Be Aware Of The “Pickin’ Pass” When Picking Fruit In Western New York

Fruit picking season is here. In Western New York, you can get everything from strawberries and raspberries to blueberries and cherries right off the tree. They're fresh, and they're delicious. But if you're going, you should be aware, you might have to pay for what a lot of places call a "pickin' pass"

What is a 'pickin pass?'

This is new to me. We've been picking fruit at farms all over Western New York since we were kids and I've never seen one of these before. A 'pickin pass' is a fee that farms are charging now per person to go out in the field and pick the produce. It's normally just a couple bucks but it will add up if you bring the whole family.

Why do they have 'pickin passes' now?

You might be wondering, "If the farm is making money on the produce, why do they need to charge for a pickin' pass too?" There are a couple of reasons for that. The first is that I've almost never seen someone go out in a field full of fresh fruits and not sampled, even just a little. Everyone has to "test the fruit" before they buy it. Heck, I've seen people do it in grocery stores!

It's a form of entertainment for some people, too. You pay to go watch a movie. You pay to go to the beach. If you're spending time doing something fun, it's ok to support the place that's offering it to you.

Also, it takes a lot of money to run one of those farms. From equipment to tame the bushes and trees, to things that will keep the bugs off the fruit, all the employees, and everything in between. Paying those fees helps that farm to stay in business in many cases.

This summer, remember, farming is tough. When you're there, you're a guest on their land. If you'd prefer not to pay the fees, you can always just grow your own.