A day at the pick your own farm

There’s nothing better than the taste of freshly picked fruits and a bouquet of wild  flowers to celebrate summer. Yesterday was such a beautiful sunny Saturday thus the perfect day to go to the Pick Your Own (PYO) fruit farm and PYO flower garden. The fruit farm is only a 15 minutes drive from my house in a tiny village called Abbenes. They grow cherries, strawberries, raspberries, red currants and gooseberries.

The strawberries are in full swing, as are the cherries. The raspberries weren’t all ripe yet, but I managed to get two hands full of deliciously red delights.

At the farm they grow two kinds of strawberries that are not sold in supermarkets. They are big, red and extraordinary sweet. Walking through the orchards was like being in a totally different world. The serenity, and being one with nature, harvesting your own food, felt amazing. [continue reading after pictures]

When I passed the barns I saw some farm people selecting and bundling fresh lavender to sell in the farm’s flower shop. The smell was just lovely and I couldn’t resist to buy two bundles to take home to dry. [continue reading after pictures]

Next stop was the PYO flower farm in a small town called Hillegom. It’s the farm where I got the lovely tulips I blogged about in my blog “Woman seeking Farmer“. In spring they grow tulips and in summer you can clip dahlias and wild flowers like poppies, cornflowers, sage, marguerites, phlox, yarrow,  chicory, larkspur, and so on. Equiped with a container and a set of garden clippers you may go into the field and clip as many flowers as you like. [continue reading after picture]

There are a rainbow of colors among the wild flowers to choose from, ranging from bright blues, deep purples and rosy pinks to brilliant yellows and oranges and bright reds. I chose to mix several colors in my arrangement to make it a focal point wherever it’s displayed. [continue reading after pictures]

A perfect way to spend your Saturday outdoors. Both farms are open daily (except Sundays), so it’s also a great outdoor activity for your kids during summer recess. For a PYO farm near you, just google “pick your own farm” or in Dutch: “zelfpluktuin”

Tip: You might also like my blog post PYO Apples and Pears

Please do not copy my photos without my permission. All rights reserved © L. de Miranda

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