Fruit picking is something both Jupiter and I did as a kid – myself picking fruits near where I lived and Jupiter picking fruits both at orchards and in nearby woods. As summertime came, we wanted to take the family out berry picking both in the wild and at an orchard, so we went along to Cammas Hall! Cammas Hall has a lot to offer, from raspberry and blackberries to strawberries and sunflowers. We pre-booked our time slot, which does cost a deposit fee, but that fee goes towards the fruit we picked and it was easy to pick far more than the deposit price.
When we arrived at Cammas Hall, we got our baskets, sanitised our hands, then set off in the rows and rows of fruit. Our goal was three fruits; strawberries, raspberries and blackberries for jam and crumbles. Each of the children got a basket and we started at the strawberries, which were the closet to us. The strawberries, if you’ve not been to a fruit orchard before, aren’t actually growing on the ground and instead are on shelves, at about chest level, so that you can see strawberries that need picking and add them into your basket. We went down a few of the rows, grabbing fruit that looked bright and full of life, while leaving anything that needed more time. There were plenty of strawberries!
The blackberries and raspberries were a little less full, with bushes that weren’t quite ready yet, creeping up the sides of fences. The positive about going to a fruit farm is the way these bushes are placed out – there is very little risk of getting caught in thorns and getting scratches. Though there were less berries, the children continue to fill up their baskets just the same, seeking and finding the best of the best. Amelia seemed to really enjoy berry picking, as she slowly walked down the isles, announcing whenever she found a particularly juicy one!
Once we had our baskets filled, we went to the farm house store and picked up a few treats as well as paid for our berries. They were weighed, our pre-booking fees used first, and we paid for the rest on top. Cammas Hall also has a playground and restaurant area, but as it was a particularly warm day, the children wanted to head home instead of stay in the sun, so we headed back to make some crumble. Our crumble that week turned out amazing, and we made quite a few lots of jam as well! Fruit picking is a lovely summertime activities, especially if you live with a baker.
You can check out our other Days Out to see what else we’ve been up too!
Looks a fab place with a great hoard of various fruits to pick. I used to love eating the strawberries and raspberries at pick your owns when I was little and foraging for blackberries and gooseberries with my dad too.
I’ve not picked gooseberries but there are so many here!
I usually forage from the hedgerows but this year we went strawberry picking for the first time. I loved it, the boys weren’t so invested though. I’ll be hunting blackberries and elderberries this weekend I hope. Looks like you had an amazing time.
We totally go out to some wild bushes too, but wild strawberries are hard to come by! Sounds like you also had fun. 🙂
Looks like you had a great time! I’m very lucky where I live as we have plenty to pick from, and we have a massive strawberry patch at the bottom of our garden. Recently just made some blackcurrant jam because we had loads and that was really tasty! Hoping to get some blackberries this week though 😀
Oh wow, having a patch in your garden is amazing.