I’ve been wanting to go to a pick your own (PYO) farm ever since it started to warm up and strawberries came in season. I haven’t done this since I was a kid and although it basically amounts to manual labour, I seem to have fond memories of it. I love the idea of picking buckets of strawberries and turning them into homemade jam and ice cream (see my strawberry recipes post here!) This weekend is meant to be lovely so we might give it a go!

Taking kids to a farm and showing them how food grows is a great way to get them excited about eating healthfully. Not to mention it is GREAT value for money. You can expect to pay around £3.50-£4 per kilo for PYO strawberries (almost half what you’d pay in many supermarkets).

It seems like a brilliant coincidence that my Netmums Camden newsletter came with a link to a section on PYO farms. If you’re in Camden, here are Netmum’s closest recommendations. For everyone else, PickYourOwn.info offers a map of every farm in the country!

SummerActivitesforKids.co.uk also has some great ideas for getting kids excited about the day out, like planning a menu of what you’ll make with your fruit. It also offers a checklist of tips (don’t forget the sun cream!)

And if you can’t get out to a PYO this summer remember it’s not all about strawberries – you can pick other crops throughout the year–just check the websites for details.