NOTE: This Post was written in 2016. As such, the content in the review below may be outdated. Please look out for updated content on this location in the near future!
We are fortunate to have so many local farms in this region, and many with pick your own fruit. One of my favorite farms is right in my own backyard, Easy Pickins’ Orchard.
Before I moved to Enfield, Easy Pickins’ was always my first choice for blueberry picking. I would travel from Vernon every July to pick tons of blueberries so I could make jam. Then when I moved to Enfield, I was delighted to discover that I lived just five minutes away! We love the farm so much. The farmers are so friendly, they have an amazing CSA program and it’s just such a beautiful farm.
Easy Pickins’ is tucked away on Bailey Road in Enfield, which is a residential street off of Rte. 191.
The road is a dead end, but at the end is Easy Pickins’. You’ll have to drive through a residential neighborhood, so be mindful of your speed!
The entrance to the farm is just past the white farmhouse on the right. You’ll see signs pointing you towards the new entrance.
There is a big driveway to enter, stay towards the right. Follow the path and signs, and eventually you will reach the open field to park.
The pick your own stand is under the big tent. You’ll be able to find out what is picking that day, as well as pick up a wagon and bucket (if needed) and get instructions from the Farmer. They also have some items for sale at the farm stand. This is also where you will pay when you have finished picking.
A few instructions before you enter the field! Note that they do NOT take credit or debit cards. So plan ahead and bring either cash or your checkbook. They also do not allow pets in the fields.
I was equipped with my snazzy blueberry bucket and sent on my way!
To get to the blueberry fields, you have to walk through the apple orchard. It’s a little bit of a walk, but very easy. With a stroller, it is a little tough to get through the grass, but again, doable. I have a sturdy off-roader for that reason! As you can see, they also have a large apple orchard, and usually offer pick your own apples as well. A future fall trip for us!
The blueberry bushes are under netting, to keep away the birds and other critters. I was instructed to head towards the right, and enter at the opening in the netting at the end. Since it was just the beginning of the season, they had plenty of berries to pick!
Beautiful blueberries!
The farm is totally family friendly and they are happy to see your children in the field. They even offered my boy his own picking bucket… but blueberries, hands that squish things, blue hands… it just didn’t sound appealing at all for this mommy! He had a good time watching from his stroller instead!
I picked a good two buckets worth, and since it was getting rather hot at 4:30 in the afternoon, we called it a day. I decided to be nice and let my child run free once we exited the blueberry fields.
They were kind to transfer all my pickings to a cardboard box for transport! We paid, and also picked up our CSA, and headed home with all our blueberry goodness!
And then we jammed.
A few things to add about Easy Pickins’ Orchard. They use an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach to farming. From their website: “With IPM, we use some of the best organic methods and limit our use of conventional pesticides, to grow the highest quality and safest produce we can. We are enrolled in an up-to-date IPM program with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS); scientists from the University of Connecticut come to our farm on a regular basis, to test our crops and to instruct us on the latest techniques to maintain sustainable, safe food production.”
They also offer a yearly CSA (farm share program) that we participate in. It is one of the few farms in this area that includes fruit with their weekly farm share, which is a delight! They include some of the best quality produce in their weekly share, and a really nice variety as well. Here is just a sample of one of our pickups. For more information, visit their website.
Easy Pickins’ is one of my favorite places in Enfield. It is definitely worth a visit for either blueberry, apple or vegetable picking. Be sure to check their website for up to date picking information. They also participate in many area farmers markets, including the incredible Coventry Farmers Market on Sundays.
So, make a plan to come up to Enfield “where the pickins easy!”
This about sums it up…
46 Bailey Road, Enfield, Connecticut
Hours:
2018 Schedule:
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 9:00am – 12:00 noon
*Tuesday & Thursday: 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
See their website for an up to date schedule.
Features:
- Pick your own Fruits and Vegetables
- Family friendly
- Cash or check only – no credit cards
- Strollers can be difficult to maneuver in some areas
- Sunny (it is a farm!)
- Large parking area
- Port-a-potty on site – no changing table
