Snyder’s Farm Expands ‘Pick Your Own’ Offerings
Emre Demirbay smiled as he bent over and plucked a ruby red tomato from one of many hanging from a row of plants.
“That’s a good one,” he said to his wife, Demi, as he placed the tomato in the basket she was holding.
The Demirbays – along with their children, Su and Denir – were just some of the people who stopped by Snyder’s Farm, 635 South Middlebush Rd. on a recent weekend afternoon to pick their own vegetables.
The farm’s owners, John and Ray Snyder, started a pick your own program last spring, with the first offerings being blueberries.
Tis spring, the crop was expanded to include strawberries, and then, at the end of July, vegetables.
Customers can pick their own vegetables on Saturdays and Sundays through at least mid-September, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
That could change, deepening on traffic said the farm’s Beth Savaryn.
“Because we are just starting out, days and times will change from year to year as we get a bigger following,” she said in an email. “Best thing to do is check our website and click on the Facebook tab to get all up to date times and picking schedules.”
The vegetables are sold by the pound. The farm offers a variety, everything from tomatoes to collard greens to string beans and snow pea pods.
Those who choose to pick their own, such as the Demirbays, say they do so for a number of reasons.
“It’s an activity with the kids,” Emre Demibray said. “They can see how the vegetables grow, so it’s kind of educational.”
“Plus, we’re walking around outside, getting fresh air, instead of staying indoors,” he said. “Best of all, we’re getting fresh vegetables.”
Demirbay said his family visits pick-your-own farms between 10 and 15 times a season.
“We wait for this,” he said. “We love it.”
For those who don’t wish to pick their own, Snyder’s offers a farm stand that will be open through the second or third week of September. The stand’s hours are 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., MOnday through Friday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.