It's one of those summertime joys you never really grow out of: biting into a plump piece of fresh-picked, perfectly ripe fruit, letting the sticky-sweet juice dribble through your fingers and down your chin.

You can score some summertime sweetness of your own at one of Rochester's many pick-your-own farms, where the fields are open for visitors. Here, you can scour the berry patches and fruit orchards for the freshest, tastiest fruit, and take home as much as you can carry.

How to pick a peck of perfect fruit

Rochester farms offer a wide variety of fruit ripe for the picking - blueberries, peaches, plums, even gooseberries. Strawberries and raspberries are particularly popular; pick-your-own patches for these fruits appear on at least five local farms.

Exactly when a given picking season begins depends on several factors, including spring temperatures, says Sandy Austin, co-owner of Gal-A-Tin Acres in Scottsville. "When it stays cooler, like it has been here, it slows down growth a little," she says.

But once the fruit does appear and starts being harvested, "they do come fast," says Mary Chase, co-owner of Chase Farms Market in Fairport. "We don't have a lot of lead time once picking season begins."

To score the best fruit, it's best to visit farms early in the morning, or after 4 p.m., says Jack Moore of Henrietta's Gro-Moore Farms. "In the heat of the day, the berries get soft."

Many farms will provide quart containers or trays for you to cart around your berries. However, some places do charge to take the containers home, so call and check before you go.

In addition, several pick-your-own farms only accept cash and checks, so be sure to bring enough money to pay for your fruit loot.

So what goodies can you score at the local pick-your-own fields? Some of our favorites include:

Strawberries

Available at: Bauman's Farm Market & Cider Mill, Chase Farms Market, Gal-A-Tin Acres, Green Acre U-Pick, Gro-Moore Farms

Rochester's strawberry season ramps up around the second week of June, usually between the 10th and 15th, says Moore. To pick a strawberry, hold its stem gently between your thumb and index finger and pinch it off, so that the stem is still attached. (Berries stay fresher longer with their stems intact.) Whatever you do, don't tug! If you have to apply pressure, the berry isn't ripe yet. Harvested strawberries stay good in the fridge for only a few days, so eat them quickly. (Like that will be a problem.)

Raspberries

Available at: Chase Farms Market, Gal-A-Tin Acres, Green Acre U-Pick, Schutt's Apple Mill, Whittier Fruit Farm

Raspberries come into season around the 4th of July, says Chase. To pick a raspberry, pull the fruit gently with your thumb, index and middle fingers. If the berry doesn't come off easily, then it's not ripe. Place - don't dump - berries into a container; in fact, try to handle picked raspberries as little as you can. Until you can get them home, keep the berries in shade, rather than your car or trunk. Like strawberries, raspberries only last a day or two in the fridge, so use quickly.

Blueberries

Available at: Green Acre, Whittier Fruit Farms

Blueberries have a long harvest season, stretching from mid-July well into September. Like raspberries, you don't want to tug a blueberry off its bush. Instead, gently roll the berry in your hand; if you have to apply any pressure to force the berry off its bush, then it isn't ripe yet. If kept in the fridge, fresh-picked blueberries will last several days.

Stone Fruit (Apricots, Nectarines, Peaches, etc.)

Available at: Green Acre, Whittier Fruit Farm

Each stone fruit has its own specific harvest time, with apricots usually available earlier in the summer (June or July) and nectarines and peaches later (in August, says Moore). For the best flavor and texture, stone fruits should ripen as much as possible while still attached to the tree. To remove a fruit, just twist its stem gently; the fruit should easily come off the branch. If stored in the fridge, stone fruits will usually last up to three or four weeks.

Cherries

Available at: Schutt's Apple Mill, Whittier Fruit Farm

Cherries usually start arriving in June. However, once picked, they won't ripen further, so be sure only to pick the biggest, firmest cherries off the tree. A ripe cherry should feel firm and heavy, with a slightly shiny skin. Like berries, cherries should come off the tree easily. Cherries store in the fridge for two or three days, although they will last longer with their stems still attached.

Apples

Available at: Green Acre, Schutt's Apple Mill, Whittier Fruit Farm

Although apples are usually considered a fall crop, some varieties are ready in late August and early September, like Paula Reds, Ginger Golds, and Jonamacs. Pick apples by twisting the fruit away and up from its branch (rather than pulling straight down). Since apples on the outside of the tree ripen first, target the outer fruits first. Picked apples keep well in the fridge for several weeks.

INFOBOX:

Bauman's Farm Market & Cider Mill

1340 Five Mile Line Rd, Webster

671-2820

Chase Farms Market

459 Pannell Rd, Fairport

315-986-4013

http://chasefarmsmarket.com

Gal-A-Tin Acres

458 Morgan Rd, Scottsville

889-3883

localharvest.org/farms/M13882

Green Acre U-Pick

3460 Latta Rd

234-0252

greenacreupick.com/

Gro-Moore Farms

2811 E Henrietta Rd, Henrietta

359-3310

gromoore.com/

Schutt's Apple Mill

1063 Plank Rd, Webster

872-2924

schuttsapplemill.com/

Whittier Fruit Farm

219 Whittier Rd

594-9054

whittierfruitfarm.com/

Freezing fruits

Wish you could have peak-season berries in the middle of the winter? Try freezing them. Berries and peaches freeze especially well (although apples and apricots do not).

First, wash fruit well and let dry completely - except for blueberries. According to North American Blueberry Council, you shouldn't wash blueberries before freezing them.

Line a cookie tray with waxed paper and place the fruit in one well-spaced layer. Stick the tray in your freezer until the fruit freezes. Remove, scoop fruit into a plastic bag, and put back in the freezer. The frozen fruit should stay good for several months. Nothing like warm blueberry pie during a Rochester blizzard in February!