Every year we look forward to fruit and vegetable picking season. There’s something so wonderful about getting your hands dirty and of course taking in those incredible abundant crop fields. We’ve always loved teaching Little Button about where food comes from and give it our best at growing our own too. But, with such a teeny weeny garden, what we grow is very limited. So, we absolutely make it a priority to get the whole family out to Parkside Farm in Enfield, North London to see how the farmers do it best.
Parkside Farm is located in Enfield in North London. We’ve always driven (there’s good on-site parking), though I think it’s quite possible to get a train and then a taxi from there. *Check before travelling.
Whenever we venture to Parkside Farm it takes my breath away!
It’s set on a huge site out in the countryside and away from the built up city. And, I have to admit that as soon as we step foot onto the grass, everyone gives that little sigh of relief from the fresh air and beautiful green views.
I’d say it takes us a good couple of hours to explore and pick at Parkside Farm, so perhaps plan for a half day visit to give yourself plenty of time if you are planning a trip there.
Once you’re all parked up, you head in via a kiosk. Exciting! This is where you pick up your baskets, bags or even trolleys to carry your picked goodies.
As like most pick your own farms, you pick what you like, and then produce is weighed at the end of your visit and you pay when you exit. There is a minimum spend of £4 for each person (adults and children), but we think it’s absolutely worth it.
Whenever I think of pick you own, the first thing that comes to mind is strawberries. Parkside Farm have the most delicious tabletop strawberries to pick. But, there is so much more than that!
There are walls of tasty Raspberries – I always wish we’d spend a bit more time picking these, as they are so good.
And other fruity treats include blackcurrants, blackberries (double yum!), redcurrants and plums. Oh my gosh… the plums!
On a very late summer visit to Parkside Farm, the plum tree area was heady with a sweet scent in the air that you could literally taste. I don’t think I have ever seen trees so laden with ripe fruit. They were heaving! And, plopping off onto the floor with the weight. We picked a fair few plums to take home that day (so wish we had picked more) and they kept for 2 whole weeks in the fridge. Most definitely the tastiest plums we have EVER tasted by far. In fact.. sooooo tasty that we still talk about that day and those specific plums!
Now. Not to be outdone, there’s plenty of awesome veggies to pick as well. There’s beetroot, beans, courgettes (these are really fun!), tomatoes, onions, marrows, squashes and sweetcorn!
The sweetcorn fields are amazing and definitely a highlight for Little Button. You can run up and down the sweetcorn lines and pick your own out of the super tall crop fields.
If you’re planning a visit, we might even see you there!
Top tip: wear sunscreen, a hat, comfortable clothing and sensible shoes for walking in. Wipes for sticky fingers are helpful and maybe a tea towel or two to pop your goodies on in the car to avoid any sticky leaks. Oh! And if it’s a super-dupa hot day, I wouldn’t feel daft bringing an umbrella as you really are out in the open.
Parkside Farm is open from Tuesdays to Saturdays 9am-5.30pm. Sundays will depend on crop availability, but there’s a handy telephone number on the website that you can call on a Saturday evening to get an update.
They are also brilliant at sending out email updates (if you sign up to get the newsletter – like us) and the website is regularly updated with crop information too.
Enjoy!
Disclosure: Our visit to Parkside Farm in North London is something that I personally wanted to share with you because we love it so much, and think you will too. The photos I’ve used are a few years old eek!!! And that’s totally because I’m always too busy running through the cornfields with Little Button to remember to take new ones.
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What a great day out and wow, it looks stunning…no wonder it takes your breath away!
Used to LOVE doing this as a kid as we had so many strawberry fields around Norwich!
We used to go when I was a child too. My mum would joke that they should weigh me to see how many strawberries and raspberries I had sneakily eaten. We have a farm not too far away that we will head to soon.
We absolutely love fruit and veg picking and looks like you left with a fab crop!
We have a wonderful place locally but I only ever use if for pumpkin picking which is a waste!
You’ve inspired me to go this summer.
It looks like you had a great time x
We haven’t taken Erin to a PYO before. Unfortunately they’re a bit hard to get to around here without a car.
Looks like you found a great spot to enjoy with your family! I haven’t been to there but interesting destinations like this are definitely on our list!
I love pick your own. such a relaxed day out and always something to snack on! #DreamTeam
Sadly, a cold wet spring prevented area growers from having U-Pick strawberries, and I really have missed that this year.
Simple, healthy and timeless pleasure. You have brought back some lovely memories with this post from my teen years with mum and dad and with my children when they were smaller #DreamTeam
wow that place is amazing what a wonderful choice wish we were closer #dreamteam
My boys love a pyo because it is something different and fun to do. The food tastes much nicer then the supermarket I think as well X #dreamteam
I absolutely love a Pick your own place. I live in Devon and regularly visit our local one. We picked the most amazing peas but none of them made it into the pan, we couldn’t stop eating them out of the pod…..so of course we had to go back again and get some more. #DreamTeam
Love this, such a lovely thing to do! I still remember a friend when I was in school who thought potatoes would grow on trees… such visits will surely help to create a connection with the food we eat #dreamteam
We love pumpkin picking in the Autumn so I really want to take the boys to a Pick Your Own. I think they’d love it. #DreamTeam
We’ve never tried fruit picking but it’s definitely on my to do list this summer!
#dreamteam
Wow. This looks so great. I usually stay away from these sorts of places because berries always trigger my daughter’s eczema. I need to find places that have other things for her to pick.
#dreamteam
I still need to take my girls to something like this. I don’t think we have one that close. Must do some research. 🙂 #dreamteam
We have lovely farms like the one you picture here with Button, where we pick veggies, pumpkins, flowers. It’s a treat all year round, and the pictures are so much fun too! #dreamteam xoxo
We’ve been fruit picking before but never anywhere where there are vegetables to pick too. I’m going to try to hunt one down near us as I think Little B would love it! #dreamteam
Love the sweetcorn pictures. I love taking them to PYO, although we picked £17 worth of strawberries, I nearly fainted at the till #dreamteam
I love getting fruit fresh from the tree because it lasts FOREVER! Grocery store fruit and veggies go bad so much more quickly. #DreamTeam
This sounds great. I keep meaning to take the kids out fruit picking. I used to love it when I was a child #DreamTeam