Do you enjoy picking your own fruit and berries? Fruit picking can be a fun and enjoyable activity for many reasons, including:
Freshness and Quality: When you pick your own fruits and berries, you can ensure that they are fresh and of high quality. They are often picked right from the tree and have not gone through any processing or storage, resulting in a fresher and more flavourful fruit.
Family Fun: Fruit picking can be a great family activity that allows for quality time together. It is a fun and interactive way to enjoy the outdoors and experience the beauty of a farm or orchard.
Education: Fruit picking provides an opportunity to learn about agriculture, horticulture and the environment. You can learn about different varieties of apples, fruits and berries and how they are grown and cared for.
Exercise: Picking fruit can be a good form of exercise. Walking through the orchard, reaching up to pick the fruit, and carrying a basket of apples all provide physical activity.
Variety of Uses: Many fruits are versatile enough to be used in many different ways, such as making pies, sauces, cider, jams or spreads and more. By picking your own fruit, you can have a variety of different types to use in your recipes.
Autumn is a great time for fruit picking, especially for apples and pears. Here are some popular fruit-picking locations around Melbourne:
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Offers a wide range of fruits like apples, pears, cherries, plums, peaches, and berries. This farm is located in the Yarra Valley.
Photo by author
Located in Bacchus Marsh, Sunny Creek offers various berries like strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries.
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Located in Bacchus Marsh, this farm offers apple and pear picking.
Blue Hills Berries and Cherries - Located in Silvan, this farm offers various berries like strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries.
Punt Road Wines - This vineyard in the Yarra Valley offers grape picking in April, allowing visitors to experience the grape harvesting process and even try their hand at picking some grapes.
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This farm is located in Mornington Peninsula and offers pick-your-own strawberries in April.
Gulf Station - This historic property in the Yarra Valley offers heritage apple picking in April, with a variety of different apple types to choose from.
Rocky Creek - The old Sunny Ridge farm in Mornington Peninsula has strawberries and blackberries at this time of year.
Photo by Priscilla du Preez on Unsplash
Montagues offers a range of apples, pears, plums, apricots, peaches and nectarines and is nice and close to Narre Warren North. They also offer educational orchard tours and have a restaurant, Stellas Kitchen, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Photo by joanna stolowicz unsplash
It's always recommended to check with each farm before heading there, as availability and opening times may vary based on weather conditions and other factors. I find most farms offer regular updates on their social accounts such as Facebook. Additionally, it's essential to follow the rules and regulations of each farm while picking fruits.
