U-pick
A U-pick or pick-your-own farm is a type of farm where customers are allowed to harvest their own produce.
U-pick in the USA
Since customers are allowed and often encouraged to eat while picking, an entry fee usually covers any produce customers may eat. Despite this, the produce at U-pick farms often cost lower since the cost of hiring farmers to harvest the produce is precluded.
Pick-your-own in the UK
In the UK, the customers are encouraged to pick their own but not consume produce while picking. Sampling is generally allowed while out on the fields, but PYO farms charge customers by the weight of produce they have picked. Some PYO farms charge a small refundable deposit on entry to discourage a minority of customers from eating produce without paying. Many farmers still pick for the market, while the public can enjoy themselves in the same fields. PYO was very popular in the 1970s and 1980s, when there was a season for fruit, but has declined in popularity now that the global market can provide the same fruit for most of the year. In the 2000s there has been a revival in local foods, and PYO has benefited from this.
Pick-your-own strawberries were pioneered in the UK by Ted Moult in 1961.