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Original poster

Pick your own strawberries

26 replies

katebee · 20/06/2008 11:19

It was sad to read in the paper that one farmer has stopped doing "pick your own strawberries" due to people eating vast quantities before paying.

I remember loving doing "pick your own" as a child..I'm sure we tried the odd strawberry but most were weighed and paid for. I had hoped to take my children to do pick your own but looks like there won't be many "pick your own" farms left.

Feeling very cross with those dishonest folk who have abused the system and eaten too many before paying! Although I suspect that the farmers pick the fields of the best fruit before the public are let loose for pick your own anyway..

OP posts:
chopchopbusybusy · 20/06/2008 11:22

Katebee, I heard this on the radio yesterday. Seems like the final straw for the farmer was when he found one family had taken a pot of cream round with them to dip the strawberries in.

Carmenere · 20/06/2008 11:23

I read that and the farmer said that some families were coming with a bowl of water to wash the strawberries in and a bowl of cream to dip them in I mean FFS how pisstaking is that?

Booboobedoo · 20/06/2008 11:28

Here's a fantastic site which lists most of the pick your own farms. (Sophie Conran mentioned it in Junior).

Original poster
katebee · 20/06/2008 11:31

Thanks for the great link Booboobedoo!

OP posts:
cheesesarnie · 20/06/2008 11:33

i love taking the children to pick your own places.thats horrible.

Booboobedoo · 20/06/2008 11:44

No problem. I do find the Sophie Conran section a leetle on the pretentious side, but that is a great site.

smartiejake · 20/06/2008 12:41

Perhaps he should weight the fruit pickers before letting them into the field then again on the way out

sakurarose39 · 20/06/2008 12:55

I had forgotten - in the UK, you just go into the field and pick the fruit, do you?
Over here, you have to PAY to get into the farm, and then you can eat all you want, and IN ADDITION pay for take-home amount. Maybe the farmers could do that in the UK...

objectivity · 20/06/2008 12:57

Surly the inflated price for a few tubs of fruit covers the minor gluttony that occurs on such occasions?

Guadalupe · 20/06/2008 12:59

do people really take cream?

That is hilarious, obviously not on, but really? I can't believe they would do that. I can't bear cream on strawberries.

FluffyMummy123 · 20/06/2008 13:12

Message withdrawn

Flashman · 20/06/2008 20:51

They don't then have to pay the cost of people picking the goods - so some being eaten can't be that bad

Flamesparrow · 20/06/2008 20:53

I remember my mum telling me there was a secret set of scales on the way in and out, and they would KNOW if we ate them.

Believed her - didn't eat a thing

bluefox · 20/06/2008 20:59

Im sure our local PYO factors this into the price. They are soooooo much more expensive than shop bought ones.

littleducks · 20/06/2008 21:03

anyone able to link to the story as i know someone who does this, walks into farm eats strawberrys taking water then leaves without buying a thing and seriously thinks its ok....we argued a bit over this so would lover to forward the article

littleducks · 20/06/2008 21:09

found it www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2158609/Pick-your-own-strawberry-farms-under-threat-from-greedy-cust omers.html for anyone else interested

whomovedmychocolate · 20/06/2008 21:12

What? The farmers have stopped complaining that they can't get migrant workers to pick fruit because they expect the minimum wage and have started whinging about this too.

What's next? Fuel protests?

bozza · 20/06/2008 21:20

I do think this sounds like some people are taking the piss. Our local one is actually much cheaper than the shops and the DC love it. And it brings back fond memories of my Grandma and Grandad taking us to one near Bridlington.

expatinscotland · 20/06/2008 21:22

what utterly chav-like behaviour. seriously, a pot of cream and a bowl of water?

man, that is seriously trashy.

BettySpaghetti · 20/06/2008 21:26

I went strawberry picking with 3yo DS this week.

When we were on our way to the pay-desk (DS still having the "evidence" around his face) one of the men from the family who run it said "Alright young man, were the strawberries tasty?" and poor DS didn't quite know what to say or do as he couldn't work out how the man knew he'd eaten some and realised there was an element of dishonesty about it .

I do think they factor it into the cost per kilo to cover the amount eaten by pickers.

Flashman · 20/06/2008 21:50

I wonder how much the farmer got paid for the story?

PhDlifeNeedsaNewLife · 20/06/2008 22:35

would love to do this with ds.

just cannot imagine the utter, utter carnage. (he is 14m and looooooves strawberries!)

pickie · 20/06/2008 22:40

We went to pick some the other day and told the kids to eat as much as they like. Guess what- DD 2.11 said no mamma, first pay then eat and she threw a little tantrum when I ate some before paying.

Gobsmacked though that people take cream into the fields!

Flashman · 21/06/2008 00:05

I am gutted that I have never once thought to take cream in with me.

Califrau · 21/06/2008 00:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.