Incorporating exercise into your routine doesn’t always have to include weight lifting, running or biking. In fact, it doesn’t have to look like exercise at all.
Supplement your gym time with an active day out with your family harvesting fruits and vegetables to later turn into a delicious and nutritious meal. It’s a great way to get in a nontraditional workout when the weather is warm.
A 190-pound man can burn up to 194 calories per half hour of picking fruit off trees, gleaning, climbing a ladder and picking ground fruits and vegetables, while a 163-pound woman can burn up to 166 calories. That’s a similar calorie burn to riding a bicycle leisurely for the same amount of time, plus you’re gaining a bushel full of healthy foods in the process.
Here are a few places in the Philadelphia region where you and your family can pick a wide variety of fruits and vegetables:
Pennsylvania
Highland Orchards
West Chester
Highland Orchards has apples, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, sweet corn, nectarines, pears, peaches, peppers, plums, pumpkins, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries, tomatoes and more available to pick throughout the growing season. Learn more about picking schedules at the Highland Orchards website.
Indian Orchards
Media
Indian Orchards has apples, apricots, beans, blackberries, blueberries, carrots, figs, melons, nectarines, pears, peas, peaches, peppers, plums, pumpkins, raspberries, summer squash, winter squash, tomatoes and more available to pick throughout the growing season. Check the Indian Orchards website for availability.
Linvilla Orchards
Media
Linvilla Orchards allows visitors to pick their own apples, apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, blueberries, strawberries, corn, tomatoes, peppers and more. Check the Linvilla Orchards website for availability.
Penn Vermont Fruit Farm
Bedminster
Penn Vermont Fruit Farm has beans, blackberries, broad beans, peas, pumpkins, raspberries and strawberries at different times throughout the spring, summer and fall. Visit Penn Vermont’s Facebook page to see updated picking dates.
Solly Farm
Warminster
Solly Farm invites visitors to pick strawberries, peas, peaches, tomatoes, beans, corn, cucumbers, squash, apples, eggplant and more. Check the Solly Farm’s website for picking dates and crop availability.
Styer Orchard
Langhorne
Styer Orchard offers pick-your-own apples, asparagus, apricots, blackberries, cherries, sweet corn, grapes, herbs and spices, nectarines, pears, peaches, plums, pumpkins, summer squash, winter squash, strawberries and more. Visit Styer Orchard’s website for picking schedules.
New Jersey
Johnson's Corner Farm
Medford
Johnson’s Corner Farm invites visitors to pick their own strawberries, cherries, sugar snap peas, apples pumpkins, sweet potatoes and more. Their sister farm in Jobstown, N.J., also offers pick-your-own broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, radishes and corn. Find picking schedules on the Johnson’s Corner Farm's website.
Mood’s Farm Market
Mullica Hill
Mood’s has pick-your-own blueberries, blackberries, cherries, grapes, raspberries, peaches, plums, pears, nectarines, apples and pumpkins. Check the Mood’s Farm Market website for crop availability and picking dates.
Specca Farms
Bordentown
Specca Farms’ guests are welcome to pick their own broccoli raab, strawberries, kale, leeks, beets, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, okra, and more. See updated crop availability throughout the season on Specca Farms’ Facebook page.