Webb Ranch

We visited Webb Ranch today and we had a great time!
Webb Ranch is located just a little north off the 280 at Alpine Road, there is signage and plenty of free parking.
Open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for organic blackberries and raspberries picking. Entry fee is $ 4, free for kids four and under. Baskets provided and berries are $ 5/​lb.
There is not a lot of shade, so try to get there earlier in the morning, and be prepared for some time in the sun.
We had fun picking our berried, eating them and learning where the berries come from (No, not from Trader Joe’s :)).
A ripe berry will come off the vine easily, so make sure you only get the good ones. Be careful, the bushes are thorny. It is not a bad idea to have tweezers in your bag, I saw one mama today who could really use it :(
At the end of the lot there is a small bridge, and right after the bridge there is a fun big bounce house and shade for parents to chill.
We ended up getting to the exit with no berries in our baskets, because we ate it all, so we bought some boysenberries from the stand at the entrance.
Fun and healthy activity for all ages! We will come back next year!

I have no idea why Webb Ranch needs two business pages, but whatever.
It’s just a little north off the 280 at Alpine Road. I’ve only come here for the pumpkin patch experience, which was fantastic.
A little outside the usual customer, I came representing a service group from my school. For a fun trip on Saturday, we were able to get a great deal on pumpkin slingshots and pumpkins to take home for the kids. We budgeted for them to take tiny pumpkins, but the manager hooked us up for a size up at an even cheaper prize!
My friend had it right when he saw the most stereotypical southern ranch experience in California. With that environment came the great hospitality, and I can guarantee we had a great time. Plus, the pumpkins were cheaper and better quality than a couple other pumpkin patches I visited this year. 10/​10, would totally come again on my own dime.

This place has the potential to be a nice local pumpkin patch. We’re here when it isn’t busy and it’s cute; BUT as I stand here in the middle of the patch and write this review, they’ve allowed «staff» to joyride their 4-​wheelers at full speed down the middle of the patch that is full of kids. Doing doughnuts, Benin reckless — we’re out. Not even going to spend the time to pick out or buy pumpkins. Kicking up dirt and swerving around kids no older than 4 & 5 is a lawsuit waiting to happen. Keep it classy Webb.

This pumpkin patch is kind of a joke. I went today (Sunday Oct 25) with my wife and daughter. First, parking is terrible — Eventually I had to exit the place and park on Alpine road, and I was irritated by the time I got out of the car. Then you see hordes of people crammed onto a blacktop area with hay strewn about. Rides are dirty and old and expensive. Few good pumpkins were left. I won’t be returning.

Lots of fun… but the rides were a little overpriced. I don’t remember how much pony rides were when I was a kid– I feel they might have been free and if not they should have been. The hay ride was great because we got to get out and pick ears of corn!

Parking was disaster, and disorganized, was hoping for some more fresh produce. Small farm, found some good pumpkins.

I recently held my company’s summer picnic here and everyone had a great time. Shyer and Deano were great to work with. Shyer accommodated all my requests, even the last minute change of date. She was so helpful and such a pleasure to work with. We wanted to have an event that had a lot of activities for everyone that came and Webb Ranch had a lot. There was a volleyball court, horseshoe pit, bouncy house, berry picking, and horseback riding. They also provided a tent and picnic tables. All we needed to add was more tables and chairs as well as catering which we used their vendors, Elvia Rentals and Bianchini’s catering. The blackberries that I picked were so sweet that it’s was like eating candy. They tasted totally different from store bought and are organically grown. They can only be bought at Bianchini’s Market Portola Valley or if you pick them yourself. Also, when we ran out of water bottles, Deano ran out and bought some more for us at the store. My event went on without a hitch because of their help. I would definitely recommend Webb Ranch if you are looking for a fun venue to host an event.

Cool place to visit if you’re driving along 280. Just exit Alpine road and its literally on the corner of 280 and Alpine!
How many kids in this day and age can say that they actually picked the berries they are eating? Well bring your kids here so you can reach them how much fun it is to pick your own fruits from the trees.
In October this place has the best Pumpkin patch around due to numerous reasons.
1– great variety of different colors and sizes of pumpkin
2 they got 3 jumping houses
4– there’s an actual Pumpkin launcher for the kids (how cool is that?)
5– there’s popcorn, hotdogs, honey, Hummus, pota chips and fresh fruits and veggies at the pumpkin patch for visitors.
6– The corn field ride is awesome. And u can eat the corn off the plant. It’s so sweet.
7– train rides
8– pony rides
9– petting zoo
10– the big reason. You avoid all the traffic going up to half moon bay!!!
I’m there every year with my family hope to see you all there

PLEASE READ THIS… Went here today very excited to pick berries, and we did, took awhile but we were excited to go home and make some pies. Piced 6 pounds= $ 35.00 enough to make two pies.
Came home and rinsed the berries let them dry and proceeded to make pie filling, after adding the sugar we noticed a bunch of worms coming out from inside of berries, very small little worms if you don’t look close you would not notice them. So went online to see how to get worms out of berries. They said to put the berries in cold water with salt, after throwing out the first patch 8 cups!!! We tried it, but so many worms came out no one wanted to eat the berries. My grandchildren were freaked out because they ate a few in the orchard. I feel really taken advantages of spending $ 49.00 for a bunch of tiny worms. They should tell you this ahead of time. Maybe some people don’t care eating small wiggly worms, but we do!
They might look good but the worms bore themself into the inside of the berries. The only way to see them is to cut every berry in half and make sure their gone? But we found this impossible. Gross!, WE BUY ORGANIC BERRIES IN THE STORE, THEY HAVE NO WORMS. UNLESS THE WORMS DONT BOTHER YOU, GO HERE., ITS A NICE PLACE. I DO NOT THINK I AM NEGATIVE AND RESENT THE COMPANY COMMENT SAYING THAT I AM. I AM A CONSUMER TELLING YOU HOW I FELT ABOUT OUR FAMILIES EXPERIENCE.

U-​Pick Review:
— Berry farm on the other side of 280, there is signage and plenty of parking
— Entry fee ($ 4/​person, 65+ and kids under 4 are free)
— Berries go by the weight (they provide the baskets)
— Berries that they had: limited blackberries, lots of ollalieberries, no
— All organic
— No dogs allowed
They’re pretty generous with the weight that you pick, and very friendly. The only downside is that it seems you have to come at the right time — they’ve had problems with the drought, so I’d give them a break.
Overall? Fun and healthy activity that’s great for all ages. Glad we can support local farmers too!
Tip: be sure to check their hours and the days they’re open!

U-​pick is false advertising! I drive 45 mins from the city to pick berries with the kids. They charge an admission fee and there are no berries to pick! 45 mins of searching resulted in less than a half a basket. Don’t waste your time with this place.

We came here on July 16 at 10.30am
There is berrys but 90% of them not ready to be picked up. I feel like I spend 2 hr of my day in vain. in 1 hour we pick up tiny container. When I asked the Lady at the gate why they invite people in if the berrys is not ready she told me that «YOU DONT HAVE TO COME HERE AT ALL, NOBODY INVITED YOU» She was very RUDE for no reason. When I asked her for her name, because I wanted to include it in review _​she refused to answer. She refunded me $ 4.
May I ask why she was so rude? If she was in really bad mood for her own reasons it still does not give her right to take it on me.
Kind Regards.

This place was a big disappointment. Shame on you, Webb Ranch.
We came here for the u-​pick last Saturday, and there was almost nothing to pick, yet the farm did not communicate this and was still charging $ 4/​person cover and letting crowds of people in to basically walk around an empty farm. The website claims that the farm has raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries, and cherry tomatoes. However, we walked the entire farm and could barely fill 1 small container of boysenberries, and got charged $ 7 for it based on weight.
It’s completely understandable if berries are out of season or if people before us have picked everything clean already. However, it seems quite unreasonable that the farm did not communicate any of this, was still letting crowds of people in and basically profiting off of the ignorance of eager u-​pick customers. We felt incredibly ripped off by this experience and will not be returning again.

This review is for u-​pick only.
PROS:
–conveniently located right off the 280 freeway
–toddlers love berry picking so a great place to bring kids of all ages
–they don’t mind if you eat as you pick
–wagons available (first come first serve)
–fun for all
–baskets provided
–if you have a Harvest card it’s 2 for the price of 1 (which means two adults can get in for $ 4 total)
–free parking
CONS:
-$ 4 per person may be considered expensive for some people, depending on how you look at it
–dusty (may cause allergies for some)
–only open on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays in June and July (the other days are reserved for private events only)
TIPS:
–go early in the morning
–wear sunblock, hats, sunglasses
–bring water to stay hydrated
–wear old shoes (they will get pretty dirty and dusty)
–bring cash to pay for the entrance fee and your berries (by the pound)
–how much you pick depends on when you go. Last summer we went earlier (June) and picked a lot of ollalieberries whereas this year we went in Jul so there weren’t as many. I’m guessing it’s because a lot of people have already picked through them so although we saw a lot of ollalieberries, they were all red and not yet ripe.
–check the website the day before you plan to go for any updates (I read there may be closures due to weather)
Overall it’s lots of fun for people of all ages!

We use to love coming here during October to pick out pumpkins and have our kids do all the activities at the ranch. HOWEVER, the Ranch has gotten GREEDY. Every year prior, there would be 4 – 5 ponys on hand and you would pay $ 10 for your kid to ride a pony around a loop. Well, I showed up today and they had 2 ponys, long line, to go for 3 minutes (yes, I timed it) and half the loop. I asked one of the helpers, to be sure the guy leading the pony knew the route, and I was reassured this was it. I pulled my kids out of line and will go to Lemo’s in the future. Everything was GROSSLY overpriced. $ 3 to go in a haunted house that takes 10 seconds to walk through and exact same haunted house they have had for over 5 years. $ 5 to walk into the petting zoo (no in and out privileges mind you) for an area about 5 feet wide and 8 feet deep. Save your money and go elsewhere.
UPDATE: 7÷14÷2013 — we usually love picking blackberries during the summer but this has been a bad summer for the berries. The hot summer cooked the berries and there were hardly any to be had. We walked out with no berries to buy and eating about 10 almost ripe berries. Typically a great thing, but would avoid for rest of 2013. Before paying, we asked the lady up front who told us there were plenty of berries, you just need to look at the bottom of the bushes. Yeah, we found a few. We watched as people were walking out berryless and recommending against it. We did it anyway and found some corn to pick instead. The corn was amazing.

best place to have in the area
We need more farms like this. There organic corn is affordable but the strawberries are pricey. 5 stars says it all
my only regret is, why didn’t anybody tell me about this years ago?

Ah, Webb Ranch U-​Pick… one of the highlights of my summer. I LOVE ollalieberries, and this is the place to find them. I don’t mind the price because I’m mindful that this is someone else’s farmland, they care for said farmland (both land and water are pricey ’round here), they probably have to insure the place, and… bottom line… it’s a business. They aren’t running this so I can amble around and nosh berries without paying (as edenic as that would be). :)
Pro Tip: Before you head over to the U-​Pick, check their website to find out whether they’re open yet, and what’s available for picking. And, be prepared to deal with the fact that even if the site says they’ll be open, they *may* decide to shut down due to heat, lack of availability of berries, or something else. As disappointing as it is to traipse down there and be turned away, I get it, and recognize why they do it.
Some additional tips for you…
Wear grubby tennis shoes… or even hiking boots. You’ll be walking in slightly uneven, slightly rocky, slightly weedy terrain. (This is not to say they don’t take care of the land — they do; but a farm’s a farm, not Santana Row, so best be prepared for that.)
To identify ripe fruit: Most of these berries are pretty dark in color. If they’re still magenta, they’re not ripe. A ripe berry will come off the vine pretty easily… if you really have to tug, it’s probably not ready to go yet.
Consider wearing thin latex gloves. The bushes are thorny, and you may need to really reach into the bushes to get some prime fruit.
And remember, it’s a farm. You will encounter creepy crawly critters like ants, spiders, and other bugs.
As for the stand further down Alpine – yeah, I don’t think it’s intended to be a full-​blown farmer’s market; just a nice local stand where you can pick up some fresh local fruits and vegetables. It’s a little on the pricey side, but I so value having one of these little stands nearby, I like to support it on occasion.
All in all, I’m grateful for the presence of Webb Ranch. Along with CJ Olson Cherries, it’s one of the last vestiges of agriculture in the San Mateo/​Santa Clara area, and I appreciate it for that reason.

gREAT morning! I woke up yesterday and was so excited knowing i was going to head over to check out Webb Ranch! Beautiful weather, here I come! The location is in a quiet part of town. Most visitors probably get confused because there are 2 locations with the sign saying WEBB RANCH but for me it turned out to be the 2^nd spot i stopped, not the 1^st which was a little nice shop selling flowers & fruits!
Picking berries is so fun, engaging and exciting! I love the ranch feeling. There’s plenty of parking. keep driving in.. all the way. [sure I was a bit confused at first]. Greeted by a very friendly woman at the lot; she explained where the bushes were.
Mid july is good for boysenberries, blackberries, and rasberries.
BRING CASH,
and a hat!
I was pricked a few times by spiky leaves but loooved the baskets I filled up! SO EXCITED I am eating the berries today for lunch!

Since we just went for the open season of u pick, I can safely say that berrypicking is worth the small $ 3 admission fee (per person six years old+). Obviously, you’re going to end up paying more for u pick berries than for berries at the store; you’re paying for the experience of sweating and picking berries! If I had wanted cheap berries, I would have gone to Safeway.
The last time I reviewed Webb Ranch, I noted how expensive the pumpkins were. Well, it’s true. Webb Ranch is located in an upscale area, so the prices are high. Do I fault Lamborghini for putting a shop in Los Gatos? Hey, some restaurants charge you $ 15 for a plate of pasta and some sauce.
I paid $ 9.99 for two boxes of handpicked berries. It was not for the berries; it was for the experience of picking and showing my kid that berries do not come from the supermarket. Hands-​on experience. I could read Blueberries for Sal or Jamberry a million times, but hands-​on experience is better! We had a fun time going up and down the rows of berry bushes and looking for the best ripe berries — did I mention we ate them fresh off the bushes? That’s something I did as a kid.

DO NOT BUY YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE HERE (unless you like getting ripped off)
For the last two years we have been searching for a new place to get our tree since our «go to» place closed. Last year we tried a place off of 92 which was, «eh,» at best. My mom found Webb Ranch and we were excited thinking that we found our new place. Well, we didn’t.
I like Silvertip trees. Yes, I happen to like the most expensive type of tree but that doesn’t mean I like OVER PAYING for the most expensive type of tree.
A ⁷⁄₈ foot Silvertip at Webb Ranch ran $ 195.00. Yes, you read that right. One Hundred and Ninety Five American dollars for a Christmas tree (and the prices did not stop there). I figured a Silvertip would run us about $ 100. NOT almost $ 200! I don’t know about you, but I like having enough money to buy a tree AND to buy gifts to put UNDER the tree. I know, call me crazy.
I called (from Webb Ranch) Wegman’s Nursery in Redwood City and asked them how much their ⁷⁄₈ foot Silvertip trees were. $ 119.00. Much better. Going 20 bucks over the budget is much more doable than 95!
We left Webb Ranch without one of their overpriced trees and we wont ever be back!
My mom on the other hand did end up finding a tree at Webb Ranch. $ 95 for a 6 foot Douglas Fir. Webb Ranch advertises that they shake all the dead needles out. Well, they didn’t and she ended up with piles of dead needles on her floor after stringing on the lights. Nice.
Simply put. They are so ridiculously overpriced it’s insulting.

We made our pumpkin run to Webb Ranch this year and left satisfied.
+ A whole lot closer than Half Moon Bay
+ Plenty of pumpkins
+ Our small-​medium ones were $ 6 – 8
+ Very friendly staff including Webb family members
+ Bouncy house is always a winner
+ Haunted house was laughably low-​roller but fun to have
Overall it’s no Pastorino or one of those other Hollywood-​style pumpkin patches in Half Moon Bay, but it’s plenty nice, plenty big and does offer an authentic family farm right here on the Peninsula.