U-Pick farms and orchards offer a unique experience that’s somewhere between farmers’ markets and supermarkets. Farmers markets offer the opportunity to get fresher produce than you would in a supermarket and you have the opportunity to interact with the growers without putting in any extra work. With U-pick farms, it takes a little more time and effort but is well worth the while.
I don’t ever remember when we were growing up that Mom ever bought any produce in stores that could be picked fresh. If it wasn’t grown in our garden, then we found farms where we could pick our own cherries, raspberries, blueberries and peaches.
WHY CHOOSE U-PICK
Freshness is probably the biggest reason that U-pick farms outshines supermarkets. When you pick a piece of fruit off the vine, it doesn’t get any fresher than that. Even store produce from local growers has some lag time getting from the farm to the market. Some produce that is picked at the peak of perfection has a very small window before it starts to go bad. To counteract this, much of the supermarket offerings are sprayed to slow down the ripening process, thus adding more chemicals.
Another reason is price. The more people who are involved in the process, the more people that need to make money on it. Many U-picks also offer already picked fruits and veggies for a slightly higher price than doing it yourself. Even so, these deals still usually turn out to be a bargain.
LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Many U-picks offer a little something for everyone, whether it be petting zoos on the side, produce other than what they raise, like local honey and recipes and tips on how to best use their produce.
Both young and old can learn so much. It still amazes me how many folks have no idea where their produce is raised or how it is grown. We country folks take this for granted but for those that have always walked the produce aisles, they only see the end product and not if the fruit or vegetable is grown below ground, on a vine or on plants above ground.
This is especially good for kids. It’s never too early for them to learn where their food comes from and how much work it takes to get it from farm to table. Many farms will have charts and pictures that depict the whole planting, cultivating and fertilizing cycle to get the produce to the final stage.
TIPS FOR THE BEST EXPERIENCE
Always remember that you are a guest on someone’s personal property. Be mindful and respectful where you walk so you don’t step on fruit or plants, keep away from irrigation equipment and other machinery and don’t expect bathroom facilities or drinks to be provided, although some places do.
Keep in mind that supermarket produce has been graded and only the prime specimens make it to the shelves. In the field, there are imperfections because that’s how food grows. Don’t be fooled by the biggest because it is not always the best.
There are many different varieties of fruits and vegetables and farmers will usually plant different ones. Some have different maturity dates which extend the season. Flavors and textures are also different. When picking strawberries, the larger ones stand out and begged to be picked. However, the smaller variety that I picked was packed with a lot more flavor and were red colored all the way through as opposed to the white centers of the larger ones.
No matter what I am picking, inevitably I always hear someone in the patch say, “I can’t find any” even though my bucket is nearly full. It’s knowing where to look. I have gone down the same row of strawberries or picked on the same bush of blueberries where someone else just left. Many will go down the outside and pick the fruit that stands out without looking in the center of the row or bush or what lies down underneath. Sometimes, that is where the biggest, juiciest ones can be found.
Also, learn to know the colors. Yes, strawberries are red, but red isn’t just red. A pale red color indicates that the berry isn’t quite ripe and the flavor won’t be as profound. A deep red hue will certainly produce a sweet berry at the peak of perfection, but a deep rose, almost purple color just says that the berry is past its prime.
This can work to your advantage, especially when picking sweet corn or green beans. Some folks like these when they are young and tender while others prefer them a little later in the season when the flavor is more robust.
Yes, you may see a worm or a bug. After all, this produce is in the midst of nature. Actually, I like to see an insect or two when I am picking. This means that the produce hasn’t been doused with a lot of insecticides and other chemicals, which is better for us. I know of one customer who had picked quite a few strawberries and, after she had cleaned them all, she found one worm. She returned the entire lot to the farm and asked for her money back.
Don’t you think that store produce has been subjected to a worm or two over time…or even something worse! There have been cases of salmonella and e-coli reported from large producers who used the same water, which was contaminated, repeatedly to wash their produce. I’ll take one worm over that anytime!
YOU GET WHAT YOU GET
It all boils down to you get what you get. Those beautiful apples on supermarket shelves look that way because they have been sprayed with a wax to make them look more attractive. Never mind that the wax seals the pesticides on the surface, making them harder to remove. Those bright oranges are that color because they have been sprayed to look attractive.
There is also a feeling of satisfaction from picking your own produce. I will choose the natural colors in the natural habitat anytime. I think most would agree that it is just better all the way around.
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