Looking for the freshest fruit in the Valley? Hit the Fruit Trail

If you love local fresh fruit, the Fresno County Fruit Trail is a must see.

And even if you’ve hit some of these rural farm stands before, there are new places to discover this year.

Fresno County may not have the prestige of Napa as an agritourism destination, but when it comes to finding fresh picked fruits and vegetables, there is no better place than the Fresno County Fruit Trail – now in its 13th year, which kicks off on Thursday.

Similar to a wine trail, the fruit trail guides you around the region’s vast farmland. Drive through the countryside and make stops to taste and buy the very best local produce from area farms. The trail is a cooperative partnership between the County of Fresno, cities, farmers and other partners.

We’ve included the map here, or if you’re on the go you can find a map at www.gofruittrail.com, showing the route to the 47 stops, including two new attractions, Schletewitz Family Farms, 9394 E. North Ave. in Sanger and the Mokichi Okada Association’s Oasis Garden, 5790 N. Indianola Ave. in Clovis.

The Schletewitz family has been farming for three generations and its year-round stand is open seven days a week. They grow mandarins, peaches, apricots, plums, pluots, grapes, pomegranates, garden vegetables and more.

At the MOA Oasis Garden, home of the Stone Fruit Jubilee on June 25, you can tour the farm and herb garden, as well as visit the farm stand.

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Looking for the freshest fruit in the Valley? Hit the Fruit Trail."