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Pick-Your-Own Farm Media Resource Page
This page is designed to be a one-stop destination for information for
journalists about agri-entertainment, pick-your-own (aka, U-Pick, pyo), corn
mazes, pumpkin patches, choose and cut Christmas tree farms, fruit and vegetable
festivals, home preserving and more. Whether you are planning a newspaper,
magazine, radio or tv story about farm related activities, this page ought to be
a good starting point to answer questions and find facts that will be useful in
your report.
I can also provide photos of farm activities, fruits, vegetables, corn mazes,
etc. If you have additional questions or prefer a verbal discussion, or need an
appearance on a radio or tv program, feel free to use the
feedback form to contact me.
I hope the information below is helpful!
What is Pick-your-own?
PYO, U-pick, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, hay rides, sleigh rides and
choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms are the primary examples of agri-entertainment
or agri-tourism. in essence, any activity that normally takes place on a
farm, and is part of the farm's normal operation is agri-tourism (see
this page for a Wikipedia definition).
In the English-speaking countries, such as the United States, Canada,
Britain, South Africa, Australia and New Zeeland, picking your own berries
(strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries), apples, and vegetables
is most common. Pumpkin patches, often with associated corn mazes, hay
rides and wagon rides are common in the United States, but rare so elsewhere.
Corn mazes by themselves are becoming a growing phenomenon world-wide. Cut-your
own Christmas tree farms are exclusive to North America. Some farms, which are
positioning themselves as primarily entertainment and education, charge
admission fees. That is true of almost all corn mazes, and some apple
orchards.
Some farms go beyond the traditional crops to offer cut your own flowers,
pick your own eggs and even select your own turkey or chickens. But, in a spin
on George Carlin's old joke, you can pick your chicken, but you can't choke your
own chicken. At least not at the farm.
Sorry. I just couldn't resist a bit of animal husbandry humor. You may
have to edit that out for your newspaper.
Rumor (I have yet to find a credible source for this) has it that PYO farms
began during World War I, when it was difficult to find farm labor.
Who is the typical U-Pick Customer?
Years ago the classic PYO customer was commonly a mom and her small children.
looking for fun and to save money on fresh produce That has changed
dramatically in the past 10 years as more diverse consumers look for ways to
ways to find fresher food that has less pesticide and chemical residues. More
consumers are looking for a day out at the farm and a relaxing activity. Corn
mazes are very popular with high school aged children. Hayrides are
popular with dating couples and families.
The typical customer is diverse in age, gender and race. As many come
for fun and entertainment with more disposal income to spend, as those who come
to pick produce in bulk and save.
What are the main benefits
of picking your own fruits and veggies?
- Taste – dare to compare side-by-side; fresh picked taste so much
better. There are two reasons: the varieties grown for sale in a grocery store
are bred for toughness in mechanical harvesting equipment and shipping, and for
store shelf appearance. Taste is way down the list! In addition, they are
usually picked unripe and then often subjected to gases (ethylene) to change the
color to make the fruit appear ripe (it doesn’t actually cause true ripening,
which changes properties like sugar content and flavor.
- Cost - The price per pound of pyo fruits and vegetables is
invariably lower than any store. Sometimes is is a lot less, other times
just a little bit less. It usually is related to the other amenities
offered. The more extensive and elaborate the ancillary farm
activities (hay rides, music, picnic areas, etc.) the closer to parity the
prices are.
- Health / diet - There’s no doubt that fresh, unprocessed fruits
and vegetables contain more vitamins and are healthier than processed, frozen or
store-bought “fresh”. Store-bought strawberries are also sprayed with fungicides
and pesticides to prolong their shelf and shipping life that (as with other soft
and thin skinned fruits, like blackberries, raspberries, blueberries) cannot be
washed off.
- Fun and family - It’s a fun family bonding activity, that all ages
enjoy. You usually see families with toddlers up to grandparents at a farm. You
can extend the experience for months afterwards by picking some extra to can,
freeze, make into jam or applesauce. When you open a jar of your homemade jam
on a cold winter morning, the aroma and taste will bring back the experience of
that warm Spring, Summer or Fall day. And it is easy: I have step-by-step,
fully illustrated directions to make almost anything you can imagine from jams,
jellies, pickles, salsa, spaghetti sauce, applesauce, apple butter, barbecue
sauce, freezing corn, peas, drying foods, etc., even making ice cream with fresh
fruit; all listed on this page:
http://www.pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm
- Fitness – whether it is just walking through an orchard, picking
a few apples, or gathering as many strawberries or blueberries to make a year’s
worth of jam, it’s better for both the kids and adults than watching tv!
- Food education - few can argue the impression that a visit to a
farm has on children. They retain the experience and the learning about the
food production cycle for the rest of their lives.
- Fiscal education – If you have a budding entrepreneur in the
family, he or she can do what I did every summer: collect orders from the
neighbors then go to a farm to pick to fill the orders. Given that the PYO farm
prices are usually substantially lower than grocery stores, and the quality is
so much higher, you can usually charge a premium and have happy customers! In
the process, the kids get a lesson in operating their own small business and
make some spending money!
Are there nutritional
benefits?
Yes, see the point above. While the actual vitamin
content and health value against price value of organic foods is still being
debated, there is no doubt that the fresher a fruit or vegetable is, the higher
the nutritional value is also. And by picking some extra fruit to then freeze,
dry, pickle or can at home, you will have your own better tasting and more
nutritious foods to enjoy in the cold winter months. And it is so easy; I
receive emails almost every day from people who never tried it before and were
thrilled with the results – the directions are listed on the page:
http://www.pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm .
How
does the cost compare vs. buying produce at a supermarket?
It varies from one fruit/vegetable, season and region to
another, of course, but in general, it is anywhere from 50% to 20% less than in
the chain grocery stores. The store buy in volume, so for large commodities
that have a long shelf life, like apples, the price differential is smaller;
while more perishable items, like berries can be much less at the farm. Price
is just one factor, though; there’s no comparison in taste and health benefits!
How current are the
listings for the Pick-Your-Own farms listed on your website
I update the listings every day (except Christmas), but I don’t receive
updates from all farms every day. I only hear from some once a year.
Thankfully, the site visitors write and tell me
pretty quickly of any changes, so I can confidently say that while it is not
possible to guarantee that a listing hasn’t changed without me knowing about, pickyourown.org is definitely the most accurate and current source possible!
I’ve just implemented a database system that will enable the farms to make their
own updates at any time, 24x7, to take it to the next level. (That will also
allow me to add a much more powerful search tool for visitors to locate exactly
what they are seeking. It will also allow visitors to sign up for email
notifications to remind them when fruits and vegetables they select are ripening
in the areas they select. That way, you’ll never miss a crop you like, despite
changes in weather and farm conditions.
Should visitors call ahead to confirm times, etc. ?
Yes, I encourage visitors to
ALWAYS call ahead, because weather conditions, farm and market conditions could
result in changes in one day. For example, if the weather is great, so
many people might show up on a Saturday that the field is picked out, and it
might be pointless to try to pick the next day. Note: some crops ripen
overnight, others take days!)
Can you suggest tips for
people to insure that they select the most nutritious fruits and
veggies at a pick-your own farm?
Yes, but because it varies by crop, season and region, I
have a page,
http://www.pickyourown.org/pickingtips.htm
that has general tips and links to fruit/veg-specific tips. In general:
- ask about the use of pesticides and fungicides (less or none is
better, at the longer before harvest time, the better),
- select fruits and vegetables that are at or close to their peak
ripeness, but not over ripe, bruised or mushy.
For example, here is the page specific to strawberries:
http://www.pickyourown.org/strawberries.htm
It’s also important to know what varieties to pick and
be sure the farm you want to visit will have the varieties you want - when you
can go. For example, see this page about apple varieties:
http://www.pickyourown.org/apples.htm
Are there some times of
day that are better for picking than others?
Sure! I always try to avoid the middle of the day,
except for apples in the Fall, when it is cool and the sun isn’t so strong,
anyway. Morning is generally better, before crowds arrive and pick the best
fruit that has ripened overnight; unless it rained overnight, in which case you
want to wait until the afternoon to let the fields dry out. Fewer people will be
there the morning after a rain, anyway. Most people pick on weekends, so
Saturday morning is best on a weekend, but if you can go during the week,
Wednesday through Friday are better, with fewer people and more to choose from!
How pesticide-free are
most of the u-picks, in your opinion? What percentage of the u-picks are
organic?
At present, in most regions, only a very few farms are
certified organic (or sustainably managed). If I had to guess (and when the
database is in place in a month or two, I can tell you precisely) I’d say only
5% are certified, but 25 – 35% are practicing. Many of them practice organic
methods, or simply avoid using pesticides and fungicides. The reason is cost: it
costs a fair amount to become “certified”. By the same token, pesticides,
fungicides and chemical fertilizers aren’t cheap! Farmers are the ultimate
pragmatists: they prefer to use good old composted cow or horse manure and green
cover rather than buying chemicals.
I do identify organic-certified farms and
organic-practicing farms with the bright green word “ORGANIC”
(and “certified” or “follows practices” next to the name of farms that identify
themselves as such).
You also need to know your crops! Blueberries rarely
ever need pesticides – few bugs attack them; the same is true with blackberries
and raspberries, and generally strawberries. The latter (black, rasp and
straw-berries) do require fungicides – IF they are to be shipped to a grocery
store – it’s applied after they are picked, so in any of these cases; fresh
picked generally means no added chemicals. I try to note aspects like this on
the fruit-specific picking tips pages.
There are regional differences, too. Areas with more
environmentally-conscious populations, like the Pacific northwest, new England
and some parts of California have substantially higher percentages of organic /
sustainable farms. Like other factors, it arises from the local culture and
market pressures.
I also encourage visitors to ask the farms about their
usage of pesticides, fungicides and other chemicals, and I’m encouraging the
farmers to recognize the demand in the market and move in that direction.
They’re starting to get the message!
What else should my
readers know about visiting u-picks this summer?
Well, I have a page with tips for first-timers here:
http://www.pickyourown.org/pickingtips.htm
that also has links to other pages that describes the differences in flavor,
cooking and eating properties of different varieties (for example, there are
hundreds of different varieties of apples grown commercially, with dramatically
different taste and harvest dates). On each states page, I have a link to a
state-specific harvest calendar page (here is an example, for NY:
http://www.pickyourown.org/NYharvestcalendar.htm , that provides a table of
all the fruits and vegetables grown for pyo in that area and when they are
typically ripe for picking.
It is also important to know how much you need to pick,
if you want to make jam, sauces, can, freeze, dry or otherwise preserve what you
pick. This page has a table that provides the calculations of each type or
fruit and vegetable:
http://www.pickyourown.org/info.htm
There are also various fruit
and vegetable festivals, often sponsored by farms that only allow pyo during the
festivals. That is especially true with apples. I update these festival pages
each year, a few weeks before the festivals begin, to get the most current
information. Here is the apple festival page
http://www.pickyourown.org/applefestivals.php and the strawberry festival
page:
http://www.pickyourown.org/strawberryfestivals.php
These two guides may also be useful to you:
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