Plum U-Pick Orchards in Northern East Anglia in 2024, by county
Below are the PYO orchards and farms for plums that we know of in this area. Not all areas have plums orchards or farms that are open to the public. If you know of any others, please tell us using the add a farm form!
Remember to always check with the farm's own website or Facebook page before you go - or call or email them if they don't have a website or Facebook page. Conditions at the farms and crops can change literally overnight, so if you want to avoid a wasted trip out there - check with the farm directly before you go! If I cannot reach them, I DON'T GO!
PLEASE report closed farms, broken links and incorrect info using the "Report Corrections" form below.
Cambridgeshire
-
Hill Farm / J
F B Ivens - Strawberries, Raspberries, Gooseberries, Black / Red
Currants, plums, Tayberries,
Blackberries. Summer vegetables including Broad Beans, Spinach, Courgettes, Sweet
Corn, Pumpkins and Squash
Oundle Road, Chesterton, Peterborough, PE7 3UA. Phone: 01 733 233270. Open: June through October, Tuesday-Friday from 9am-6pm; Saturday and Sunday from 9am-5pm; CLOSED on Mondays (except Bank holidays); Bank holidays from 9am-5pm. Free entry and ample car parking. Refreshments. Toilets (including disabled facilites). Picnic area. Playground. Hill Farm Birds of Prey on display. Directions: On Oundle Road 200 yards West of Alwalton / A1 flyover. If approaching from A1 Northbound carriageway, turn off Left 1 mile North of junction 17. From A1 Southbound, turn off into Alwalton and follow signs to Chesterton. Payment: Debit/credit cards accepted (50p surcharge if under £10).Hill Farm is a family run business open from June-October offering ‘pick-your-own’ (PYO) and ‘ready picked’ soft fruit and vegetables -
ideal for freezing, jam and wine making, or just eating fresh. Set in attractive rural surroundings, on a hill overlooking Peterborough, the Farm also offers light refreshments and a playground. It also hosts a 5 van caravan site called Mound Lodge CL (certificated location). Picking seasons are weather dependent, so please note that this information is an approximate guide only. Please call for up to date crop information.
Gooseberries Early June to mid July
Strawberries Early June to early Aug
Raspberries (Summer) Late June to late July
Raspberries (Autumn) Early Aug to mid Oct
Blackcurants Early July to early Aug
Redcurrants Late June to mid Aug
Blackberries Mid July to Late Sept
plums Mid Aug to early Sept
Sweetcorn Early Sept to mid Oct
Pumpkins and squashes October. (UPDATED: 03 April 2016, JBS) (UPDATED: July 11, 2015, JBS) (UPDATED: July 21, 2009)
Norfolk
- Blofield PYO - Pick
Your Own Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, Tayberries,
Currants, plums, Sweet Peas when in season.
58 Yarmouth Road, Blofield Norwich. Phone: 07849 608662. Email: blofieldpyo@gmail.com. Open: from 20th May. Directions: A47 from Norwich/Great Yarmouth, at roundabout (Fina garage & Little Chef) take road to Blofield village, str. over traffic lights (by Kings Head ph), then 0.5miles to farm, rhs. Farm Shop, PYO and Garden Centre. Large range of PYO fruits and vegetables including plums, apples. Farm shop with meat, poultry & produce. Garden Centre, 'The Coffee Pot' serves light refreshments. Click here for a link to our Facebook page. (UPDATED: 03 April 2016, JBS) - Drove Orchards - apples, pears, plums, greengages, black currants, white currants, gooseberries,
jostaberries
Thornham Rd, Thornham, Hunstanton, Norfolk PE36 6LS. Phone: 01485 525652. Email: hello@droveorchards.com. Open: 10am to 4pm daily until end of October, see their website. Directions: Click here for a map and directions. Visitors to Drove Orchards can pick their own apples, pears, plums and greengages in season in the orchards, as well as black and white currants, gooseberries and jostaberries from our soft fruit beds. As our produce is all seasonal and weather dependent, please check with the Drove Orchards Farm Shop before making a special journey, by calling. With over 40 acres of orchards, a Farm Shop, fishmonger, lifestyle shopping, plant nursery, two restaurants and a play area, there’s something for all the family at Drove, just off the coast road between Holme and Thornham. Wander round the Heritage Orchards - there are over 160 varieties of apples and pears at Drove, and around 120 of these are East Anglian heritage varieties. Look out for the Norfolk Royal Russets, a variety which originated in nearby Burnham Overy Staithe, and Robert Blatchford apples, which originated just down the road in Hunstanton. Try our fruit juices, made with fruits grown and juiced and site, and buy homegrown produce from our orchards, kitchen gardens and soft fruit beds in season, from the Farm Shop. (ADDED: 9 October 2020, JBS) -
Hillfield Nursery - Minimizes
chemical and pesticide use, Apples, blackberries, currants (red
and black), pears, plums, Other fruit or veg,
Mill Lane, Thorpe-next-Haddiscoe, Norwich, NR14 6SW. Phone: 01508 548 306. Email: Hillfieldnursery@gmail.com. Open: all week 9am to 8:30pm. Click here for current open hours, days and dates. Directions: Click here for a map and directions. We minimize use of pesticides and other chemicals. Payment: Cash, Cheque, Debit cards, Visa/MasterCard. We have an incredible range of Pick Your Own fruits at Hillfield. With possibly the biggest range of fruit in East Anglia, there's bound to be something you like! Starting in May and finishing in October, its a great activity for the whole family. Children love picking fruit and it provides them with the education of where fruit comes from and how it grows- then you can take it home and eat it! Bring your own containers if you wish. Rhubarb - May-July, Gooseberries - June, Strawberries - June, Worcesterberries - July, Redcurrants July, Tayberries - June-, Blackcurrants -, Josterberries - July, Raspberries - July-September, Sunberries June, damsons Greengages, Blackberries and plums, 10 varieties of plums from July - mid September. 200 + Varieties of Apples! s. Pears - comice and conference, cooking pears. Quinces and Medlars - READY MID - LATE OCTOBER. Click here for a link to our Facebook page. (UPDATED: 03 April 2016, JBS) (ADDED: August 16, 2013) (UPDATED: August 17, 2013) -
Plumbe & Maufe Farming (a.k.a., Leith House Farm)
- plums, damsons greengages apples
Leith House Orchards, Lowes Lane, Burnham Overy Town, Norfolk PE31 8JL. Phone: 01328 738311. Email: pmfarming@tiscali.co.uk. Open: July, August, September. Their website doesn't explicitly say "PYO", so call before you go! (UPDATED: 03 April 2016, JBS) -
The White House - Strawberries, Gooseberries, Raspberries, Blackcurrants, Redcurrants,
plums, Cherries, Apples, Pears, Potatoes, Courgettes, Onions, Beetroot,
Pumpkins, Sweetcorn, Tomatoes, Squashes.
Blue Boar Lane, Sprowston, Norwich. Phone: 01603 419357. Email: thefarmer@norwich-pyo.co.uk. Open: late June to October on Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm ,Sundays from 10am to 4pm (closed on Mondays). Dogs are welcome, on leads, in the cafe and to sit by the fire. (Unattended children will be sold to the circus.) Debit and Credit cards accepted, plus cash back available. Minimum purchase is £2 per person if you enter the fields. Debit and Credit cards accepted. If you're looking for a fun day out for all of the family, why not come and pick your own fruit and vegetables on the north east corner of Norwich. White House Farm is the perfect place to visit when you're looking to pick your own produce and experience the farm first hand. Our farm is set in beautiful countryside on the very edge of the city, and is easily accessible for everyone. We do Pumpkins! Giant ones that you can barely carry, right down to baby ones that small children can pick. They are all grown on the farm, and have to be chosen and picked by the families. We sell our own pork and other foods sold locally.(UPDATED: June 20, 2018, JBS)
Suffolk
Plum, Damson and Gage Picking Tips, Recipes and Information
In the U.K., Plums Damsons and Gages typically peak during July for Sugar Plums; August for Blue, Yellow and Red Plums. In order to produce good local plums, producers depend on ideal spring and early summer weather conditions, and no late frosts. If you are looking for a plum festival, see this page.
Before you leave to go to the farm:
- Always call before you go to the farm - Plums are affected by weather (both rain and cooler temperature) more than most crops. And when they are in season, a large turnout can pick a field clean before noon, so CALL first!
- Leave early. On weekends, then fields may be picked clean by NOON!
-
Some growers furnish picking containers designed for plums, but they may
charge you for them; be sure to call before you go to see if you need to
bring
containers.
If you use your own containers, remember that heaping Plums more than 14 inches deep will bruise the fruit on the bottom. Plastic dishpans, metal oven pans with 3 inch tall sides and large pots make good containers. - Bring something to drink and a few snacks; you'd be surprised how you can work up a thirst and appetite! And don't forget hats and sunscreen for the sun. Bugs usually aren't a problem, but some deet might be good to bring along if it has been rainy.
- You might want to ask whether the plums are! There are two major types of plums: "Freestone" and. "Clingstone". Freestone plums have flesh that slips easily away from the pit. Clingstones are a REAL pain, because the fruit tenaciously clings to the stone or pit! Most plum varieties grown today are freestone and are usually available (depending upon your location) from June through September. Some nectarines are freestone and some are clingstone. Freestone nectarines are available in June and July. Most plum varieties are clingstone.
Tips on How to Pick Plums
A plum is softer than most fruit, so it is important to pick a plum gently, with little pressure. Using the sides of your fingers rather your fingertips helps to avoid bruising. Grab the plum firmly and pull it straight off the branch. DON'T drop the plum into the basket, but set it in gently!
Picking Tips:
How to tell if the plums are ripe!
- Attached to the tree: Plums are best picked when the fruit separates easily from the twigs. If it is hard to pull off the tree, it isn't ripe! Plums will not ripen further once removed from the tree (they only "soften")
- Color: Green is definitely unripe, but you can't use red color as an indicator of how ripe a plum is. Different plum varieties have differing colours, darker is usually better in any variety. Pick them when the ground color changes from green to yellow, orange, red or even blue or purple (or a combination).
- Softness: unless you like your plums very firm, pick your plums with just a little "give" when gently pressed. Plums at this stage are great for eating, freezing, and baking. Plums won't ripen very much after picking!
- Odor: It should smell sweet and ripe!
- Larger plums are riper.
- Sugar plums grow in clusters, so carefully select the plum you want out of the cluster.
- Place them gently in a shallow wide container, no more than 8-inches deep, to avoid crushing the fruit.
Marks on the Plums: Bugs (particularly squash bugs and stink bugs)
bite fruit during development and this results in some imperfections in the
plum. This is especially the case with organically raised fruit. These
look like dents in the plums if the plums were bitten by a bug when they
were young. This causes a spot that does not grow properly and makes a wrinkle
in the plum. There's nothing wrong with these plums. They may look funny, but
they will taste just as good as blemish-free plums, and it's better not to
have the pesticides!
When you get home
- Spread the fruit out on towels or newspapers and separate any mushy or damaged fruit to use immediately.
- Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash and cut the others and freeze them up!
- Even under ideal conditions plums will only keep for a week in a refrigerator, so for best flavor and texture, use them as soon as possible after purchase
Make preserves, can or freeze!
Easy directions, step by step, with photos
- plum jam
- plum jelly
- canned plums
- freeze plums
- canned plum pie filling to use in the winter
- plum pie recipe
- plum-blueberry pie
- plum salsa
- Plum chutney
- Spiced plums
- Plum butter
- Pickled plums
- Here are some great and easy plum desert recipes, like easy plum cobbler..
Plum dessert recipes
- Plum Cobbler
This recipe is easy and DELICIOUS!!! - Plum Torte
- Italian Prune Plums (Empress Plums)
How much do you need?
Raw measures:
- About 2 medium plums = 1/2 cup sliced plums.
- About 4 medium plums = 1 /2cup pureed plum.
- About 3 medium plums = 1 /2 pound of plums
Process yields (Raw amounts to processed amounts)
- 2 to 21/2 pounds of fresh plums yields 1 quart canned
- 1 lb of fresh plums typically yields 3 cups of peeled, sliced plums or 2 cups or puree.
- It takes about 10 plums to fill one quart jar of canned plums.
- An average of 171/2 pounds of fresh plums are needed per canner load of 7 quarts;
- An average of 11 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints.
- 1 bushel = 48 to 50 pounds, yields approximately 18 to 25 quart jars.
Plums-Average retail price per pound and per cup equivalent
Plum pit tips
It's best to remove plum pits before you cook the plums. Cherry, plum, and apricot pits also contain amygdalin; the latter two, in potentially harmful amounts. Fortunately, plum and apricot pits are sufficiently large and hard that few people intentionally swallow or chew them. (The unapproved anti-cancer drug Laetrile is a semisynthetic derivative of amygdalin; a cheaper version of laetrile produced in Mexico came from crushed apricot pits.) See this page for more information.
Nutritional Information
- plums are virtually fat free. A medium size plum contains less than one gram of fat.
- plums are naturally sodium free.
- plums have no cholesterol.
- plums are a low calorie snack. A medium size plum contains only 40 calories.
- plums contain vitamin A which helps us see in dim light.
- plums are considered a good source of fiber. The skin of a plum provides both roughage and fiber.
Temporary Storage Tips
- Ripe plums have a creamy or golden undertone and "plumy-sweet" fragrance.
- Plums should be refrigerated and used within a few days.
- Putting plums in a loosely closed paper bag at room temperature for a day or two can help soften firm fruit - but they won't become sweeter or ripen further - that stopped when they were removed from th etree.
- For best flavor, allow the fruit to ripen fully on the tree.
- Store at 33 F to 40 F and high humidity (a vegetable drawer in the fridge).
Click here for farmshops in this area