Some states flaunt signature fruits that define their agricultural identity. Georgia’s luscious peaches command a cult following. Florida’s sunlit groves burst with world-class oranges. Washington’s pristine valleys deliver some of the most exquisite cherries you’ll ever find. Massachusetts harvests ruby-red cranberries from its distinctive bogs. And Hawaii’s volcanic soil nurtures the majestic pineapple, a tropical trophy that has become the island’s fruity ambassador.
Virginia, on the other hand, is more of an all-rounder. The Commonwealth’s autumn apples are particularly prized, but they must share the spotlight with the sweet strawberries of spring and the abundance of fresh fruit that summer brings—blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, melons of all shapes and sizes, and luscious stone fruit like peaches, plums, and nectarines. And while I take great pleasure in loading my market basket with these fresh picks, my favorite fruits are the mulberries, figs, and passionfruit that grow in my own backyard.
The old mulberry tree pre-dates our arrival to this house. Popping up between the neighbor’s fence and a section of chain link left over from the previous owners, it thrives despite itself. No one does anything to it, but unfailingly, every year, the tree delivers buckets of dark, husky berries that taste like the dregs in a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. The fig tree, however, was our addition. We planted it as a sapling, about three feet tall, when my youngest child, Hazel, was a baby. Now the tree towers over me, with branches I can only reach with a special grabber made just for the task.
The passionfruit, Passiflora incarnata if you’re scientifically inclined, is a bit different, as it grows on a perennial vine. I planted a single seed from my now 7-year-old’s preschool class, and each year, the vine returns more prolific than before, boasting other-worldly looking flowers before producing a tangy, green native passionfruit known to many as a maypop.
Compared to a real orchard, these two fruit trees and roving passionfruit vines are nothing, but to me, they are the crown jewels of my scruffy little yard with its two raised beds and disintegrating swing set. They give us fruit! Every year! For free! For a few weeks, off and on all summer, we have our own fresh fruit available for the picking. And pick we do.
When it’s time to harvest our modest crops, everyone in the house pitches in, circling the trees to pick and catch the fruit, tapping on the passionfruit’s husk to hear if it’s ‘ready,’ aka full of pulpy seeds and no longer hollow and echoing. It’s like a little glimpse into a bygone pastoral way of life (or a very current way of life, perhaps, for some farming families—but one very different from mine)—this is as close as I get to that bucolic vision, and I relish every second.
The mulberries don’t do much for me on their own, but they’re well-suited for making jam. I keep some for slathering on biscuits and tote the rest of the Ball jars wherever I go until I’ve given them all away. The figs, on the other hand, are best eaten directly from the tree, and the passionfruit is best straight from the vine. I like to stand in the yard nibbling a sun-warmed fig while making eye contact with a chipmunk or squirrel and thinking to myself, we are all critters with paws outstretched to find the best fruit.
Click here for summer fruit recipes.
Where to Pick-Your-Own Virginia’s Best Summer Fruit
Swift Creek Berry Farm & Greenhouse
17210 Genito Rd., Moseley
Just a 20 minute drive from Richmond, Swift Creek specializes in blueberries in the summer and pumpkins in the fall for family-friendly picking with no entry fee, plus a greenhouse full of flowers
and plants.
The Market at Grelen
15091 Yager Rd., Somerset
A destination market, wedding venue, and café with sprawling hiking trails, The Market at Grelen is a full experience where you can pick everything from asparagus to chestnuts during their six-month you-pick season. Other fresh picks include berries, stone fruit, apples, and figs.
Mackintosh Fruit Farm
1608 Russell Rd., Berryville
Come to this family-owned Clarke County farm for the abundant selection of peaches, berries, apples, and flowers. Stick around for live music in the cider room.
Hollin Farms
1524 Snowden Rd., Delaplane
Start the season with strawberries in June, fill buckets with cherries and plums throughout the summer, and come back in the fall for the pumpkin patch and a chance to dig your own peanuts and potatoes at this gorgeous family farm that dates back to 1950.
Chiles Peach Orchard
1351 Greenwood Rd., Crozet
Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Chiles is a destination orchard with scenic views and an abundance of white, yellow, and donut peaches. Depending on the season, Chiles also offers berries, flowers, and apples; and visit nearby sister orchard, Carter Mountain, for equally stunning views and legendary apple cider donuts.
This article originally appeared in the August 2025 issue.
