Pick-your-own farms

Rich pickings

Farmer Richard Simkin, of Essington Farm near Wolverhampton, calls the type of customers who form the bedrock of his pick-your-own (PYO) business 'pale green consumers'. These are people who care about issues such as food miles, supporting local producers, the provenance of their food, freshness and method of production, but who don't necessarily insist on organic produce.

The pleasurable act of pulling up tender carrots or plucking tender plums on a fine summer's day can affect you and the environment, especially if you also pick up a few local goodies from the PYO shop. Picking your own allows you to get closer to nature and the food will taste better because it's so fresh. Serve your freshly picked carrots with local lamb and you’re cooking food with its own sense of terroir.

How different from cruising around the local supermarket where there's no birdsong, no warm scented earth or lush grass. Picking your own also has the added advantages of using less packaging, consuming fewer air miles and supporting local economies. The benefits extend to small farms that supply the PYO shops with milk, meat or other produce, and which may thrive on the back of this extra business, all of which helps to maintain the countryside and rural communities.

The beginnings of PYO

Today, there are about 1,000 PYO farms, mostly on the outskirts of major cities. Although farms have always sold eggs and other produce from their gates, the concept of picking your own produce originated in the 1950s with a handful of fruit farmers keen to supplement their income, which came principally from the regional wholesale markets.

The arrival of large domestic freezers in the 1970s kick-started the PYO movement. It's estimated that in the 1970s there were about 10,000 farms offering PYO to customers. No planning permission was needed, only a couple of acres of strawberries, a place to pay and somewhere to park.

Decline and rise

The 1980s were a pivotal period for farmers in Britain. The old world order disappeared as EC rules and quotas took hold and supermarkets tightened their grip across the country.

Many small independent shops disappeared, hastening the collapse of the regional wholesale markets. Supermarkets centralised their buying and bought from source. Consumers no longer felt the need to fill their freezers with raspberries when they could buy them fresh year-round from the supermarket. The majority of PYOs closed their gates.

Strangely, it was at this wobbly moment that many of today’s PYO farms were set up. "We started with two acres of strawberries in 1985," recalls Carole Ludlam of Cattows Farm Shop in Leicestershire. "Our farm was 300 acres with a dairy herd, beef cattle and corn.

"The strawberries were supposed to be our holiday money, but they were so successful we realised that they could prop up the rest of the farm." Gradually, 25 acres were planted with soft fruit and vegetables and a farm shop and café built. The dairy herd was sold and they branched out into breeding their own Saddleback pigs, the produce of which they sold in their farm shop alongside other locally produced food from neighbouring farms.

More funds were needed to build a butchery, so they converted 100 acres of their land into National Forest, which will help give them the extra money they need and edge them closer to a carbon-neutral footprint.

Local support

The Ludlam's story is typical of many farms, be they market gardeners, fruit farmers or mixed arable. Crops grown for PYO vary. Some, such as Garsons Fruit Farm in Esher, Surrey, grow as many as 40 PYO crops ranging from courgettes and cauliflowers to gooseberries and plums.

The majority have also developed farm shops, often with a café attached. Many sell other local produce or develop their own products such as cider and apple juice, as well as supporting local artisan bakers or cheese-makers, and joining local farmers' markets.

Many have also begun to expand their farms into livestock, eggs and butchery. Ironically, Clives Fruit Farm in Worcestershire now even sells its mulled apple juice to the local Waitrose. As a result of this close rural mesh, customers treat their nearest PYO as a local shop and choose to pick small amounts of produce on a weekly basis.

The PYO code

Serious pickers should visit their local PYOs later in the week or early on in the weekend, before the weekend rush begins. Most PYO farms are competitively priced in comparison with local supermarkets during the height of each crop's season, so superlative-tasting food can be bought for a surprisingly low price.

Pick carefully to avoid damage to the plants or trees. Choose fruit and vegetables that are ripe and undamaged and avoid bruised or over-ripe crops. Peas and broad beans are best eaten when young and tender, although they make a lovely soup if a little fat.

The size and shape of most other crops, particularly fruit, doesn't usually matter, as it doesn't affect their flavour. Luckily, you can taste most things before picking. Pack carefully, so as not to squash and bruise the produce, especially if they're quietly sweltering in a hot car while you enjoy a well-earned slice of cake in the farm café.

Preserving your harvest

Much enjoyment is to be found in preserving excess pickings, especially in jams, chutneys and pickles. Cordials and fruit gins are a delicious way of using up excess soft and stone fruit such as strawberries, raspberries, currants, gooseberries, blackberries, damsons and plums. Fruit 'cheeses' made from plums, damsons, apples, quinces and pears are ideal for eating in the winter.

Drying fruit is another way of preserving and adding depth to your cooking. Try slowly drying finely sliced apples, tomatoes and peppers or even strawberries at a very low temperature in an oven or Aga.

Recipes

The PYO season usually runs from May to October, although farm shops stay open throughout the year. Make the most of your fresh produce with these dishes:

Berries

• Summer pudding (video recipe) by Sophie Grigson from Get Cooking
• Strawberry jam (video recipe) by Sophie Grigson from Get Cooking
• Rich scones (video recipe) by Lesley Waters from Get Cooking
• Gooseberry and elderflower parfait by Burrastow House Hotel
• Strawberry and mint salsa by Antony Worrall Thompson
• Raspberry and redcurrant sorbet by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Orchard fruits

• Baked apples by Simon Rimmer
• Damson cobbler by Rick Stein
• Almond and greengage crumble by Nigel Slater
• Chunky apple crumble (video recipe) by Lesley Waters from Get Cooking

Vegetables

• Carrots glazed with cumin and orange by Heston Blumenthal
• Smashed peas with cold ham by Tom Norrington-Davies
• Preserved courgettes by Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi
• Artichoke and broad bean salad with preserved lemon by Claudia Roden

You can search the BBC Food recipe database for more recipes.