Culture

Home in Virginia: Mackintosh Farms

A trip to the farm is a great way to spend an October afternoon.

Leena Sabo

October 8, 2026

Among the culture-rich communities and history of the Northern Shenandoah Valley sits a farm with some history of its own.

Founded by the Mackintosh family in 1988, The Mackintosh Fruit Farm is a family-owned establishment that built its reputation on “you-pick” strawberries, whereby people harvest the berries themselves and pay for what they pick.

You-pick remains popular, but the options today go far beyond strawberries.

“We do you-pick for pretty much all the fruit we grow,” owner Lori Mackintosh told the Virginia Free Press via phone. “May for strawberries, June for sweet cherries, July through August are peaches and blackberries, we go into pears and apples and pumpkins for September and October, as well as assorted flowers and a vegetable garden.”

For those who prefer to pick from shelves than from bushes and trees, Mackintosh Fruit Farm has a store that sells canned and baked goods, and an offsite local market in Clarke County.

Then there’s the entertainment. A cider room offers special dinners and music on Friday nights, there’s a playground for little farmers, and two farm-to-table dinners twice a year.

The farm also operates a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. The United States Department of Agriculture defines a CSA as a “community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or in spirit, the community’s farm; with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production.”

Participants can purchase an 18-week subscription that runs from May to September and offers weekly half (feeds 2-3) or full shares (feeds 4-6) of crops from Mackintosh and other local farms. The program also offers pork, beef, eggs, cheeses, and baked goods.

“What people can expect is getting fresh, ripe fruit or veggies right off the vine.” Mackintosh says.

Education is also part of Mackintosh Fruit Farm’s mission.

“We’re trying to educate people to understand that when you go to the grocery store, you can get whatever you want at any time,” Mackintosh said. “Here, you can only get it fresh when it’s in season, and every crop here has a short season…. It tastes better when it’s off the tree, but it’s limited to when the season ends. We teach people when it’s the time of year for those crops.”

Farm-fresh produce usually comes at a higher price, but the farm prioritizes keeping its offerings affordable. “We try to have prices that are compatible with grocery stores,” Mackintosh said.

The farm charges a $2 dollar admission fee. You-pick produce is priced by the pound.

The fresh food alone makes Mackintosh Fruit Farm worth visiting, but make some time to stay a bit longer and take advantage of the cider, the store, and the joys of walking and learning the grounds of a vibrant farm.