Don't like saying this about a small business but definitely one to avoid. We came to pick vegetables. Their Facebook post only three days ago said eggplants, zucchini, zucchini flowers, garlic shallots, green kale, purple kale, capsicum, yellow capsicum and continental parsley were available to pick. But the lady there today said that all those were picked clean yesterday because Saturday is their busiest day, all that was left were chillies and some eggplants that were mostly ruined by pests. Was the entire vegetable garden really picked clean only yesterday? Anyway, don't bother going veggie picking on a Sunday.
The farm itself is in terrible condition, totally unlike how you'd expect a public place of business to be kept. On the way in you pass an abandoned car, empty fuel drums and other old farm bits and pieces lying around. Torn bird coverings dangle from wires over the orchard. The vegetable patch looks forlorn, like somebody abandoned it and let the weeds take over. It's no defence that this is a 'working farm' or that it's chemical free - there are tidy farms and there are neglected farms. Whatever the reason, the farm is not a pleasant environment to be in, and defintely not worth the drive from Sydney to visit.
We picked a few pink ladies but they were expensive, especially when you add the entry fee. Clearly the vegetables are just a gimmick. Sure they're free of chemicals, but so are a lot of readily available organic veggies. To avoid disappointment, forget veggie picking, forget the Fruit Bowl and stick to well maintained Bilpin apple picking outfits like Saliba or Shields instead. read more