Fruit picking is part of our childhood, remembering blackberrying with family as we literally turned fruits of our labour into the tastiest of pies.
‘Pick Your Own’ is now big business and also an activity that families do together as a chance to get into the fresh air and have fun.
The pandemic saw a soar in PYO, a trend which shows no signs of abating.Choosing your own is not limited to strawberries. Farms invite you to pick your own flowers, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, pumpkins, broad beans, plums, apples and rhubarb.
Here are some of the PYO in our beautiful county.
. Pick Your Own
Fruit picking season is here. Get your self a basket and head down to your local Pick Your Own farm. Photo: Submitted
. Pick Your Own
Scalby Grange, Gilberdyke, East Yorkshire This is a family run pick your own farm. As well as strawberries and gooseberries, raspberries are starting to ripen and blackcurrants are available to pick. Photo: Submitted
1. Pick Your Own
Scalby Grange, Gilberdyke, East Yorkshire This is a family run pick your own farm. As well as strawberries and gooseberries, raspberries are starting to ripen and blackcurrants are available to pick. Photo: Submitted
2. Balloon Tree Farm Shop & Cafe
Balloon Tree Farm Shop & Cafe, Gate Helmsley, North Yorks. During summer months the farm offers the opportunity for customers to pick their own fruit and vegetables. It has been growing soft fruit and vegetables on this site for more than 35 years. Over the years it has experimented with different varieties and growing methods of strawberries to ascertain what is best for both flavour and yield. It now grows Vibrant, Malling Centenary and Florence varieties. Photo: Submitted
3. Pick Your Own
Kemps, Horsforth, West Yorkshire. Open now for summer fruits and October for pumpkins, the site shows visitors how crops are grown, enjoy the countryside and take home some delicious Yorkshire farm produce. A ticket is required and opening hours are all detailed on the booking site. Tickets must be booked online and are £2 per person which includes entry to the picking fields and a £2 voucher to spend on fruit, tractor rides etc. There is also a children’s play area, some piglets to see and a takeaway cafe selling drinks, ice creams and snacks. Tickets available via https://kemps.merlintickets.co.uk/ site.. Photo: Jonathan Gawthorpe
4. Pick Your Own
Spilman’s PYO, Church Farm, Thirsk, North Yorkshire. The Spilman farming team consists of husband and wife Richard and Sally with two of their three sons Tom and Joss as well as daughter-in-law Olivia. They collectively farm 700 acres, 600 as tenants at Lodge Farm, Helperby, where they grow asparagus, and 100 acres that the family owns at Church Farm, Sessay where they grow soft fruits, pumpkins and rear their own lamb and beef. They also have a farm shop, cafe and play barn. They have 12 acres of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, red currants, black currants and gooseberries. They grow a range of different varieties of strawberries including Florence, Allegro, Sonata, Dahli, Rumba, Elegance, Sonsation, Faith and Malwina – which are selected for their excellent taste, ripening date and the ability to grow in the soil. They are grown uncovered and therefore ripen naturally in the sunshine. They are all bedded up with straw and tended to by hand. Tickets are required. There are multiple time slots per day. You can arrive any time within your chosen 60-minute time slot. Please remember last entry into the PYO fields is between 4pm and 5pm and the field closes at 5.30pm. Book via https://www.spilmans.co.uk/book-now-strawberry-picking/ site. Photo: Picture by Jonathan Gawthorpe
5. Pick Your Own
Eastfield Farm, Withernsea, East Yorkshire. Pick your own strawberries. Open during June and July, dates depend upon ripening. Ready picked strawberries are also available along with homemade strawberry jam. Other seasonal fruit and vegetables also grown on the farm include raspberries, blackberries, potatoes, onions and beetroot. Photo: Picture: Bruce Rollinson
6. Pick Your Own
Cedarbarn, Pickering, North Yorkshire. There are eight acres of soft fruit at Cedarbarn, all available for visitors to either pick themselves or buy in the shop. The farm grows many different kinds of fruit and, as well as selling them, it uses them in its café for tarts, crumbles and summer puddings. It grows six different varieties of strawberry. They range from early Christine variety, grown under fleece and available at the beginning of June, to Flamenco in October. Gooseberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants and blueberries – are available in June and July. Raspberries are ready to pick at the end of July. Photo: Picture David Harrison