With the drought hitting the country, farmers really need our support…and if they open their doors to us with good products, it’s a win-win!
So I suggest you go to work a little, but not for a summer job, to pick your own fruits and vegetables, like in a vegetable garden at home. It’s called theU-pick : you go to the producer, and you pick everything you need directly on the estate, a bit like in the department of a store, less the store, more nature..
Key savings
You will pay 30% to 40% less than usual.….For example these days, in the gardens of Orgères south of Nantes: 80 cents per lettuce, 1 euro 40 per kilo of organic apples, 2 euros 50 per kilo of tomatoes.
You will also find at this time eggplant, peppers, zucchini, green beans, pears.
Each season, or region has its specialities….it will therefore depend on whether you are rather close to picking Saint-Hilaire (Saint-Hilaire les loges in Vendée), the garden of Meslay (in Parcay-Meslay in Indre et Loire) or still picking from Peltre in Moselle which offers fruit, vegetables and even flowers! Some farms remain open for much of the year, after all depends on what is produced.
A cheaper solution for shopping for fruit and vegetables that attracts people…
Apparently more and more, this is what Philippe Ltendard confirmed to me, who opened his gardens in Orgères thirty years ago, an offer that attracts many retirees in particular, but also many families who make it a good plan for the wallet, for the plate but also a leisure outing with the children who have a favorite fruit….the strawberry which was at 4 euros 50 per kilo last May!!!
How to find these farms that practice self-picking?
Ah, that’s a real subject, there isn’t one everywhere yet, even if the trend is there: a fair price for the producer, fair for us consumers and a human relationship, that ticks a lot of boxes. But still take a look at the site of the “straw hats” network which lists 36 farms open to picking fruits, vegetables but also flowers, and if not the internet, tourist offices or town halls will have the information.
Ecological balance
It’s very good, we are in the ultra short circuit, education tovegetable food and this opens a dialogue on the practices of the producer, in particular on pesticides, knowing that for him it is still more rewarding than the anonymity of supermarket stalls…
Do you know a way to save money, or earn more money? Contact Valère Corréard.