We went strawberry picking last weekend with family and friends. It was the first time for all of us! We made it just in time at the end of the season, as all of the Shouldice pick-your-own (PYO) strawberry fields closed the next day. Berries are still available at the kiosks and farm markets until the end of the summer, as well as other fresh produce like potatoes and tomatoes and jams and salsas.
There was one employee to manage both kiosks (for PYO strawberries and fresh produce), who was friendly.
If you ever go for PYO, be sure to wear sunscreen, a hat that covers your ears, and proper footwear, and bring some water. It was 30+ degrees and sunny when we went, so it was quite a scorcher and there's no shade, so we were all hot, sweaty, and tired after about an hour of picking. Lots of straw mulch in our shoes after!
It was $20 for a medium basket, which at first I thought was kind of expensive, but it was actually a pretty large basket and considering how much strawberries are at the grocery store right now, it was a steal! The strawberries are much smaller, of course, but much sweeter. It took us awhile to pick them because a lot of them were rotten/moldy/just not great, especially at the beginning of each row, but there were plenty of good ones still left, you just had to work for 'em :) There are orange flags at the beginning of each row and you just move them to where you stopped picking.
Great activity for the whole family, including toddlers and seniors, but not very accessible. read more