You know what really is a quintessential part of summer for us Brits (and I suspect the majority of the world)? Pick your own fruit farms. I love going and picking my own fruit with the kids, sure it’s more expensive than just buying it from the local supermarket but not only do you get a day out you also have the fun of making things when you get home. Most PYO have a lovely farm shop and café too so you really can make it a full day and then a good ole bake off when you land home – fresh air, lots of tasty, nutritious fruit and a skill… sounds like a parental tick list to me!
We went to The Balloon Tree Farm last week to pick our own fruit and create a tasty, no added sugar recipe for Robinsons. Robinsons products are uber popular in our home, there is real fruit in every droplet, it makes drinking water more fun for the kids (especially as Edith is currently on antibiotics so a slug of juice after she’s taken the absolutely vile suspension liquid helps get the taste out of her mouth) and the for myself and Adam, with less than 5 calories per glass and no added sugar, it sure beats the fizzy drinks Adam likes and the excessive amount of coffee I drink! We aren’t alone either 4 in 10 households in the UK buy Robinsons which means that 2 million glasses of water could be guzzled daily.
Back to the PYO though (now you know our goal in going) and I have a few tips for how to get the most out of PYO.
– Check the season. The Balloon Tree farm have a wonderful chart on their website that tells you when is the right time to go for which fruit. When we went it was all about the Raspberries and currents. The strawberries were amazing in the greenhouse but largely gone from outside and the blackberries were still just not *quite* ripe. We’re going to head back this week for them!
– Plan what you want to pick. We didn’t the first time and I am sad to say we ended up picking SO much, but no green beans! Next time, I have them on my list and I’ve got an idea of what I want to pick the most of.
– Look high, look low! Edith managed the fill up a whole basket on her own – purely because she was tootling along picking fruit from low down! I think we often forget to look low, we only stay at eye level so encourage your kids to get low down and look whilst you go high!
– Check it before you throw it in the basket – there will always be spoiled fruit on the bushes so check it before you put it in the basket. Roo kept picking up slightly overripe or mouldy raspberries… and in the greenhouse a little one (not mine – this time) had clearly taken a big bite out of a huge strawberry. It was hanging there rather sadly ha!
– To the back we go! When you first arrive at the field or the greenhouse, you immediately start picking right? NO! Walk past allllll the yummy offerings and go to the very end of the line or field, because everyone has the same idea as you and dives in so all the really good stuff is still waiting for people who haven’t filled up their baskets already!
Now I’ve shared my tips for picking, what about what to make?
Well in a bid to mirror the “no added sugar and real fruit” in our tasty Robinson’s drinks, I’ve come up with two desserts that are sugar free and super yummy.
Coconut milk panna cotta with strawberry
- 1 400ml tin coconut milk
- 1 200g pack of coconut cream
- 1 tsp Vanilla essence
- 1 12g sachet gelatin
- 100g strawberries
Honey to top if you choose.
Place the coconut milk, vanilla essence and coconut cream in a pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Allow to cool slightly and add the gelatin and stir until dissolved. I usually find a whisk is ideal for this. If it doesn’t dissolve well, gentle warm and whisk. Allow to cool slightly again.
Place in ramekins or room temperature glasses and then refrigerate for a minimum of 2hrs. Whilst that is happening purée your strawberries and place in the fridge. Once the panna cotta is set, take out of the fridge and top with a good inch or two of strawberry purée. Dig in!
You can drizzle over honey if you like but I just LOVE the tropical twist on the classic “strawberries and cream”.
Forest fruit yoghurt pop
- 50g raspberries
- 50g blueberries
- 50g strawberries
- 200ml Greek yogurt
Blend the ingredients in a blender. Strain through a sieve if your kids aren’t fans of “the bits” or don’t if they aren’t bothered.
Freeze as per the instructions on the popsicle maker. I use a Zoku pop maker so mine take 6mins for each set of 3 which is amazing and we love it.
What are your favourite fruits to pick? Do you have a local PYO farm you love?
H x
*ad
