need to close here or there to give the cherries a chance to ripen. Always doublecheck before you go!
The results of the taste test? I’m going to be selfish in this case, and make you find your favorites on your own, in the interest of keeping more of the cherries on those trees for myself, but I WILL tell you that the common varieties of cherries– those types that are ALL that some of the other orchards have, were NOT EVEN IN OUR TOP 10. If you’re a true cherry aficionado, Amber’s is the place.

visited them 2 weeks ago on memorial day weekend. long drive from diamond bar but worth the trip as I enjoy driving down the twisty country road. when we got there, first thing I noticed was that the grove is much smaller than i expected. not a lot of trees and the cherries were not well riped yet, tasting a bit bitter and sour rather than sweet. but i managed to find a getter riped trees and salvaged a bucket of cherries to take home after plenty of cherries in my stomach before I left this place. good thing is that they dont charge entry fee. they are free to pick and eat at the spot and buy by lbs. they were $ 3.99 per lb i believe which is much more than the market rate at near by cosco. but you dont’ complain since point in going there is to enjoy the scenic drive and smell of the dusty road on the country side. we had lunch there under the shady tree and had fun.

I’m re-​posting my review since Unilocal filtered it as «false» :(and since I really loved this place I owe it to them to re-​post.
Original post date: 6÷17÷11
took my niece and her 2 friends yesterday, it was a first for all of us. This place is AWESOME! They don’t have all these rules to follow like some of the others I read online, The man that greeted us was great he told us to taste as much as we wanted and pick them how we wanted… They have lots of picnic tables under big trees it was beautiful, not as big as some of the other ones we passed on our way but lots of charm.

I’ll amend my review since the owner has replied…
I went on the weekend of 6/​4, when this farm first opened. None of the other u-​pick farms were opened that weekend. In fact most indicated it would be another week or two before they would be ready. When we got to Ambers, there wasn’t much to pick because most of the varieties were not ready, and anything that had been had been picked earlier that weekend.
I wrote the review on 6/​24, because Amber’s website indicated they were closed for the season, so I came to Unilocal to find other farms. And wrote a review while I was perusing.
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One advice about fruit picking, see what the other farms opening days are!
Made the mistake of going to Amber’s just because it was the only farm open — they shouldn’t have been. Nothing was ripe, and anything that had been was already picked.
Secondly, they had a port-​a-​potty for a restroom. Which meant for someone like me, I was going to be holding it for a very long time. (yes, I have issues on that one)
This is however a very child friendly farm, based on my one foray into u-​pick agricultural offerings of southern California.
my suggestions for grocery shopping in the wild: bring a folding stool, bring a short/​step ladder, bring adequate containers for taking the stuff back with you, wear the «garage cleaning clothes» that no one likes but you.
I’m giving this place one star on this go-​around because they should have been honest about the fact that it really was not cherry picking season. All the surrounding farms were. People travel a significant distance, it’s cheating them out of the gas money and enjoyment when they drive out to the middle of nowhere to look at empty fruit trees. Hopefully if I make it back out, the place will be in a better condition to pick for cherries.
I’m also giving it a «pricy» rate, because you have to drive so far, that you need to consider in the cost of driving to the per weight price. This trip I spent more in travel costs than I bought in cherries, which was barely a cereal bowlful.

First time cherry picking and Amber’s was our first stop.
The pros… Very cute farm. Not a lot of trees, but enough to pick. Very family friendly. My son loved their tree swing, slide and picnic benches. Had lots of kid toys around, but we didn’t stay and play. Great place to pick some cherries then sit down for a picnic lunch! Also have free wagons to haul the kids around and these great metal buckets that my husband hung around his neck for easy picking — loved those! Free parking and admission. Child had fun following the map of color coded trees/​varieties (print out at home and bring with you). Have great place to wash hands before hopping back in the car. So, give them 5 stars for the family friendly atmosphere, free parking/​admission and friendliness of the guy working there.
The cons… the trees are short so although the kids can easily reach, they don’t seem to bear as much fruit as a full sized tree. Port-​o-​pot was really grimy and smelly (they all are, but this was particularly bad and untolerable — yuck!) Although they have multiple varieites of cherries, most of the trees are bing or rainier so if you’re really looking for one of the other varieities, you may be out of luck. Most of the other varieities during our visit were picked clean already or not ripe.
Our fault… cherries were not very ripe or sweet but can’t hold it against them because we were probably too early for the true season. However, would have been nice to know before picking a few pounds. Now have them in a paper bag ripening on the countertop.
If you can go during the week, definitely not too crowded. Very dusty and hot so come prepared. Cash only. $ 3.50/lb. We might return to Amber’s but would probably try some of the other farms next time.

We visited the cherry farm last year (2010) during the first weekend in June and we found abundant ripe and juicy cherries. We enjoyed eating them to our heart’s content and also returned back with a huge bunch. This year, expecting the same, we visited the farm on June 18, 2011. Some of the varieties were sold out and the cherries available were not as sweet as the previous year. They were sold at 3.50 per pound. Not sure if the frost early this year was a reason for the cherries not being sweet.
We got here from Culver City navigating ourselves using our smartphones. However once you reach Vasquez canyon road which is a few miles south of Leona valley, there was no mobile signal. But since we were there last year, we were able to reach the farm. Make sure you have the directions ready before you start.

Our family went last thursday, and we had a really great time. So much cherries to pick!!! $ 3.50/ lb isnt so bad when you are having so much fun. The owner was also really sweet and easy going. We also purchased some pure honey to bring home!

With 11 varieties of cherries, there are lots to try. Of course, they mostly have Bing and Rainier cherries, so you do have to hunt for the other varieties. They have couple of diagrams out to help you find where the other varieties are, and the trunks of the trees are all coloured to help you find them.
My companions and I hunted out every Brooks tree, but just about all of them were picked clean. Drat! But if you’re looking for Rainiers and Bings, this is your place (just like most of the orchards in Leona Valley). The Rainier trees were dripping with peachy red-​gold clusters overhead. Jenny Y. would’ve loved this place.
I was surprised to see other trees in their small upper orchard, though. Young unripe fruit hanging off of pear trees, peach trees, apple trees and nectarine trees. If you’re a city girl like me, you might find it fascinating to see ;)

Went here with Cate T. and Beth C! Bit of a drive, thank goodness Beth drove the Prius! I also noticed gas is cheaper in Palmdale than Los Angeles! Saw many cops patrolling the highway and one motorcycle cop was radar gunning cars on the side very sneakily, just don’t speed.
This place is just OK, the price per pound of cherries was not cheap closer to $ 4, and they don’t round for the price of cherries. When we got here it seem like there was only Bing and Ranier cherries left. I walked around the farm sampling cherries from trees but they ALL didn’t taste sweet! Who knows maybe I have bad luck, but it seems the trees were lacking? =T You can’t tell the sweetness by looking at the cherry, doesn’t matter the color or size the only way to tell is by eating one.
I lot of the cherries were soft because the sun got to them, we came here around 11:30? So not even a half pound in, we left and went to check out another farm instead. Probably needed to come here during a different time.

This mom and pop cherry farm features 11 varieties of cherries on medium sized cherry trees with different color coding painted on the trunk. There are cute little pails that you can use to collect cherries. For those with small children, there are red radio flyer wagons to tow them around in. We kept tasting the cherries from one tree to the next but most just tasted so-​so, as though they needed a few weeks to ripen more. (The way to pick cherries is to try a cherry from a tree, if it tastes good, then proceed to pick from the same tree. If the cherry sample is not that sweet, move on to the next tree. Parking is easy and free, and admission is also free. This is a good place to check out for those with young kids in the family.

Cherry picking here was fun. Everyone grabs a bucket and a wagon (optional) and walk down many, many aisles of sweet, red cherries.
My family and I visited the orchid 2 weeks after cherry season began. The weather was definitely perfect for cherry picking. Parking was pretty easy; they let you park right next to the cherry trees. The people here are friendly, and you’re allowed to taste the cherries before you pick from each tree. I wouldn’t suggest you eat too many, however, because they’re not exactly the cleanest fruit in the world right off the stem. There are 11 types of cherries here– I can’t name them all, but it’s listed on their website. The bing and rainier cherries are definitely the most popular, and the other types are scarce, but you could definitely find some if you’re on a quest.
As for lunch– you can bring your own lunch, and eat it in the picnic area. There’s also footballs, sandboxes, a seesaw, and all those fun stuff for the kids. As for pricing goes, it’s a bit over $ 3 a pound. They also sell honey for $ 6-​$ 15.
The reason why I racked down a star is because most of their cherries were tiny and/​or tasteless. I recommend you find a tree that you’ve tasted, and like, and stick to that tree. Many of them taste bland and disgusting.

Cherry picking. The thought of plucking shiny, deep red fruit fresh off the tree is almost impossible to resist, isn’t it? Add in the option oto picnic on site and the day trip is basically a done deal. I’ve found the idea to be so seductive that I’ve given in twice in two years.
Both visits to cherry orchards have led me to Amber’s Farm, way out in the northern part of LA County. It’s still a mystery to me why farmers decided to grow cherries near the desert, but at least the folks running Amber’s have a system that works well. It’s called updating their web site. Their bare-​bones site and e-​newsletter alert you when the fruit is ripe and provide information on the varieties available. Such an easy task, but you’d think it takes a Master’s degree in Computer Science the way no one else in the area does this.
So I’m at Amber’s Farm (again) and this year I’m there early enough to pick varieties other than the ubiquitous Bings and Rainiers. Tietons and Brooks cherries are grown in relatively small numbers at the farm, so it takes some craning of the neck and squatting to find them on the trees. Most of the superficial fruit is picked immediately after the farm opens for the season. (My first visit earned me nothing but Bing and Rainier.)
If you arrive later in the season (mid– to late-​June) and all that’s left are the aforementioned varieties, take the time to taste the fruit of each tree from which you wish to pick. The fruit on the trees all looks the same, but one will have firm, plump fleshy fruit while the one right next to it will be mushy and taste like dirty tobacco. My friends and I had a Bing battle royale to compare and contrast.
After a few hours the novelty sort of wears off. The heat bogs you down and warms the fruit on the trees. I’m not sure if you’ll hit the jackpot with a bucket full of ruby red fruit, but chances are you’ll earn yourself a nice tummy ache.
Tips:
Arrive early to avoid the mid-​day heat (dwarf cherry trees don’t do much as far as shade goes).
Don’t ask for organic. The cherry farm isn’t certified. Plus, I heard the guy running the place mutter under his breath «Those organic people drive me crazy!»