Spring is in the air, and I can hardly wait for the local produce stands to start opening! There’s nothing like fresh, locally grown fruits and veggies! I’m doing a small container garden this year, where I’ll grow tomatoes and various other plants, but to supplement my homegrown produce, I’ll be looking ot U-Pick farms.
I haven’t been to a U-Pick farm in several years. Before we moved from Roseburg, I used to frequent U-Pick farms every summer. I’d drag my then preschool age daughter to pick strawberries, rasberries, and blueberries at the local farms. We always had a great time!
I like U-Pick farms for several reasons.
- I’m supporting the local economy.
- I can pick and choose my fruit, rather than taking my chances on a plastic container of strawberries.
- In one morning, I can pick enough fruit to last the year. My family LOVES blueberry pancakes!
- It’s a great experience for the kids.
- There’s nothing like homemade freezer jam made from rasberries you picked yourself!
- It’s much less expensive than the $3 pints of berries you find in the grocery store.
- The fresh berries taste better, too!
I really need to start looking into what U-Pick farms are around here. It’s just about strawberry season!
Have you ever picked your own produce at a farm? Did you enjoy it?
Photo by ChrisDag.
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Wow, your children must be saints! When I was little, my parents dragged my brother and I along to pick strawberries, and I HATED IT. But then again, I hate being outside in the hot sun, and strawberry farms just don’t seem to be inside in the air condiioning very often. I’m very frugal, but I just don’t think I can bring myself to go to a U-pick farm. Now, I have picked fruit from friends and family members’ yards and farms for free, and I can handle that! Once I walked away with an entire grocery sack full of grapes. We had some grape pie that night :)
When I was younger are parents used to take us all the time to these U-Pick places.
I’ve never worked so hard in my life!
But the reward was pounds of beautiful, fresh, local berries.
Here’s a link to find U-Pick farms near you: http://www.pickyourown.org/
Ki, I’ll let you know. I need to figure out where all the U-Pick farms are in this area. I haven’t done this since I moved from Roseburg.
Hey friend, when you get ready to go pick, let me know, I would love to tag along for some fun times and picking with friends is more fun, plus I need you to point me in the right direction!
I live in a semi rural area and am not sure how to find u-pick farms. Any suggestions?
I would love to pick my own fruit however have not did since a teenager will try again maybe this spring/summer
Here is a link to what I would have posted http://shopannies.blogspot.com.....binet.html
We’ve been frequenting U-pick and other farms since we were city folks looking to get the kids a little fresh air back in the ’80s. Now living among the farms for more than a decade we realize how lucky we are to eat such fresh produce. It really tastes so much different straight from the plant! We are blessed to have access and also to have grown children who remember the experiences so fondly. Anyone who can should give their kids the experience. It will be a happy memory!
I need to find a u-pick in my area. This would be fun.
We are a fruit-picking family here. We like to pick strawberries and blueberries in the summer and apples and pumpkins in the fall. We have some pretty great farms locally here in south jersey. It ends up being a whole day for us, we take hayrides, go pickin, and visit/feed the farm animals.
:)
U-Pick – the very sound of it makes me happy! I belong to a local CSA, but they don’t have everything, so to supplement I visit a u-Pick farm not far from home, where I load up all summer on blueberries, strawberries, peaches, apples, plums, raspberries, green beans – and then freeze, can and process enough so I barely have to grocery shop all winter. I LOVE this time of year – the promise of all that sweet, fresh fruit. Thanks for the reminder that Spring will actually REALLY get here soon! Still cold and wet here in PA.
I’m so glad you posted this today! Our U-pick farms are just getting warmed up this spring, and I’m counting the weekends until the first big festival! This will be my first year using U-pick for canning purposes, so I’m dying to get out in the fields and scoop up some fruits and veggies. And you’re right — the produce is much better AND cheaper … I can’t think of a better combination! :)
I would like to do this for the fun of it as much as anything. Think I’ll see what’s available in our area since we moved.
I pass several u-picks a few times each week (about 5 miles from the house a on a shortcut I sometimes use) and every time I drive by– all I can think about going peach picking this summer and apple picking in early fall . . . nothing like just picked!