strawberry/raspberry picking

yorkshirepudding_4

Hi guys

Just wanted to pick your brains. There's a fruit picking place near us that I'm thinking of going to, just wondered if there is a general rule about pricing? Approximately how much do they charge or does it vary greatly? In your experience is it cheaper or more expensive than buying them in the supermarket? So far I have been happy to pay up to about £1.69 for 400/454g of strawberries. Part of me thinks it should surely be cheaper because the growers don't have to pick the fruit themselves, and aren't getting battered down by the supermarkets with them putting their profit on top, but then the cynical side of my thinks they will probably charge more for the experience. Also how does it work? Is there enough fruit coming ripe everyday to make it worth your while or do you just end up with scabby seconds that noone else wants? Thanks, yp

Chambeli

is there ant strawberry picking farms some where around Birmingham??

Lady_S

There are some the other side of sutton coldfield, also, there is a brilliant one at Tillington, near Leominster, but that is 50 odd miles away :S

We went on Saturday and we picked, Raspberries, Strawberries, Potatoes, Carrots, broad beans and cauli.

bj-sailaway

yorkshirepudding wrote:

Hi guys

Just wanted to pick your brains. There's a fruit picking place near us that I'm thinking of going to, just wondered if there is a general rule about pricing? Approximately how much do they charge or does it vary greatly? In your experience is it cheaper or more expensive than buying them in the supermarket? So far I have been happy to pay up to about £1.69 for 400/454g of strawberries. Part of me thinks it should surely be cheaper because the growers don't have to pick the fruit themselves, and aren't getting battered down by the supermarkets with them putting their profit on top, but then the cynical side of my thinks they will probably charge more for the experience. Also how does it work? Is there enough fruit coming ripe everyday to make it worth your while or do you just end up with scabby seconds that noone else wants? Thanks, yp

OK, probably varies where you live, but we went strawberry picking in Redhill, Surrey on Sunday, you paid £2.50 for a box, which you filled yourself - no weighing. When we got home, I weighed them (as every MSEer would do!) and we had no less than 1.25kg in a punnet, and the best picker got 1.3kg in theirs! So, about £2/kg - not bad!

But strawberry picking really is at the end now, I don't think there will be many places doing pick your own left, if you go, then be very particular as you pick. Raspberries really now, but I haven't check the prices on them.

by the way, I made 16 jars of jam with some of them, costing 30p/jar when taking all ingredients into account.

RufusA

My local PYO charges around £3-4 per kg for Strawberries (Surrey prices). So probably not that much difference in price to supermarkets BUT strawberries are fresher, tastier and in my experience last longer. Also you get to choose how ripe, what size etc. and sample a few on the way ;-)

You can usually phone them before hand to check there is a good crop ready to pick. Mine has 3 or 4 patches planted at different times so that by the time the last patch has finished it's first crop, the first patch is ready to do a 2nd crop.

Haven't been there when there are no Strawberries but towards the end of the season it gets harder as the plants are much more leafy and the fruit hides well!

HTH - Rufus.

Snoopy_rules

I picked well over a kilo of strwaberries the other day and I was charged £1.79. Seems well worth it. That was in Devon.

bj-sailaway

RufusA, that's expensive! Try Priory Farm at Nutfield, near Redhill next time - much cheaper! Don't know if you are in that part of surrey though.

bargainbasement

I love picking my own strawberries but they never seem to last long in the fridge, they still taste great but they just dont look so good. Any tips on keeping freshly picked strawbs?

Chambeli

Lady_S wrote:

There are some the other side of sutton coldfield, also, there is a brilliant one at Tillington, near Leominster, but that is 50 odd miles away :S

We went on Saturday and we picked, Raspberries, Strawberries, Potatoes, Carrots, broad beans and cauli.

by anychance do you have the address to the one near sutton coldfield?

Ted_Hutchinson

Stickney Lincolnshire strawberries are 54plb but nearly over now due to the hot weather.

Sydney_2

When you pick the strawberries always keep the stalks on they will last longer.