On a spontaneous whim, I took my two girls, my teenage nephew and his friend to Fruits 'n Such Orchard yesterday evening. Me and 4 kids ranging in age from 5-15, all by myself. And guess what? It was a success! All four kids loved it. I highly recommend the experience for kids of all ages. We spent about an hour there from 6-7 pm, picking peaches (I believe they are about picked out by now though, so don’t anticipate a bucket full of peaches), blackberries, tomatoes, cucumbers and flowers. Here are a few tips if you make the trip to this hidden gem.
1. Bring buckets lined with a plastic bag. Buckets are available for purchase, but we had our own leftover from Easter. We did not, however, think ahead to line them with a plastic bag. I saw others who had more experience than me doing this, and after piling blackberries and juicy peaches in our buckets, I quickly realized the wisdom in this.
2. Bring a pair of scissors or small shears, as some things are difficult to pick (some tomatoes, flowers, etc.).
3. Wear tennis shoes in case it’s wet and just because, well, it’s a farm.
4. Herbs and flowers are free. It’s nice to leave a tip in the tip jar for this perk, so they can continue to offer it and plant more next year.
5. Bring water for the ride home. I didn’t do this, and my 5 year old could really have used a drink of water on the way home. She was, “soooooo thirsty!”. Evening time is definitely cooler than daytime for wandering and picking for long periods of time. But we are in Texas, and we still went home a little sweaty. Happy, but sweaty.
6. The staff is very friendly and helpful. They love to chat and offer tips. Ask questions and enjoy the experience with them. One helpful Fruits ‘n Such friend even chatted with my nephew about good ways to eat his haul of cucumbers, including Thousand Island Dressing. I’ll have to get the full story from him, so I will have a new idea for preparing the cucumbers.
7. Once you get to the checkout area, be prepared to shop for more yummy fruits and veggies, as there are some pre-picked goodies available. I saw small tubs of cherry tomatoes, peppers, herbs and more for only $3.50 (I believe they were 1 lb containers). There also could be some farm fresh eggs, as there were yesterday when we were there.
My daughters’ favorite part was blackberry picking. Right now, the bushes are full of huge, ripe blackberries. We spent the majority of our time going up and down the rows and rows of blackberry bushes, picking blackberries and dropping them in our buckets. When we were done we checked out for a little over $12. We had way more than $12 worth of fun, and came home with some tasty, healthy fruits and veggies. Cheap entertainment for four kids for an hour!
Fruits 'n Such is located at 6309 Dickinson Avenue in Dickinson. It's on a small country road off of 517 near the intersection of 146 and 517. Their phone number is 832-443-6733. I highly suggest calling ahead or checking for an update on their Facebook page as to their hours for the day you plan to go, the conditions, and what's available to pick. The hours vary day to day, but they are very good about posting them on their Facebook page. They are a family owned orchard, and are only open when there is something to pick (usually May and June).
