Plum U-Pick Orchards in West Midlands 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.
Herefordshire
Shropshire
- Shawbury Fruit Farm - beetroot, blackberries,
broad beans, carrots, currants (red and black), gooseberries, plums,
raspberries (red), rhubarb, strawberries, tayberries, other field grown
vegetables, already-picked produce (of the pyo crop), picnic area
Edgebolton, Shawbury, Shrewsbury, SY4 4EL. Phone: 07985 934128. Email: brian-yorkfields@fsmail.net. Open: June, July, early August; Every day, 9:30 am to 5 pm. Directions: From Shrewsbury take A53 towards Market Drayton and Shawbury. Farm is on RHS of A53 1 mile beyond Shawbury. Payment: Cash, Cheque. (UPDATED: August 16, 2009)
Staffordshire
-
Essington Farm -
Minimizes chemical and pesticide use, corn (sweet), courgettes, plums, pumpkins, raspberries (Autumn,
black), rhubarb, strawberries, restrooms
Bognop Road, Essington, Wolverhampton,, WV11 2AZ. Phone: 01902 735724. Email: info@essingtonfarm.co.uk. Open: 10am to 4pm to seasonal. Open: Click here for current open hours, days and dates. Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. Directions: Directions From The North Take M6 South junction 11, A460 towards Wolverhampton, under the M54 left at 2nd roundabout into Bognop Road, Essington Fruit Farm 1 mile on left. Directions From The South Take M6 North junction 10a M54, Junction 1 M54, A460 towards Wolverhampton, left at 2nd roundabout into Bognop Road, Essington Fruit Farm 1 mile on left. Click here for a map and directions. We minimize use of pesticides and other chemicals. Payment: Cash, ApplePay, Debit cards. Click here for our Facebook page. Farm Shop, Butchery & Deli, Free-Range Pork, Pedigree Hereford Beef, Kitchen and Restaurant, Afternoon Tea and Private Parties. (UPDATED: June 29, 2020)
A visitor writes on October 30, 2011: "Visited this farm yesterday to choose our pumpkins. There was a free tractor ride to the patch itself and plenty of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. The kids enjoyed it and the people are nice. The pumpkins are more expensive than at patches we have visited in the past but that didn't stop us coming away with 12 lol. We would definitely recommend a visit to this PYO farm."
Warwickshire
Worcestershire
- Bell's Farm Shop and Pick Your Own - cherries, strawberries, plums, apricots, apples,
raspberries, blackcurrants, cauliflower, cabbages, calabrese, broad beans, courgettes, marrows and Dig Your Own potatoes.many different varieties of fruit
and vegetables for Pick Your Own
Worcester Road (A4025) Hartlebury, near Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire, DY13 9SA. Phone: 01299 251364. Open: 9 am to 5pm, fields close at 4:30 pm, 7 days a week, all year, you do not need to book to PYO we are operating a one way system with social distancing and hand sanitiser.. At Bell’s farm shop we are passionate about bringing you the taste of home grown fruit and vegetables and free range locally produced meat. Our family run farm with 40 acres of fruit and vegetables of pick your own and our fabulous farm shop including Little Black Pig butchery give you everything you need for delicious meals and treats. We champion other award winning local producers too with wine, beer, cider, spirits, cheese, cream, milk, bread, jams, chutneys, cakes, biscuits, icecream and much more to be found in our farm shop and online. Directions: n the Worcester to Stourport Road (A4025) near Hartlebury, turn off the A449 at the Mitre Oak and one mile along the A4025 our large car park and shop are signposted on the left hand side of the road. Pick some plums - we have Opal, Heron and Egg plums. (ADDED: 24 July 2020, JBS) -
Clive's
Fruit Farm
- Apples,
plums, pears, damsons sunberries, strawberries,
raspberries, Tayberries, gooseberries, courgettes, runner beans. Free range eggs.
Willingsworth Farmhouse, Upton upon Severn. Phone: 01684 592664. Email: info@clivesfruitfarm.co.uk. Directions: 1 mile out of Upton follow signs from B4211 towards Hanley Swan. A small family run farm, situated just outside the village of Upton. The farm grows a wide selection of fruits and vegetables for PYO, 'PYO' free range eggs, farm shop has ready picked produce, plus many farmyard attractions. Sunberries and damsons among the fruits available and of course, apples and pears, lots of varieties. Try our farm trail - fun for all the family and a quiz for the children. School parties welcome, please call to book. Members of the Worcestershire Country Fare. Own recipe book. In addition to the PYO, the farm shop has orchard fruits, soft fruits, fresh vegetables, cream, free range eggs, poultry, preserves, honey. Non-Food: 'Let's Get Fruity' recipe book with over 100 tried and tested favourite farm recipes for soft and orchard fruits. All our Strawberries are grown in "Table top troughs" filled with Peat, which means you can pick without bending down!! Strawberries and raspberries are all grown in tunnels, so should the weather turn inclement you and your pickings can remain dry. Cherries, plums, apples & pears are all grown in traditional orchards surrounding the farm.Facilities: Ample parking, scenic walks (SSSI area nearby, also walks around farm), picnic area, farm animals, easy access for disabled, toilets. A.k.a, "Bramble Berry Glamping". (UPDATED: 04 April 2016, JBS) (UPDATED: July 12, 2015, JBS) -
Court Farm & Leisure, - Apples, asparagus, beans, beets, blackberries, blueberries, broad beans, carrots, cherries, corn (sweet), cucumbers, currants (red and black), flowers, gooseberries, onions, other berries, pears, peas, peppers, plums, pumpkins, raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries, tayberries, tomatoes, other vegetables, Other fruit or veg
Court Farm & Leisure, Tillington, Hereford, Hereford and Worcester, HR4 8LG. Phone: 01432 760271. Fax: 01432 769090. Email: courtfarmleisure@tiscali.co.uk . Directions: From North Hereford, 2.5 miles on A4110 The farm entrance on left. We are open May, June, July, August, September, October. Our hours are: 9.30am-6.30pm daily (closing times may vary early and late season) Asparagus April-mid June Strawberries may-September Cherries Mid June-August Rasp-Mid June- September Plus many other fruit & vegetables through season Court Farm & Leisure is in the beautiful countryside of Hereford. We have a huge range of P.Y.O. Fruit and Vegetables, if you don't want to pick, then you can buy it in our farm shop along with lots of other yummy local produce. We have Garden Plants for sale, a Tea room, picnic area, Children's play area, Meet the farm animals, In season a Maize Maze. There are two Fishing lakes, and for those people looking for a thrill we have a fantastic Mountainboard centre. (UPDATED: July 15, 2015, JBS) -
Walsgrove Farm - Apples, blackberries, plums, Honey from hives on
the farm, U-pick and already picked
Evesham Road, Worcester, WR7 4QL. Phone: 01905 345371. Email: margaret@walsgrove.co.uk. Open: 9am to 6pm until end of first week in September and then evenings and weekends. Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. Directions: On the A44 near to the Berkeley Arms. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. (UPDATED: July 15, 2015, JBS) (UPDATED: August 14, 2011)
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