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My favorite childhood memories are tied to my grandparents’ village. I used to get away from the city life for the whole summer. Riding on the bullock carts and roaming around the sugarcane/paddy fields that my grandparents owned was a lot of fun! There was always something to look forward to during the harvest season, be it Ice Apple, Sugarcane, Sapota, Guava, Mango, or Coconuts. That was where I first experienced farm-to-plate. My grandma always had some veggies growing in the yard. As I got older, my visits to the village reduced. As a result, my connection to food got limited to the grocery store and the kitchen!
Living in the suburban areas of Massachusetts implies that I am surrounded by farms. During summer, these farms are full of fresh produce and offer many pick-your-own activities. The first time I went to pick strawberries, I felt like I was reliving my childhood memories. I make it a point to visit local farms every summer now.
Fruit picking from local farms is a great example of a win-win scenario. You get the freshest produce, you are supporting local farmers, you are helping reduce emissions caused by transportation/storage of food, you get to spend time outdoors and you get to have fun!
In this post, I will be talking about my picking experiences across Massachusetts. The visits mentioned below are from 2020/2019. Please check the farm’s website before planning your visit.
The best resource to find information on fruit seasons and what farms offer pick-your-own: https://www.mass.gov/guides/pick-your-own-farms
A request: I don’t know the story behind the fruits I find lying on the farm grounds, but please be mindful of the produce. If you accidentally pick something that just “looks” weird, please don’t throw it away, it will most probably taste as well as the “good-looking” ones. Let us do our best to reduce food waste 🙂
Strawberries
Season: Early June-July
The strawberries I pick from the farms are much juicier and last longer compared to the grocery store ones. In 2020, I went a bit overboard and got ~13lbs. I made 3 jars of strawberry jam and used it for rest of the year. If you use them to make smoothies, you can freeze them for 6-8 months.
Some farms we have visited in the past are Verrill Farm and Cider Hill Farm.
Cherries
Season: Mid June-Mid July
Do you like sweet or tart cherries? I am definitely a sweet cherry person. Somehow the cherries we picked weren’t as sweet as I expected. However, I never saw a cherry tree before, so being around them was a learning experience in itself.
There are only a few farms that have cherries available for picking in Massachusetts. We visited Parlee Farms and Tougas Family Farm.
Blueberries
Season: July-mid September
To pick blueberries, we went to a farm that was just 15 mins away from home, Cordelias Farm at Berlin. We absolutely loved this farm. Unlike other places, there was not much crowd and we got very warm and welcoming vibes. Our visit was during the summer of 2020 and I was impressed with how well they followed the COVID guidelines. We had to make a reservation online and each party was given a private row for picking. Blueberries have a very long harvest season, so you can pick anytime during peak Summer.
Blackberries
Season: August-September
Picking blackberries was a refreshing experience. We went to Tougas Family Farm in Northborough and there were 6 long rows of blackberry plants. As we visited during the 2020 pandemic, each party was given their own section for picking. I didn’t know that blackberry plants could be as tall as 10ft, I had to climb up a ladder to pluck them as the ripened ones were on the top. However, they are quite delicate and if you apply too much pressure, you may end up bursting the fruit. When you touch the fruit, it will let you know whether it wants to be plucked or not. If it is resisting, leave the poor berry alone, haha!
Raspberries
Season: Late August – Early October
Remember the lovely Cordelia’s Farm I mentioned earlier? It was one of the few farms in Massachusetts that had raspberries available for picking and I couldn’t resist. We reached there early in the morning and had another pleasant picking experience. And I finally found the answer to why there is a hole inside the raspberry. Picking raspberries takes a good amount of time. If you are in a hurry, freshly picked ones will be available at the farm store.
Peaches/Asian Pears
Season: August-September
There is a lovely orchard in Stow named as Shelburne Farm. They primarily grow peaches, pears and apples. Our plan was to pick peaches, but after reaching the farm we discovered that they also offer Asian Pears. I have never seen those trees before, so we filled half our container with peaches and half with Asian pears. Unlike the ones from the grocery stores, I was surprised to realize how juicy the freshly picked peaches were. A new variety of peaches I came across was donut peaches! Oh, they look so cute and are sweeter than the regular ones. Not many farms have this variety available. In 2021, we visited Tougas Family farm at Northborough for early morning picking and had a great experience, they have donut and tango peaches available for a very limited time.
Cranberries - Experience the bog
Season: Late September-Mid October
Of all the picking experiences we have had so far, this one stands out! Back in October 2018, I planned a surprise trip to a cranberry bog – Barn on the Benson’s Pond. They had an event called as ‘Bogger for a Day’ and it involved wearing waders, going to into the bog, learning how the harvest works, tasting fresh cranberries, taking pictures with the props they provided. We reached at around 8:45AM and put on the waders they had set aside for us. The family who owned this property took us towards the bog. They told us that in Massachusetts, there can’t be any new bogs as per wetlands acts introduced in the recent past. As a result, most of the bogs owned are operated by multi-generational families. Once we entered the bog, we were very fascinated. I never intentionally step my foot over food, so I was very hesitant to do that. But I later learnt that cranberries have air pockets inside which make them float in water. So even when stepped on, there is very minimal damage. The boggers use these air pockets to make harvesting easier. As hand picking might be a tedious and time making process, they use machines to separate the berries from the plants. After they have accumulated enough berries, they are sucked by a vacuum into a processing machine which cleans and dries the berries. It was definitely a great learning experience.
We paid 60$ per person, but I found it worth the money. We were also offered home baked goods, a warm spiced orange-cranberry drink and one bag each of fresh cranberries. That fall season, using their recipe card, I prepared that warm drink with the cranberries at home multiple times.
Apples
Season: September-October
Apple picking definitely qualifies as a quintessential New England Fall experience. Massachusetts is full of lovely apple orchards. Once September starts, the orchards offer hay wagon rides, warm cider donuts, fresh apple cider, baked goods etc. Until I went apple picking, I wasn’t aware of the huge number of apple varieties. I always come across a new variety whenever I visit a new orchard. And when you visit an orchard, pick an apple, wipe it and take a bite! Aah, biting off a fresh apple is a totally satisfying experience.
(Note: If there are COVID restrictions and they ask you to not eat, please don’t)
In 2021, I am looking forward to picking grapes, pumpkins and red currants. I will keep updating this post with any new picking experiences. Let me know about your picking experiences in the comments section below!