Franny - it's not all about you - everyone knows that Mumsnet is all about MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

no after i posted i thought "good lord this is not all about ME"

i don't think you need to apologise

This was our local one. (Can't find the local paper story when Googling, please forgive the Daily Wail.)

I'm sorry, FrannyandZooey - my post wasn't directed at you some much as at the 'eat as many as you want" brigade.As someone said, you sounded angsty rather than in need of stringing up. And reviewing the thread I realize that there are very few of the 'eat one pick one " persuasion. So I apologize for my post. But I'm a country girl and see this from the other side.

seeker i seem to have pissed you off more than once lately - as i said last time, i am sorry about it, as i respect you and feel unhappy that you have a problem with what i post

if you read the whole thread, i was mulling it all over and came to more or less same conclusions as you - MN is useful for that kind of thing isn't it
i won't be doing the same again - i'm glad i posted about it because it was bothering me

nappyaddict, I do that often, I give the dc's all sorts and then hand over the empty packets to be scanned as Oblomov does.

I can't see why there is anything wrong with this.

think seekers post is a bit ott. but there you go.

nappyaddict, i do that alot. I eat something as i go round shopping. 90% of the time, they scan an empty packet and put it in the checkout bin. I do not think this is morally wrong. I don't consider it stealing.

When we go picking fruit the dc's and I do have a couple, we usually race to see who can fill their punnet first so not alot of time to eat any as they are very competitive We do leave with a huge amount, (paid for obviously) I make jam ect with them.

I will ask next time on the 'eating' policy out of interest!

No, its not fine to steal from farmers but if you ask them (as I have), they do not see it as stealing but part of what you are paying for.

I used to work at a PYO farm, and it is definately factored into the price, and all part of the experience.

The a full punnet was exactly the same price, whether you went and gathered you own or just brought them from the van, which we had been paid to pick for you.

I used to work at a PYO farm, and it is definately factored into the price, and all part of the experience.

The a full punnet was exactly the same price, whether you went and gathered you own or just brought them from the van, which we had been paid to pick for you.

Do you reckon it's ok to eat stuff in supermarkets as long as it's something that doesn't have to be weighed?

Absolutely fine. It's definitely OK to steal from farmers. Not the same as stealing from shops at all. Fruit farmers only grow fruit for fun - they wouldn't know what to do with it all if people didn't steal it, so you're really helping them out. Help yourself. I've got some lovely potatoes growing in may garden - why don't you come and help yourselves to those as well? It's such a brilliant lesson for children - teaches them to be really socially responsible.

I have asked at our local one if its OK to eat them. They looked as though I was mad and said "of course - it's part of the experience and factored into the price". She did go on to say that she does object if she sees people munching for an hour and then they come up and pay for about 20 strawberries - but if you have a big punner full, its no problem.

I don't eat any but think they must expect you to. It cost me £4 for a punnet of pyo strawberries the other day. Twice the price of Tesco. Yes the PYO ones are twice as nice but blimey!!! Its not like there are the same transport/overhead costs either.

feel sorry for me
we went to 2 different PYO on Sunday and both had no strawbs

dcs were very sad
we had promised them strawbs to take to school and the first strawb to the first one to be quiet in the car

'Eat one, pick one', is the rule. Says dh. Apparently

You only ate a few ? well then they got off lightly !!

cool this is all good to know
i can take it
i have thieved from fruit farm and will make amends

There was loads on radio 2 about this lat year. Lots of fruit farmers are giving up because people eat too much and pay for too little. The farmers expext you to eat a handful but no more.

Most of the fruit farms around here have closed to PYO because they couldn't make a profit, because of the customers stuffing their faces and not paying. Some even brought cream with them!

You wouldn't take milk/eggs/a sheep/potatoes/wheat without paying would you?

Can I come to your house and help myself to your stuff?

I might eat one or two but no more. My friend's parents run it and are reasonably priced. She told me once how much they earn as a joint salary and I was shocked at how low it was. They have been very busy this year though which is great to see.

at our fruit picking farm they have a charity box for the local childrens hospice and suggest you put in a donation to account for the ones you have eaten

This thread has reminded me of the time, as a first time mum, I was taking DD round our local Asda. She would have been around 2 years old and it was hot and uncomfortable in the store.

To try and keep her occupied I picked up a small bunch of bagged grapes and began to give her the odd one in the knowledge that I would pay for the full bag at the checkout.

By the time we got there all that was left was a sad looking stalk in an empty bag.

Ah well I thought It's kept her quiet. I gave the checkout girl the bag and said I'm sorry she seems to have eaten them all but just charge me for the full bag.

With a deep and very loud sigh she retorted

"they have to be weighed to get the price"

Personally I think it is wrong and dont do it.

DH told ds2 (4y) that he could eat one last week when they were out in the field and ds was horrified!! DH told him it was OK but ds still bent down as low as he could, put his head into the bushes and ate it as fast as he could!

DH said it was hilarious!

we went and yes ate some on the way round, but brought a huge amount too. I think farmer do factor this in. Although my dad told me one fruit farm had starting charging before picking, as so many were going and eating their fill and leaving without buy any

because you sound angsty and not in need of stringing up

though I'm sure we could arrange one if it would appease your conscience

<thinking> they factor in shoplifting to supermarket shopping
but that doesn't make it ok does it
and arguably stealing from supermarkets (ie 'The Man') is better than stealing from small farmers
so why has no-one threatened to string me up yet? when someone accidentally walks out of tesco's with some hairclips everyone stampedes to villify them

i'm not really worrying greeny but musing
the thing is i would like to eat lots while picking, because nothing tastes so good as a strawberry warm from the sun and straight off the bush into your mouth
but i would like to pay and not steal them
next time we go i think i will say "we ate loads please charge us for them"

I actually miss berry-picking as part of the summer routine - DH and I were talking today about how it was such a major part of the summer holidays 'in our day', yet now it's non existant as a casual activity.

I used to eat my own weight in raspberries - and suffered gut-rot in equal measure.

Last year when we went strawberry picking we told the DC that the fruit farm secretly weigh you when you arrive and again when you leave to see how many stawberries you've eaten whist picking

of course I am talking about fruit picking, not shop picking. I would not dream of DD eating any fruit without paying for it first, not even by accident lest the MN police be on my tail

Our local fruit farm says 'do not eat before you buy' however, the other day the owner was there when we were strawberry picking and a family had eaten a few and said to him as they walked past, these taste good this season and then they and we started talking about how this years crop taste good, he said he expected the 'odd one' to be sampled, as they are irresistable to everyone, he just does not want to encourage people to eat too many.

So, therefore, eating a couple is ok. Stuffing your face is eating their livelihood.

They factor in people eating - my dads friend owned a PYO.

As long as you are putting fruit in your punnet, not just eating and putting the very odd one in, tis OK I think.

But I never eat, or allow DS to eat, fruit or veg in a shop without paying. Today in the farm shop we had to pay for one yellow cherry tomato, one large tomato, and a mushroom that he had picked up whilst I was talking. They didn't want to charge us, but I am trying to teach him this

Tis in the Bible - don't muzzle the working bull, and all that.

Holy Writ says you're in the right

i might have one or two, but on the whole no, I don't eat a lot.

our local one is actually more reasonably priced tghan sainsburys.

they also have an honesty box at the end so you can put a bit extra in for any you have eaten, and it all goes to charity

Franny [fish slap] you worry too much

I used to pick fruit for a summer job was still eating at the end of the day and would go home to a bowl of the same for tea

They must factor this in. My local PYO is extortionate!

I wouldn't judge anyone who did anyway as I tend to feel ds and I are too anal but it makes us happy!

I don't

but I am one of those people who is a dreadful rule follower as is ds

dd and dh however are typical rule breakers so undoubtedly ate loads while they picked

I like to feel I don't do the farmers out of anything. Prices generally v cheap around here.

I think you'll find they factor this in. So you can eat as much as you like in the safe knowledge they saw you coming.

I am interested in MN take on this, wrt grapes / supermarket
plus everyone always claims to be ULTRA honest on threads about "i accidentally walked out of supermarket with a dvd" and the op gets lynched

so

i was fruit picking today and i ate LOADS and so did everyone with me
do you taste while you are picking, and how much is acceptable? do they factor people eating stuff into the price? does that make it ok?