Many people have fond memories from their childhood days at U-Pick Farms. These memories of picking fruit are still present today, but are they worth it for the modern day budget? Do they make sense when it comes to economy?
U-Pick Farm harvests are a great idea. People pick the fruits and vegetables they like with their family and friends, and share great memories. Many however argue that they are not a good deal. One piece in Slate reads, “Against Apple Picking: Why pick-your-own orchards are a wasteful scam.”
Can U-Pick Farms Be a Good Deal?
Maybe U-pick farms are still worth it for an average budget shopper. On the other hand, they are maybe just relics for the idealistic middle-class families who dream of simpler days, and of a chance to share the countryside romance with their small children while plucking sun-warmed apples right from the trees in front of them.
The premise is rather beautiful. The light, hazy with straw dust, the unending rows of perfect gourds, the sharp smell of rotting apples beneath acres of trees, countless hornets hovering, and the coolers of fresh cider and jars of farm preserves around you. However, U-Pick farms do not always make sense economically. They are not necessarily cheaper than grocery stores or other farm stands. Let us see why you should take a trip to a U-Pick Farm.
Five Reasons to Go to a U-Pick Farm
- The price is perfect
A peck of apples is around 10 to 12 pounds. At a U-pick farm, the price of apples is about a dollar or less per pound. This is cheaper than both local and chain grocery stores. Gourds and squash are usually one dollar each. Not all farms have great deals like these, but it does happen.
- It is easy to support a local farm
It should come to us easy to overlook steeper prices in favor of supporting local economy. The benefit is also the fact that you know exactly how and where your food was grown. When you buy local, it feels right and better than purchasing imported, and can suit your wallet better.
- Canners and bakers can find what they need
Great deals and bulk prices are a lot easier to find at U-pick farms. When it comes to apples, varieties are so diverse that you can find the perfect type for your taste. Everything is fresh, the taste is right, and if you do not have time to pick, most farms offer pre-picked products on display.
- Free therapy
Harvesting your own food has something incredibly therapeutic to it. Breathing in those giant gulps of apple-scented air while running your fingers over smooth hard shells of pumpkin, it makes you forget the complicated urban life you lead every day.
- $3 apple turnovers
Nothing extremely crazy, but three dollar glazed apple turnovers topped with vanilla ice cream sound good on any day, especially on a farm where you just know that the apples were on trees that very day. Have them while sitting on an empty flatbed truck, behind a stack of crates next to a row of apple trees. Hornets around you, ice cream, cinnamon and steaming apples melting in your mouth. Paint a better picture, I dare you. The only way to validate our advice is to go and check out a farm near you!
