Thanks to the school / Kita break, we finally found a day where we can head out of Berlin and go fruit picking. Something I've been dreaming of doing since last summer. I picked one place out at random from my list of where to go fruit picking near Berlin and Selbstpflückeparadies Elisenau / Pomona Gartenbau (not the easiest title) came up so we headed out there.
We turned up at the farm expecting to find a cute farm offering a country style cafe to eat our lunch in but we quickly saw how wrong we were. You turn up to surroundings of fields but the main farm is more industrial looking with large, stark buildings and a rather tired looking farm shop called the Hofladen and definitely no cafe (we headed to nearby Bernau after for that elusive lunch.) All that said though, don't let it put you off. This may not be a place to spend a whole day out, however, the actual area where you go fruit picking is lovely and we found the staff helpful and friendly, he even made our son a paper aeroplane.
We travelled there by car which does seem to be the easiest way to go to this place (there is free parking on site) but their website does give the option of travelling via public transport to Bernau, with the fruit farm being 4km away.
Their website listed what fruits would be available to pick that day (we had the options of apple, blueberries, plums and sour cherries) and when in season, they also offer the option of pears, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries.
When you arrive, you tell the member of staff in the hut which type of fruit you are looking to pick (the man we had spoke English) and you can either bring your own containers to collect the fruit in or you can get containers directly from the farm for your fruit picking. They will then point you in the direction of where you need to go dependent on which type of fruit you are picking. Once you've gathered all you want, you then head back to the hut and have your fruit weighed for purchase.
When you arrive, you tell the member of staff in the hut which type of fruit you are looking to pick (the man we had spoke English) and you can either bring your own containers to collect the fruit in or you can get containers directly from the farm for your fruit picking. They will then point you in the direction of where you need to go dependent on which type of fruit you are picking. Once you've gathered all you want, you then head back to the hut and have your fruit weighed for purchase.
We found a few sets of steps around which came in useful so that our three year old could reach the fruit set in trees and he loved picking the fruits, especially tasting them along the way. I look forward to checking out the other fruit picking options near Berlin but we would definitely go here again.
If you want to go and check out Selbstpflücke Paridies Elisenau yourself, here are the details:
Selbstpflückeparadies Elisenau
Where: Helenenauer Weg 216356 Ahrensfelde
What's available to pick: strawberries, cherries, plums, raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries, apples, pears, blackberries,
Website
Selbstpflückeparadies Elisenau
Where: Helenenauer Weg 216356 Ahrensfelde
What's available to pick: strawberries, cherries, plums, raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries, apples, pears, blackberries,
Website
All photos by ©Sarah Winborn
