Now that the nice weather is finally (finally!) here, we can look forward to all kinds of fun outdoor outings. And one of our absolute favorite summertime outings is fruit picking at the many CT farms and orchards!
We like to keep a running list of all the PYO places that we’ve visited across the state over the past 6+ years of blogging. You can find that list HERE.
We also published a cute post last summer with a little look back at some of our favorite fruit-picking moments (OMG! Who are all those babies?!)
One thing we like to mention over and over is that crop availability and field conditions are always changing. And one of the best tips we’ve learned over the years is to follow the Facebook pages of your favorite PYO destinations when possible.
These days, many PYO places do a superb job of keeping their social media up-to-date with their latest offerings and also information about current picking conditions. Because the last thing we want to do is get our kiddos all excited about a PYO outing only to show up at the orchard and find that it’s closed that day for some unforeseen reason or that the crop you thought you’d be collecting is no longer in season (been there, done that, don’t want to repeat it!). So take a moment now to “like” those Facebook pages or at least keep the farms’ phone numbers handy so you can check in before you head out.
The first fruit in our PYO roster is strawberries, which should be making their juicy debut any moment now according to Rose’s Berry Farm’s Facebook Page 🙂
Here are my little rascals kicking off the season at Rose’s Berry Farm last June.
The OAAM PYO uniform: Caps for sun, buckets for collecting, boots for mud (if it’s rained recently). Not pictured: oodles of sunblock, water bottles. And yes, those red shirts are on purpose to mask the inevitable strawberry stains– this is not my first rodeo! Haha!
Apparently we now always have to do a “silly” picture in addition to the regular picture 🙂
Another PYO plus? A rare moment of brothers working together in pursuit of fruit!
Strawberries are a great “first” PYO crop for your littlest ones because they are low to the ground and easy to spot.
A new find last year: Scott’s Orchard in Glastonbury now offers PYO blueberries!
BTW, if you’re not into DIY produce picking, you can still enjoy all the fruits (and vegetables) without any labor by signing up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program in your area. (Check out this great list of Connecticut CSA programs organized by county from our new friends over at CT Eats Out!)
My kids love going to pick up our weekly half share from Deercrest Farm in Glastonbury. A nice perk of their CSA program is members-only PYO opportunities throughout the season.
So take a peek at the places we’ve been PYO-ing for the past six summers, and start planning for this delicious season of fresh and local!
Have a favorite destination that’s not on our list? We’d love to know! Email us the details at outandaboutmom@gmail.com, or better yet, leave a comment on this post so that all our readers know your go-to PYO!
Out and About Mom is 100% funded by the generous support of our sponsors.Interested in advertising opportunities with Out and About Mom? Get more info here.
Want to keep up with things to do with kids in Connecticut?
Check back every week 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 and follow us on Instagram to keep up with the latest posts and get some extra tidbits we share only through those sites.
