With the bounty of summer harvests approaching, now is a great time for a family trip to a local farm to pick fruit. Most farms don't charge for picking, so you can eat all you want while you're there. At the exit, they'll charge by the pound for what you want to take home. The first step is to figure out what's ripe when. Go to www.pickyourown.org to find you-pick farms in your state. Then call the farm for prime updates before you visit. Here are a few choice options for family outings.

Terhune Orchards, Princeton, N.J.
(609-924-2310; www.terhuneorchards.com)

Take a juicy journey to gather apples, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries at this 250-acre farm. Or stroll the Farm Trail Discovery Walk, a stroller-accessible, mile-long trail that winds beside a cherry orchard and through a forest. Look for special festivals like Kite Day, May 5 and 6, when kids can make their own kites and take pony and wagon rides. The Blueberry Bash, at the end of June, boasts a blueberry bake-off and bluegrass music. Plus, Tuesday is the Read & Pick program: Kids age 8 and under learn about the in-season fruit of the day.
Open year-round (closed Christmas and New Year's Day), 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week.

Tree-Mendus Fruit Farm, Eau Claire, Mich.
(269-782-7101; www.treemendus-fruit.com)

Pucker up for the International Cherry Pit Spitting Championship on July 7 at this 450-acre farm. Children and adults compete to spit a pit the farthest, and novices train at the July 6 cherry pit spit clinic. Those with less salivary interests can pick apples, apricots cherries, peaches and pears. Plus there's a petting zoo, wagon rides and a jam-packed country store.
Open June 8 through Oct. 30, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Tuesdays.

Indigo Farms, Calabash, N.C.
(910-287-6794; www.ncagr.com)

Do your kids think corn comes from the can? Pack up the car for the Sweet Corn Festival, usually held the Saturday before Father's Day. It's a highlight at this 240-acre farm, run by the Bellamy family, who've been farming in this area for six generations. The festival features live country music, hayrides and corn roasting. If you're busy that day, stop by another time to pick your blueberries, blackberries and strawberries, and visit the barnyard animals.
Open year-round, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (shorter hours in the winter, and closed Thanksgiving and Christmas and Sundays).