Brentwood Peach & Cherry picking
Sunday, June 15th, 2008We went to Brentwood on Saturday 6/14 for some family fun picking fruits. We visited 3 farms: Baccini’s for peaches, Chan’s for strawberries, Nunn Better for cherries. Overall, it was a good experience, however, we think Brentwood farms can take a few lessons from Casa de Fruita and Napa wineries to make a “richer” experience for themselves and the visitors.
We had brunch at Perkos Cafe and Grill (7 of 10). The place was ranked as the local top favorite cafe every year. The food was ok, price was higher than what I’d expect to pay at a ‘farming town’ (about $50 for 4 people). 
Baccini’s peach picking was fun & delicious (7 of 10)
- This was the first farm we visited, it was on our top list based on the U-pick map. We were hoping to pick cherries, but they ran out already, and only had peaches left. We went in anyway, it was fun. The peaces were juicy and delicious. We picked a bunch and it only cost about $10. There was no minimum.
- The people were nice. We asked about cherries, they were kind enough to direct us to “Nunn Better” at the other side of the town.
Chan’s Fruitstand did not stand a chance (2 of 10)
- On the way to “Nun Better”, we stopped by Chan’s Fruitstand since they had nice big strawberry signs which sounded fun.
- As we got closer, it did not look very friendly… minimum 2 lb per person, “no stealing”, blah blah blah. We were turned off from the negative ‘rules’.
- If we don’t even know how the strawberry looks like and tast like, how can we promise to pick 2 lb per person? Strawberries rots quickly, how can we consume 8 lbs in a couple of days? We left without trying.
Nunn Better is better (8 of 10)
- We finally got to Nunn Better. There were lots of cherry trees, with lots of ripen & sweat cherries within reach. There are also many ladders to reach to the higher branches. It was great.
- We ate a bunch, had a spitting contest. We also picked a lot so we can took some back to share with church friends and coworkers. Everyone had a great time.
Brentwood - Overall, Brentwood farms can take a couple of lessons from Casa de Fruita and the Napa wineries. Why stay at the bottom of the “fruit-chain?” Here are some ideas/suggestions:
- target families with kids
- make it educational for different age groups with some informational stuff like: different types of cherries, growing process, etc.
- make it (more) fun
- make more money with some value added services: how about some water; some place to wash the fruits; nice restrooms; a cup of coffee with fresh fruit pie; cherry, peach or strawberry icy drink on a hot day; fruit jams, fruit cakes, fruit … (think Casa de Fruita)
- link multiple farms together (like what we did) and make it a whole day “experience”
Overall, it was a fun day picking cherries and peaches at Brentwood for the family. The area can take a lesson from Napa or Casa de Fruita and make it a richer experience for the visitors.