Weekday Fruit Picking at Easy Pickin’s Orchard in Enfield

PLEASE NOTE: This post was written in 2014. While this post should still give you a great idea of the overall experience, it is also possible that it may contain some outdated information. Please be sure to check the Easy Pickin’s Website for the most current information, especially about things like hours and pricing.

---

2014 Post:

Cut to the chase. Take me to the Momsense.

School started for Sparkles and Bruiser a few weeks ago and they now go EVERY DAY.  This is a HUGE change for me — I’m going from planning morning adventures with three little ones in tow to planning daily outings with one munchkin, Sweetheart.

Somehow I had convinced myself that having the two older ones in school and being home with “just” Sweetheart would give me all of this extra time each day.  I was ready to tackle my ever growing list of house projects and start working on some fancy updates for the blog.

Well, I had it all wrong.

I’m two weeks into the twins being in school and I feel like little to nothing on my to-do list has been accomplished! What was I thinking?  A two year old requires A LOT of attention and she really has absolutely no interest in hanging out with me while I work on home improvements.  So, I’ve finally gotten my booty in gear and started planning morning adventures for me and my girl.

Our first outing together took place last week at Easy Pickin’s Orchard in Enfield, Connecticut.

As most of you know, apple picking season is in full swing right now and there really is nothing better than fresh-picked fruit of any kind.  Shawna started things off last week with a fun apple picking adventure at Rogers Orchards in Southington and I’m working to keep the theme going this week with a new Out and About Mom fruit picking destination.

Well the name says it all at Easy Pickin’s Orchard because our outing that day was definitely “easy”.

The destination was easy to find, it was easy to park, and maybe most importantly it was easy to get around the orchards with a few little ones in tow (I asked a friend to join me on this outing — it is always more fun to go with a friend!)

One thing I especially loved about this destination was that it is open for Pick-Your-Own (PYO) fruits and vegetables during the week as well as the weekend.  It is open every day except Tuesday.  

Now, it is important to note that their weekday hours are mornings only (9am – noon) but if you are a stay-at-home parent with kids who aren’t in school yet (or aren’t in school every day), this would be a wonderful weekday morning outing for you!

The orchard is located a few miles off of 91, not far from another Out and About Mom destination, the Enfield Rotary Accessible Playground at the Enfield Library (maybe an idea for a post-apple picking stop).

The entrance to the orchard is located off a residential road, Bailey Road. Just look for the entrance sign and then head down the gravel road until you find the parking area.

I mentioned before that I was doing this outing with my good friend and her little one (yay!) My friend had her double stroller with her, so we put both kiddos in that and made our way to the fruit picking area.

Our first stop was at the tent located right next to the parking area.  There we got bags and containers for collecting our fruit, received instructions on where to go to find each in-season offering, and were given suggestions on the best things to pick right now.

Boards inside the tent displayed pricing and offerings for the day.  Note that credit cards are not accepted here — cash or check only.

The day we visited, raspberries were at their peak and some apples were ready to pick.

Raspberries were definitely going to be on our agenda for picking, so they gave us these containers to use.  We could put them around our neck and place the pint container inside and then pick raspberries without trying to hold a container at the same time.  Handy!

We also grabbed a few bags for apples and headed on our way.

Because we had the stroller with us, we knew we could use that to transport our picked crops.  But if you don’t have a stroller for your outing, there are also carts available for use.

The restrooms are also located right next to the tent area. [I had to include that detail, of course!]

It was a quick (and once again “easy”) walk from the tent area to the picking area and there was some signage available to help us navigate crop location.

And that was about it.  We did our picking, the kiddos snacked on an apple, and we headed back to the tent to pay for our goods (remember cash or check only).

We did enjoy a brief moment of being chased by a stick-wielding Sweetheart (she definitely learned this from her brother!) and then were on our way.

It was a fun, “easy”, Wednesday morning outing for us at Easy Pickin’s Orchard. Many moms seem to have the same idea that morning because we saw quite a few moms with little ones in tow visiting that day.

I do want to try and make it back for a weekend visit as well.  On Sundays they offer FREE tractor-pulled wagon rides every hour and both Saturday and Sunday you can make your own scarecrow to take home (there is a fee for this activity).

And if you are looking for more apple picking (and other fruit) destinations, we have been to quite a few!

• Belltown Hill Orchards PYO Peaches and Apples/Fall Festival (Glastonbury, CT)
• Dondero Orchards (Glastonbury, CT)
• Lyman Orchards (Middlefield, CT)
• March Farm (Bethlehem, CT)
• Rogers Orchards (Southington, CT)
• Rose’s Berry Farm – Breakfast, Fall Events, Berry Picking at the Main Farm, and Strawberry Picking at the Hebron Avenue Farm Stand (Glastonbury, CT)
• Scott’s Orchard (Glastonbury, CT)
• Scott’s Yankee Farmer (East Lyme, CT)

Where is your favorite place to go fruit picking?  Tell us in the comments section below (we really, really love comments!)

 

 

 

Easy Pickin’s Orchard

46 Bailey Road, Enfield, Connecticut

Phone: (860) 763-3276

Email: farmerb@easypickinsorchard.com

You can also find them on Facebook!

Hours (2014):

• Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
• Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
• Also, open weekend hours on Labor Day and Columbus Day
• Closed on Tuesdays

Pricing (2014):

• Parking is FREE
• When we visited, PYO apples were $1.79/lb and raspberries were $3.25 per half pint

Details:

• Stroller Friendly: YES.  Bring a jogging stroller or wagon to transport little ones (and picked fruit).  A baby carrier would also work well.
• Coffee Mug Friendly: YES. But they do not have coffee for sale there so make sure to bring your own or stop on your way!
• Restroom: YES. Porta potty near the tent area.
• Baby Changing Station:  NO.
• Parking: YES.
• Food for Sale: Obviously they have fruit and vegetables for sale at the farm, but they don’t have any breakfast or lunch items for sale at this location.  On the weekends, they sometimes sell water and a few other small items in the tent area, but that is about it.
• Outside Food Allowed: YES.  But there isn’t a picnicking area available.
• Cash Required: YES. Cash or check only.
• Dress Code: No clothing requirements, but I might suggest closed-toed shoes or boots for your footwear choice.
• Evening/Weekend Hours: YES. PYO is open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.  The weekday hours are morning only, though.

Tips & Things to Bring:

• They will supply you with containers and bags for collecting your pick-your-own goodies.  You can also borrow one of their wagons to use so that you don’t have to carry all of your picked items.
• Weekends offer a few extra activities including hourly wagon rides on Sundays and scarecrow making projects available all weekend.
• A few notes from their website:
  • Pets are not allowed in the food growing areas on the property.
  • Use their wagons for produce only — they are not safe for children.  If you bring small children to the orchard, they welcome strollers and wagons to be taken into the picking areas.
  • They remind visitors that the orchard is located on a “quiet, residential street”.  They ask that visitors please drive slowly and with caution as they make their way to the orchard.
• The orchard is located a few miles down the road from another Out and About Mom destination, Enfield Rotary Accessible Playground at the Enfield Library.  This might be a great stop before or after a fruit picking adventure!

• 4D Vision Gym – A vision training center located in Cromwell, CT where Dr. Juanita Collier, MS, OD and her staff show members how to utilize Vision Therapy to correct visual issues and make learning and playing easier and more fun.
• Imagine Studio – Under the direction of Karla Kress-Boyle, opening this fall at 97 South Street is West Hartford’s only Creative Arts Studio. Focusing on building imagination and self confidence, our wonderful staff will be sharing their talents in Dance, Art, Music, Yoga and Theater programming.
• The Independent Day School – Located on a rural campus in Middlefield, CT this private pre-school, elementary and middle school serves families from over 20 communities.
• NEW Mandell JCC – The Mandell JCC, Zachs Campus, 335 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, CT., welcomes and serves families and individuals of all ages, stages, backgrounds and faiths. Our fitness, wellness and recreation, arts and culture, camp, early childhood education programs, classes, clubs and services are open to all. You Belong Here!

Are you interested in becoming an Out and About Mom sponsor? Click here for more info.

Want to keep up with things to do with kids in Connecticut?

Check back every Tuesday and Thursday as we dish up more Momsense for getting out and about with your little ones. Don’t have time to check back in? Let us send you an automatic notification of new posts straight to your email inbox by signing up here. Also, you can like us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with the latest posts and get some extra tidbits we share only through those sites.