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Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Gnismer Farms in Arlington lets you pick-your-own strawberries

By Teresa Gubbins

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ARLINGTON — "Pick your own" farms -- where you can go and pick fresh fruit right off the bush, usually at a discount rate -- are a cult phenomenon of sorts. It's one of those things that people go crazy for, or else they've never heard of it at all. They're especially common in East Texas, where you can pick berries -- the blues, the blacks -- and stone fruit such as peaches.

But finding a pick-your-own farm in the Dallas-Fort-Worth-area, such as Gnismer Farms in Arlington, is rare. And even better, Gnismer grows strawberries. Strawberries that you can pick yourself (starting this Saturday, that is). Right off the vine! For $2.50 per pound.

Gnismer has been doing strawberries for about five years, says co-owner Cindy Remsing. (Gnismer backwards -- cute!) They have about a 10-acre spread in southwest Arlington, not far from Dalworthington Gardens, with about 2 acres dedicated to strawberries.

"Originally the farm was something our kids did, they'd grow watermelons and sell them at a stand on the side of the road," she says. "When they went off to college, we started with the strawberries, and this year we're adding blackberries, which will be ready to pick in May."

Usually, the strawberries are ready for picking in March, but the cool weather in February delayed harvest time by a month.

While you don't need to make a reservation to pick, it doesn't hurt to email (gnismer@att.net) and make sure there are enough berries to make the trip worth your while.

"It does get very busy during the holidays, such as Easter, when people are looking for something to do with the family," she says. "We do suggest that, if people are coming on Saturday or Sunday they come early, so there'll be more berries available."

Most of their berries are an old-fashioned variety that has no white center nor a hard part in the middle; it's all edible, and all sweet, but it's different from the larger, woodier (and some would say less flavorful) berries you find at the supermarket.

Customers get a box that holds up to 5 pounds, although they can pick as much or as little as they like. For those who'd rather not pick at all, Gnismer will sell the berries for $3 per pound, along with other fruits and vegetables.

You-pick season will open on April 6, Monday-Friday, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Gnismer Farms is at 3010 Bowen Road, Arlington. It's about 1-1/2 miles north of I20 on Bowen Road; look for the sign on left side. The number is 817-469-8704. Email: gnismer@att.net

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Comments

Laura Seewoester

Laura Seewoester Staff

I went to a "pick your own" blackberry farm in Wimberly once. It was fun. The blackberries were of course all organic, no pesticides, etc. They also came fortified with protein (little bugs).

1 year, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

luniz Anonymous

that sounds fun but I don't think I can make it this Saturday. If people pick everything this weekend, does that mean there won't be anything worth picking next weekend either?

1 year, 5 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

palmarez Anonymous

I wouldn't suggest anyone go to this place. The people who own it acted shamefully to myself and my family. I was shocked as we left,(without picking any berries) at thier entire disposition. From the beginning, we were waiting in line and we were directed to the other side of the booth to get baskets. We walked around and the man just looked at us and told us to hold on while he helped the next person in line(as if we hadn't been waiting in that same line). The man must have realized how rude he was because he appologized and I thought that was pretty decent of him and I said, "that's ok" and shrugged it off. The man came over to us with four, 5 lb boxes and started saying that the way it worked was that we had to pick 15 dollars worth of strawberries, or 5 pounds worth of berries or we weren't allowed to pick at all. He continued, saying that we must buy at least 5 pounds of berries when we leave, or no picking. I was confused because we had been there not even a week earlier and there was no stipulation on how many berries you had to pick. We just picked what we needed and paid by the scale. When I mentioned this to the man, he said rather sternly, that it was a "new rule." I thought... I have no use for 5 pounds of berries and I don't know a whole lot of people who buy that many when they DO buy them, but whatever, fine, no biggie...I'll give some away. Then the man looks at my kids(2 years old and 4 years)and looks back at me and says, "there will be no eating of any berries while picking and no stepping on the plants." Maybe this man thought I was just going to let my kids run wild or something, I don't know. I would never let my kids just trample the plants. I said,"Well I will do my best to try and keep them from eating any berries but I was under the impression that that was part of the fun of taking your kids strawberry picking." This obviously hit some sore spot with him because he went off on a tangent about how he was trying to run a business here and it was all thanks to little children eating berries while picking and trampling his plants that he lost so much money last year. He also warned me that earlier he had thrown a mother and her children out because she couldn't keep them "under control" and that really no children under 13 should be allowed to pick berries. I just raised my eyebrows as I looked out at all the toddlers and small children picking berries. I thought, oh man...I have two toddlers who just wanted to have fun and pick berries. Is this guy going to flip out if they sneak a few berries and I don't see them? All I knew is that I could try my hardest not to let them eat any, but I couldn't absolutly gaurantee that it wouldn't happen. I wasn't sure how to react...I just assured him that I would do my best to try and keep them from munching but, just in case I offered to pay extra to try and appease him. The man just pointed his finger in my face and said, "No. You WILL control your children or there won't be any strawberry picking!" I couldn't believe this man's behavior. My eyes just grew to the size of basket balls and all I could say was, "wow" over and over again. Then another woman working there came over and started chastising me as I was walking away with my family! I was like...what just happened here? Are these people for real? What kind of day must he have had? Was he just sitting in that hot booth too long? I could picture him on the edge of his seat, watching wobbly toddlers lose thier balance and land on a plants? I could just see him with a clenched jaw, shaking his head at small children as they try to enjoy their strawberry picking experience. I could imagine him scorning a little kid for not being reserved enough to resist a sweet, ripe strawberry in his tiny little hand. Making that little boy or girl feel like they commited a terrible crime for indulging in the simple and innocent pleasures of being a child for a brief moment. But I did learn a lesson from it all...I learned that I was foolish to take children strawberry picking. I learned that people are trying to run a business and children only get in the way. I also learned that no amount of accomodation or compromising on my part will ever be worth while to greedy, unhappy people who are only interested in making as much money as they possibly can...even if it means treating others terribly.

1 year, 4 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Steve Davis Verified

My girlfriend and I stopped by to pick blackberries at Gnismer Farms in Arlington. The farm was easy to get to and we found the owners to be friendly and helpful. Despite the rain we had an enjoyable time picking blackberries. We ended up picking 10 lbs!!! These berries were nothing like the wild blackberries that I picked in my youth. When we thought we were through, we would see more berries that we had to have. If you look at the price of a handful of berries at the local mart, you’ll realize the benefit of picking your own if you want to make a few pies, or make jam. Be aware that blackberry bushes will attack the unwary and have plenty of sharp thorns, but in my humble opinion the wounds were worth it. According to the owners, the young bushes will have berries higher off the ground next year. Also, they have plans for raspberry bushes next year. I hope they are able to do this, as it is prohibitive to buy raspberries at the local mart.

1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

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