Consumers connect to food chain by picking their own

By David Blanchette C ONTRIBUTOR

You can’t get closer to your food source than when you pick it yourself, and many consumers are doing just that at you­pick produce operations that will bloom again with the growing season’s arrival.

Small, local farms where fruits and vegetables can be selected, purchased and taken home directly from the grower have been gaining in popularity since the COVID­19 pandemic raised people’s awareness of food supply safety. But now in addition to safety it’s also about freshness, flavor and supporting local farmers.

Central Illinois features several you­pick operations where consumers can harvest their own berries in the spring or apples and pumpkins in the fall, and there are also outlets where you can purchase produce that has been locally grown and delivered at the peak of freshness.

The granddaddy of all area you­pick operations is Jefferies Orchard in Sangamon County, which has been offering consumerharvested strawberries since the 1940s.

“Because we’ve been doing this so long we hear grandparents tell their grandchildren, ‘I picked strawberries here when I was a kid,’” said Pam Jefferies, who co­owns Jefferies Orchard with her husband Dale. “We were one of the first you­pick strawberry farms in Illinois.”

The you­pick strawberry season at Jefferies generally starts around Memorial Day and lasts about two weeks, but can be as early as the middle of May to the first few weeks of June because it depends on the spring weather. Jefferies al­ so offers you­pick blueberries.

“You pick the berries when they’re pretty ripe and they are only being handled once, by the actual consumer of the fruit,” Jefferies said. “They are totally different varieties than what you see at the grocery store that are from Califor­ nia, Florida and South America that are specifically bred to travel. You can tell the difference when you cut into them.”

Jefferies Orchard also grows “everything from asparagus to zucchini” on their 300­acre farm, and the market that is part of the operation sells in­sea­ son produce that is growerpicked and ready for purchase. The farm is not certified organic but it’s close, and “we scout for pests and don’t apply any chemicals if we don’t need to, so 99 percent of the time those plants haven’t had anything applied to them,” Jefferies said.

Visit jefferies­orchard.com to monitor when you­pick strawberry season begins, or to find out what fresh pre­picked produce is available in their market.

The new you­pick kid on the block is Greene Fields Farm near Greenfield, which started with youpick pumpkins in 2016 and added you­pick apples in 2019. Their 1,000 apple trees and more than 180 varieties of pumpkins, gourds and squash continue to be a fall­season draw for visitors, and for the past two years Greene Fields Farm has offered flowers as well, with zinnias and sunflowers ready for picking.

“We really focus on youpick, that is what really drives our whole farm from the wagons we give people, how we lay out the fields and where we put things,” said Regan Joehl, who co­owns the operation with his wife Christie. “We want people to have that experience, that connection to the land, picking something right off the vine or branch and taking it with them.”

During picking season the farm offers children’s activities and concessions featuring treats made from their products, such as caramel apples. There are also some ready­picked apples and pumpkins for those who don’t want to venture into the field to pick their own. But the main focus at the farm remains on getting people back to the land.

“That connection people want to have to the land, not to get their pumpkin out of a bin at a supermarket but to cut it off the vine and take it with them,” Joehl said. “They are finding something, that rooted connection to the land. For them to discover that, even for a couple of days a year, is an awesome thing.”

“One of my favorite things is going out in the patch on a Sunday afternoon when we are open in the fall and just listening to people,” Joehl said. “They are laughing, giggling, there’s all generations, just seeing the joy that they have coming out and doing it together.”