Pick-your-own blackberries, peach ice cream that has made Texans drive 45 minutes since 2000, award-winning BBQ by Eddie Deen, homemade fudge, fresh-baked fried pies, and 10,000 peach trees on 100 acres — Ham Orchards in Terrell is Texas summer in one address.
There is a moment every May when Dale Ham’s daughter Sharien pulls into the parking lot at 11939 County Road 309 in Terrell and thinks about how it all started. Her father, selling peaches from the back of a truck on Highway 80. Fifty trees on 23 acres. A roadside stand that nobody had ever heard of.
That was 1979. Today, Ham Orchards is the largest farm market store in Texas, drawing visitors from across the state and well beyond for a summer season that runs from mid-May through mid-August. The 2026 season opens May 9. Blackberry picking starts the same day — weather dependent, so follow their Instagram before you go.
47 Years of Peaches, Family, and Faith
Ham Orchards was established in 1979 by Dale and Judy Ham. Dale planted his first orchard of 50 trees on the original 23 acres. In 1980 he planted 450 trees and continued adding fruit trees each year. The first peaches were sold at the roadside of Texas Highway 80 that borders the property. As the orchard size increased, the selling stand was moved onto Ham’s property where an open-air farm market was constructed. In 2000 the open-air market was enlarged and air-conditioning was added — and that was the year Ham Orchards’ Homemade Peach and Strawberry Ice Cream was introduced. The farm market store was updated again in 2007, increasing the overall size and adding a fudge bar.
Today, Ham Orchards consists of 100 acres containing five orchards with approximately 10,000 peach trees and a variety of additional fruit trees, plus two blackberry patches — one of which is open to the public for pick-your-own during blackberry harvesting season.
The Ham family has not missed a single crop in 47 years. That record is a source of deep pride — and a testament to the work ethic and faith that runs through everything the farm does.
Ham Orchards co-owner Sharien Ham Strange says her father introduced her to her future husband Richard while both were working in the peach orchard in 1985. “Our first date was selling peaches on the side of the highway, and we are blessed to still be selling peaches together today,” Sharien said.
Pick Your Own Blackberries — Opening May 9
This is the experience that brings people back every year. The blackberry patch behind the farm market store opens with the season and lets visitors pick their own fresh blackberries right off the bush. The experience is completely weather-dependent — a wet spring can shift the harvest window dramatically — so always check Ham Orchards’ Instagram at @hamorchards before making the drive.
When the patch is open, it is one of the most genuinely joyful family activities in North Texas. Kids who have never touched a blackberry bush come home with purple fingers and a new favorite fruit.
The Peach Ice Cream Is the Real Deal
Award-winning and beloved by generations of Texans, Ham Orchards’ famous peach and strawberry soft-serve ice cream is made right on-site. People line up early. People eat two. People sit in rocking chairs facing the orchards with a cone in their hand and forget what day it is. It’s that good.
You can also take it home — the ice cream is available by the pint to go. Buy several. You will not regret it.
BBQ Under the Pavilion
The outdoor pavilion serves barbecue hot and fresh in partnership with Eddie Deen and Company Catering. The BBQ menu includes brisket, sausage, and a crowd favorite — peach pulled pork — which blends sweet and smoky in a way that makes complete sense once you’re at a peach farm but seems almost unreasonably good. The pavilion has fans, shade, and the kind of laid-back outdoor atmosphere that makes a Saturday afternoon feel like an event.
The Farm Market Store
The store is packed with fresh vegetables, fruits, jams, jellies, preserves, and local honey. East Texas pecans, homemade fudge, and fried pies made daily in their own bakery. Homemade breads, pies, cakes, and casseroles. Fresh peaches by the bag or the half-bushel box — the kind of quantity that makes a summer of peach jam, cobbler, and freezer packs possible. Ham merch fills the shelves too, and it sells out.
The fudge is crafted fresh twice a week. The fried pies are the perfect portable snack. And local honey, jams, and jellies line the shelves, making the store a perfect place to pick up gifts or stock your pantry with unique Texas flavors.
A Farm That Gives Back to Its Community
Ham Orchards hires about 65 high school and college students to work in the front store and about 30 to 40 women and students in produce and the bakery each season. The farm is intentional about employing from the Terrell community and treating every employee and customer with the same standard: kindness, first.
“Ham Orchards is a very special place,” Sharien has said. “People travel from all over the United States to connect with friends and family under the pavilion at the orchard.”
Plan Your Trip
Ham Orchards is 45 minutes east of Dallas, just off Highway 80 in Kaufman County. It’s an easy morning drive — leave Dallas by 9 a.m., arrive when the doors open, pick blackberries, eat ice cream, have BBQ under the pavilion, load up the car with peaches and fried pies, and be home before dinner. That is a perfect Saturday.
Always check Instagram @hamorchards before heading out for the latest on blackberry patch availability and any seasonal updates. The farm does not announce things far in advance — they post when the berries are ready.
Farm Details
Ham Orchards — Open May 9 through mid-August 2026 Location: 11939 County Road 309, Terrell, TX 75161 Hours: Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. / Closed Sundays Phone: (972) 524-2028 Email: [email protected] Website: hamorchard.com Instagram: @hamorchards Facebook: Ham Orchards
