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Are they ridiculously expensive?
I'm desperate to go to one and so is DD and my old mindee who often comes over for playdates. We've been blackberry picking most days these last couple of weeks and they always love picking stuff that we've grown but we want to do it on a larger scale and pick some stuff that we haven't grown.
Are they a total rip off?
Our local one isn't. £4.79 a kg punnet if you pick your own £2.00 for 400g if you buy their strawberries already picked - Sainsburys is £1.75 for 400g. So yes it's more expensive and you are actually doing the work but they seem to taste better! Ours has a little play area too, for no extra charge. So for not a lot more you are getting an hour or two out in the countryside, children are seeing how things grow . I'd like to say they usually are enthusiastic to eat after they have oicked but I have a LO who enjoys picking and says "when I am bigger I will eat raspberries!". Do you have to travel far to reach one in London? That might make a difference. We just drive for 10 mins and reach one so not a big expedition and large expectations.Quote:
Originally Posted by Maza
Thanks Floradora. We can drive out to one in Surrey, shouldn't take too long. We went a couple of Halloweens ago to get pumpkins and they were soooo much more expensive than the supermarkets. To make it worse, they weren't attached to the vines - they apparently don't do that (like they do in the States) because people trip over the vines!! So they were all just piled up in a field - a bit of an anti climax.
I don't mind paying a bit extra than supermarkets because like you say, it's a nice morning out anyway, and educational. I guess we've been enjoying one of our 5 a Day for free these last few weeks with all the blackberries, so I can splash out a bit extra for other fruits/veg!
I wasted yesterdays batch of blackberries though because we decided to make jam and I completely burnt it. Never burnt it before so not sure where I went wrong.
I think we've missed the strawberries and raspberries for this year though.
Maza, confused, do you have children on your roll at the moment? I thought you didn't but from your posts seems like you have?Quote:
Originally Posted by Maza
I don't, but I still have my registration open and am looking to do a couple of short days a week as a top up, but nothing coming up at the moment. I do really miss it. I still have my old mindees over now and again, but just for playdates, and it's lovely to see them. I also have DD's friends over whenever we can, and so I still feel like a childminder and do childminder type of activities. Am teaching two days a week but am obviously on Summer hols at the moment. xQuote:
Originally Posted by mumofone
If you're talking about garsons in Surrey its massive and great fun but I found expensive the time I went (although my son ate his body weight in strawberries so I feel the cost was about right when that is taken into account!) - there's a fab one called Crockford Bridge farm near addlestone we prefer now, smaller scale, they have a few fruits and veg available, we had fun digging up carrots with our fingernails and sticks, only to then spot the big fork! Always do strawberries and I love raspberries. It gets expensive when you take the big basket and fill it, but we take smaller ones and the kids all pick say 10 strawberries each so they have to count them and you don't take home masses that may get wasted.
They always taste amazing too, and there's a big shaded picnic area, ice cream parlour and little play area, and a wyevale garden centre and aquatics centre across the carp ark - it's one of our favourite days out at the mo :-). Highly recommend it there if it's not too far out for you
Thanks alex-17! Yes, I was talking about Garsons, but the one you mentioned looks fab too. Apparently it's 32 minutes away from us. Just have to talk hubby into driving us there as he is still scarred over the cost of the pumpkins two years ago!
Yes, a friend used to love garsons, then I introduced her to Crockford bridge and she only goes there now, it's just a smaller scale so you don't have to drive between fields and having the ice creams and coffee shop right next to picnic area and playground just finishes it off!
Well I finally went to a pick-your-own farm today. alex-17 if you are still posting, we went to Crockford Bridge Farm, so thank you for the recommendation! We just got strawberries today as it was a bit early for everything else, but we will definitely go back later in the year. We all had delicious ice cream from the parlour there, although that made it a bit of an expensive morning - I think that's where they make most of their money, because the strawberries themselves were great value.
We've eaten a load of our strawberries and I'm debating whether to make something nice with the rest, strawberry shortcake maybe... although that won't help my Weight Watchers mission, especially after my ice cream this morning!
If anyone hasn't done a Pick-Your-Own farms with mindees/own children I can highly recommend it. Thanks again alex-17!
Ohhh i have been meaning to make strawberry shortcake for ages - Not been to a pick your own farm in ages must visit soonQuote:
Originally Posted by Maza
The PYO place near us is very reasonable. The first time we went we made the mistake of giving DS and DD one of the bigger baskets each. We ended up with so many we were eating strawberries at every meal and giving them away to anyone who came to the house!
We're looking forward to taking our grandson this year although I'll probably end up chasing him around the field rather than picking any fruit! We took him to pick pumpkins last year but he thought they were balls and kept trying to throw them!
Oh Mouse it must be lovely being able to do the fun stuff all over again with your own grandchild!
It was so cute seeing all the baby Christmas trees which still have a lot of growing to do.
Am I the only person around who never went to a pick your own as a child? DH couldn't believe that I have never been to one before today!
Having a grandchild really is wonderful - all the fun of a little one without the sleepless nights!Quote:
Originally Posted by Maza
I can remember going to a pick your own place with my grandparents when I was young. I can't remember what fruit we picked but I do remember there were little ladders dotted around so you could climb the trees to get it.
Don't think I every went to a proper "Pick your own" but my grandparents had a big garden, so me and my cousins used to pinch the soft fruit and the juicy peas, but with peas you have to dispose of the pods - the first time we just checked them on a neighbour's shed roof, not clever as the neighbour told on us - the next time we threw all the pods up into conifer tree in the garden, rumbled again as it must have been the only deciduous conifer in the whole county, come the Autumn there was the evidence hanging in the bare tree!Quote:
Originally Posted by Maza
:laughing::laughing:Quote:
Originally Posted by hectors house