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Before you come out!
Always call the picking info line (508) 393-6406, or check the picking conditions page before you come out to make sure we have fruit that day. Leave early, the fields may be picked before 12 noon on busy days.
Picking Ripe Fruit
There is an art to finding and picking a ripe peach. Firstly, a peach that is ready to be picked has a yellow (creamy white for a white peach) background color, do not pay attention to red color as it is only a sign of direct sun exposure.Green skin color means the fruit still needs to hang on the tree to reach full maturity.
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Once the fruit is yellow or creamy white it will start to soften on the tree or off, so a hard yellow peach is a good canditate for the bottom of your box and will be soft at home in a couple days. A soft peach picked off the tree must be used within two days. Pick with your eyes not your hands, squeezing fruit will cause them to bruise, remember look for yellow color. Gently twist fruit off tree and place in basket as if you were handling eggs, peaches bruise very easily!
Handling
All Peaches are delicate and should be handled gently to prevent bruising. Do not leave them in the box they were picked in once you have reached home. Sort peaches; fruit that needs some time to ripen can be spread on a counter, not touching each other and not in the sun. Check their ripening progress frequently and discard any fruit that has started to spoil. Fruit that is ripe enough to use may be stored in the refrigerator to extend shelf life
Some helpful hints for your visit to the farm
-Wear comfortable clothes that can get dirty without care, and footwear that is comfortable for walking.
-Wear sunscreen and hats.
-We have new, handicapped accessible restrooms located between the Kitchen and Barnyard.
-We encourage you to reuse your picking trays. Wipe clean with a damp cloth after use, and bring back to fill again.
-We close the fields when there is lightning in the area for everyone's safety.
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