Yes, you can buy your fruits and vegetables at the grocery store or at the market, but picking them yourself is even better! Where to go and how to prepare to make sure you have a great day? We tell you everything!
An educational activity
U-pick is much more than strawberries in the summer and apples in the fall. Indeed, you can pick a wide variety of fruits (raspberries, blueberries, cherries, etc.) and vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, etc.) in the fields of different producers farms in the province, from May to October.
Pick your own fruits and vegetables is a great educational activity for children. This allows them not only to discover how the different foods grow, but also how they are harvested… and therefore all the work that this entails! By becoming familiar with fruits and vegetables in this way, children will be more likely to appreciate them when they find them on their plate. Moreover, we invite you to cook with your children after returning from a day of U-pick; the logical continuation of a great day spent with the family!
U-pick, picnic, mini-farm, etc
Because children can get tired quite quickly in the fields, several producers offer a range of activities to please the little ones: mini-farm, inflatable games, playground, tractor rides, etc. Everything is done to make you have a great day. So, take the opportunity to have a picnic. On the menu: sandwiches and harvests of the morning!
To bring for a nice day
In addition to your good mood and your picnic basket, here's what you should bring to make sure you have a great day:
- Sunscreen
- Mosquito Repellent
- Sting Cream
- Hat
- Closed Shoes
Where to go?
That's the question! With several hundred fruit and vegetable producers across the province, it's not easy to choose the ideal place to pick your own family. To guide you, several resources are available on the web. Here are a few:
Quebec Fresh Foods
For U-pick strawberries and raspberries, Les Fraîches du Québec is a must. All you have to do is select your region, the fruits you want to pick (strawberries, raspberries or both), then check the basket to access the producers who match your criteria in one click. Pictograms inform you about the complementary activitiesoffered by each (tractor ride, playground, etc.)
Pick your own.com
For U-pick in the Quebec region, the site Autocueillette.com contains the information you need. We tell you the foods and the times of the year when they are available, in addition to giving you information on the complementary activities offered by each producer.
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec (MAPAQ)
To find out all about U-pick in Estrie, the MAPAQ website has a list of producers in the region, products available for U-pick and complementary activities. Convenient!
Montérégie Tourism
To find out what to pick in Montérégie, and when to pick it, the Tourisme Montérégie website is there for you. The description of each of the producers in the region will inevitably help you to make a choice (or several!)
