Woohoo... It's Strawberry Picking Time!!!
By Darkwing
@Darkwing (21583)
June 21, 2007 6:21am CST
I don't know about you guys, but with the rain and sunshine we've had this year, there is bound to be a great crop of strawberries, and I'm looking forward to going this week.
There is a farm, about half a mile from here, down a little late, which grows strawberries and raspberries for self-picking. The raspberries come a little later, but I notice yesterday, the board at the side of the road which said strawberry picking had started. So... at the weekend, I'm off down there, to pick to my heart's content. Home grown strawberries seem much riper, sweeter and longer lasting than the ones you buy in the supermarkets.
You arrive at the farm, and drive into the first field, parking your car here. Then you head for a little hut, where they will hand you a plastic container in which to gather your strawberries. You trudge off down to where picking is taking place in the next field, and proceed to pick your strawberries... not being able to resist, of course, the odd nibble, whilst you're there. he he he.
Once you've collected as many strawberries as you want, be they for strawberry shortcake, jam making, or just plain eating with sugar and cream, you take them back to the hut. Here, they will weigh them, and charge you according to what you have, and off you go home with your summer fruit, probably a bit red from the sun and matching their colour. lol.
I love all that... later in the year there's more pick your own to look forward to but strawberries are always the first and the best of the year, to my mind.
Does anybody else enjoy pick your own strawberry days, and how many do you eat whilst picking, compared to what you take home? lol.
3 people like this
9 responses
@shelagh77 (3643)
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22 Jun 07
You are very lucky that they still have pick your own. Where I live the local supermarket has done a "deal" with the local farmers so they have the monopoly.
I used to enjoy picking my own fruit. I am surprised the farmer doesn't still make everyone sing, they used to, didn't they, on the grounds that you can't ordinarily sing AND eat strawberries at the same time, though us kids used to near choke ourselves trying lol.
We are hoping to actually grow some strawberries next year, which would be very nice. I also make a mean jam!
@shelagh77 (3643)
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26 Jun 07
I wouldn't mind the supermarkets doing deals if the fruit was of good quality and price but quite honestly it is very sub standard and I am certain that the old storage ways were best.
As to not being made to sing - where have you been lol. That has always been a standard. Peas, yum, I love those too, but they are much easier to choke on, I have found, don't know why as they should be harder to choke on as they are so much smaller, but there you go.
As to the plants in your garden,my money says you will have to be VERY quick to beat the birds lol.
@Darkwing (21583)
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25 Jun 07
Yes, the supermarkets have a lot to answer for. I'm afraid the weather has probably spoiled the crop now. In fact, I've been given home-grown raspberries already so the cycle is certainly ahead of itself.
You made me chuckle about the singing and choking bit! ha ha ha. I've never been made to sing whilst picking strawberries, and whilst thinking about it, I used to shuck and eat fresh peas whilst picking too! lol.
I have two quite big strawberry plants in the garden now, which I transferred to big pots. They were kindly gifted to me either by the birds or the faeries, I'm not sure which, but I've cultivated them just nicely to give me quite a lot of fruit each year. The only drawback is, I have to beat the birds and faeries to them, before they are taken back in kind. lol.
Brightest Blessings.
1 person likes this
@ssh123 (31073)
• India
21 Jun 07
I am from agriculture family and I have not seen or heard of apple picking or strawberry picking. There are no crops of vegetables or fruits which are grown in such vast areas. Even if they are grown, the growers would arrange for a few daily wagers to pluck or pick the entire produce for marketing purpose and people who assist are paid for. There is no mass participation.
@Darkwing (21583)
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21 Jun 07
Oh, that's a shame. We have a lot of fun picking our own fruit and vegetables in this country. It saves the farmers from having to go through the entire process of getting the products to market as well, so costs are cheaper to the picker.
I'm sure you would enjoy it also. Brightest Blessings.
@ssh123 (31073)
• India
21 Jun 07
My neice is a Doc in New York and my nephew is in Michigan and during their annual visit to Bangalore they had explained to me about this. In fact it also goes by consumption pattern of a particular food item. Supposing a potato plucking activity is carried out, the entire produce is marketed to towns and cities. Hardly any farmer or a person who assist him would like to take potatoes home. Because their food habits are entirely different. Their stable food being Rice, Ragi, Jowar. In harvest season, people do come in a big way to help big farmers, but they are paid for and some quantity food grains are given as free.
@Darkwing (21583)
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23 Jun 07
Thank you for that information, Ssh. It was very interesting to read, and we also used to have vegetable picking teams; potatoes, peas, cabbages, brussels sprouts, carrots, etc., which were sent to market, but we were allowed to bring what we wanted, (within reason, of course), home.
Brightest Blessings.
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
22 Jun 07
As a Child I used to have to go with my Grandmother and we are talking 4 am in the morning. I used to love it though
Sometimes it used to be a bit chilly though but then it would warm up and yes I used to eat them as we where picking them lol and ended up with a sore stomach by the time we went home at 8am, we used to go every morning at 4 am and pick till 8am
I haven't been since the age of 12
@Darkwing (21583)
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15 Jul 07
Another little glitch in Mylot's works no doubt, my friend. But, not to worry, you're here now.
I feel quite honoured to have a place where I can pick strawberries and raspberries closeby, and in the car park, a few yards from my home, there are ooodles of blackberries, which I love to cook with apple and put in a crumble. Yummmmm.
Brightest Blessings. x
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
28 Jun 07
strawberry season is here also in canada and the price of strawberries to pick your own is often the price that it is in the stores...its not all that much cheaper to pick your own...
while i do like strawberries, raspberries and cherries are more to my liking...enjoy!
@Darkwing (21583)
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29 Jun 07
That's not very helpful if you have to spend time picking them and then they cost the same as in the supermarkets, is it, although they do taste better fresh?
I'm not too keen on cherries, but I like most of the other summer fruits. I had two punnets of raspberries sent to me last week, which somebody had picked from their garden. They were lovely and ripe and I enjoyed them very much.
Brightest Blessings.
@rockingmom (885)
• Philippines
24 Jun 07
Who the hell will not love it!!??LOl, just kidding, i love picking fruits, any kind of fruit it is just that a good experience, cause many people haven't seen the tree of the fruit or where th fruit came from..they just see the ripe fruit in the market, even just seeing the tree itself made you quite happy, but picking it as in picking it!!whoa!!i love it, in Philippines there is a place too where you can pick fresh strawberries and there it is also weighed after tpicking, but sometime while picking i bite some of the strawberries, i cannot weight, even they say it a bit dirty cause the small bush is really near the soil, I WILL BITE IT!! haha, i think the last time i went there was i was with my kids, it was a great experience, but you know i haven't seen a raspberries' trees or where they come from, because i think there is no such place here where you can find raspberry tree, wow, you make me buy some berries but it is quite expensive here...thanks...i wish i can go to that place and pick all, haha, the berries, and see the unpicked raspberries smiling..^^
@Darkwing (21583)
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25 Jun 07
We have raspberries here to be picked as well. They are a little more squidgy to pick off the bush than the strawberries, but nevertheless, fun to pick. We also have gooseberries and currants (black and red) which we can go and pick. I love to get out in the fresh air and pick them as well. Freshly picked produce is so much better tasting than any other.
Brightest Blessings, my friend and happy picking!
1 person likes this
@hoghoney (3747)
• United States
23 Jun 07
WOW do they still have fields where you can pick your own. I remember going with my mom when we were kids and picking them. And yes we would eat more then we picked. and we took a bus clear to the back field in Michigan it was so much fun. Sometimes me and my sister would get into strawberry fights and she would be a few rows over from me and we would throw them at each others. yes then were some fun times. Thanks for smile today. Hugs!
@Darkwing (21583)
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25 Jun 07
Yes, there are still several places we can go to pick our own fruit... it's not only strawberries, but raspberries, gooseberries etc. Strawberries are my favourite though.
It certainly sounds as though you had some good times in the strawberry fields in your younger days. Nice memories!
Brightest Blessings, my friend.
@mlgb_24 (638)
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21 Jun 07
i would say woohooo to that as well! i love strawberries especially this time of year. and you're right, they seem to be sweeter when picked by yourself than in the supermarket. i enjoy doing that too. it's the experience and the taste altogether that matters. enjoy strawberry picking!!
@Darkwing (21583)
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23 Jun 07
Yes, they do taste a lot different. I think the problem in the supermarkets is that the strawberries are intially force-grown to keep up with the market, and kept in cool rooms, which tends to take the taste away, and hence, they don't ripen properly. Some I have are still green or yellowish at the tip.
Brightest Blessings.
@kayrod2 (1304)
• Australia
23 Jun 07
Darkwing, my mouth is watering. Strawberries are among my favourite fruit. The only picking of them i have done is in my parents garden. Unfortunately, i have never been to a farm and picked fruits to take home. Have you ever had strawberries dipped in chocolate? They are yummy. With sugar and cream they are great too. I do agree, straight from the garden taste so much better. That goes for other things out of the garden too.
Best wishes to you, darkwing, and enjoy your strawberries.
