Feedback about pick your own farms and orchards in the Dallas - Ft. Worth area of Texas for fruit, vegetables, pumpkins and Christmas trees.

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Feedback about pick your own farms and orchards in the Dallas - Ft. Worth area of Texas for fruit, vegetables, pumpkins and Christmas trees.

Comments from visitors - about U-Pick Farms and Orchards, sorted by county

Tarrant County

• Gnismer Farms -Strawberries, Tomatoes, Watermelon and Cantaloupe
  3010 South Bowen Road, Arlington, Texas, 76016. Phone: 817-469-8704. Email: gnismer@att.net.
  13 positive comments, 2 negative:
  • *April 26, 2008: What a wonderful place to visit. These people are passionate about what they do. We had a delightful afrenoon picking strawberries, and then got ot talk to the owners about their philosophy, other products and the meaning of life. We ended coming away with 14lbs of strawberries, some delicious onions and leeks, freshly dug, some lettuce - freshly cut and honey. Wow what a bounty and an education too.
  • *April 24, 2008: My granddaughter and I picked berries this week. We found the berries to be wonderful and sweet- the layout to be easy to use. The people there were very friendly and helpful. They even took the time to tell me about soil amendments they were using. I was given no limit and we each picked a box full. I do think from what I saw that some parents think it is a playground. A well-behaved child of 4-5 or older might be able to learn to pick berries properly but you will need a sitter for those younger. They had packaged berries for those of you w/o sitter options.
  • *April 22, 2008: I loved the farm. I always get fantastic strawberries, and other produce. I love taking little ones because they always have a ball and they are sound asleep on the ride home. The staff there is super nice!!! Thanks so much for the website, without it I would have never known!!
  • *June 3, 2007: Dawn writes: My family and I had a wonderful time last weekend at Gnismer Farms. We had a great, albiet muddy, time due to the rain and went away with some wonderful blackberries that made the most delicious jam, jelly and syrup.
    Upon arrival to the farm, I commented to the owner that I had found his farm through this website and had read the comments about the farm. He quickly replied that there were both good and bad comments and that he tries his best to please everyone. I found his response to be both honest and humble. I also saw that he did his best to instruct everyone in the proper technique to pick the fruit and explained honestly that eating the berries in the field is, plain and simple, eating his profit.
    Yes, he was a bit gruff and rough around the edges. But I took his attitude to be that he cared about his crops and wanted the experience to be good for everyone involved.
    I definitely will be back to support this local farmer and hope more people learn about the wonderful fruit and vegetables offered by local growers.
  • *June 3, 2007: P writes: I read some of the reviews of this place and I feel obligated to report about our experience today. We went to pick blackberries and strawberries and had a GREAT time!! Everyone was so nice and there were no weird rules in place. In fact, a minimum was never imposed and no one said a thing about not snacking or walking on the plants. All in all, we had a wonderful time and will definitely go back.
  • *May 31, 2007: (anonymous): I was interested in reading the experiences about this farm. We had a similar experience. No one explained "the rules" when we visited. The owner saw my 10-year-old son jump over a row. The owner ran out to the field screaming at us. He screamed at us and told us to get our "a$$" off his property and if we ever came back, he would call the police. When we explained that no one told us about the rules, he basically called us liars. We have a name for this guy. We call him the "Strawberry Nazi."
  • *April 21, 2007: (anonymous): I wouldn't suggest you recommend this place to people. 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 their 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 apologized and I thought that was pretty December ent 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 absolutely guarantee 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 their 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 committed 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 accommodation 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.

  • April 21, 2007: The farm responds: We serve over 1500 customers a day, and most people follow directions, the person that wrote you is a customer that comes in and allows her children eat strawberries for and hour and a half while sitting in the field on a towel. Customers complained about food safety and we now have a policy of not eating in the fields. If we allow eating and dropping of un-eaten in the fields, product safety is an issue with other customers.
  • *April 21, 2007: Hi, we went to this farm today and while I didn't have the same experience as the other lady, I would not say they were super friendly about the kids. When we went in they told us a few things since I had noted it was our first time. The man said they asked us to buy a box full, which was about $15. Our's was over flowing when we left and it was $16.23. He asked that we stay in the rows between the plants and be careful not to trample the plants so others would have strawberries to pick. He didn't specifically say anything about the kids (mine are 16 mo and 4 1/2) but he did look specifically at them when noting not to trample the plants. Other than that he said nothing about sampling and the such. I can understand the rule on trampling the plants. He wasn't rude, just not overly nice or friendly. Thanks.
  • *April 22, 2007 (Jodi, a visitor): I am so disappointed to see such an awful review of this farm since it is a wonderful place for picking! Their strawberries are amazingly good and the people who were working the farm were very friendly. We had three small children with us, two of whom ate plenty of strawberries (and were quite obvious about it) and we never had a problem at all. We didn't have a quota we had to meet. The gentleman working the booth gave us standard safety instructions to ensure their plants and our bodies would come to no harm. I would highly recommend Gnismer Farms to anyone looking for fresh strawberries (they're organic, too!). We will be going back often!!
  • *April 22, 2007 (Christine, a visitor): I went last week to pick strawberries, with two toddlers in tow. We had a fantastic time, were not subjected to any rules that seemed unreasonable, and my kids munched their little hearts out while I filled up the box with the most luscious, sweet-smelling, perfect strawberries I've seen in a long time. I'm planning to go back again sometime next week.The people working at Gnismer Farm were friendly and helpful - overall it was a wonderful experience and I will continue to recommend them over and over again.
  • *April 22, 2007 (Pam, a visitor): My family and I visited the farm last week. I was shocked to read the other feedback messages, because we had a pleasant time. The gentleman who runs the farm was a gruff man - but not unkind in the least! He stated the rules: 1) only use Gnismer flat boxes, 2) no tramping between plants, 3) only pick from the north patch, 4) pick large AND small berries - if you pick only large you will be charged double, and 5) you're allowed to only taste ONE berry.
    I didn't have a problem with that - and neither did my kids. I don't have kids who can't respect other people's property. They're 8, 4, and 1. The oldest two understood that they were only allowed to eat ONE BERRY, and to eat another would be stealing. My youngest is too young to understand any of that, so I had him in the stroller. I think it's shameful to blast a farm for being "rude", simply because you don't have the desire to control children.
    We also didn't have a minimum purchase requirement. The gentleman gave us all boxes, and said that we didn't have to fill them all - that he would combine them if we needed to. We walked out of there with 10 lbs of berries!
    We had a wonderful experience - so wonderful that we're going back on Monday!! Thank you Gnismer Farms for providing us an opportunity to have organic berries at a great price, and a nice family outing as well!
  • *April 23, 2007: My four children (ages 11,9,7 and 5)and I enjoyed our experience at the Gnismer berry farm. We found the instructions clear and the berries delicious. I found the staff friendly and available to answer any questions. It was a great field trip and we will certainly go back!
  • *April 26, 2007 (Juliet, a visitor): I read the feedback on Gnismer Farms, and thought I should add that we found them not completely kid-friendly, too. I personally had no conflict with the owner, but the friend I went with had her well-behaved children several yards away from her and got a rather rude lecture from the owner. We had some trouble getting his attention so we could get boxes, too. Once we had his attention, he gave us a run-down on the rules, which was fine, but went on so long that I think he lost the kids' attention, and I frankly didn't know when he was done so we could go pick berries. On the other hand, the berry patch itself was lovely, the berries were very tasty, and the price was reasonable. Honestly, though, for the pick-your-own experience I'd rather they charge a smidge more and be a little more laid back. I think we'd drive farther out next time and find somewhere where they're actually glad to see the kids.
  • *May 7, 2007: From Kristian, a visitor: I had visited this farm for my first time. I actually called ahead to find out if they were still open due to the rain. The man answered the phone and he gave me "the lecture" over the phone that lasted 15 minutes. Once we got there, I got out of the van first to make sure once again that they were open. Since they were open I went back to the van and grabbed my 5 boys to start picking berries. Their eyes went wide as they all piled out of the van. We all stopped by to grab our baskets and the man asked if this was our first time. I knew that "the lecture" was about to happen so I simply smiled and said it was and that I spoke with him earlier over the phone extensively over the rules and that my boys are fully aware of the do's and dont's. I walked off to avoid any further lecture. I agree with most people that the berries were fantastic!! They were so full of flavor, plump and juicy. The price was reasonable as well. The man was a bit firm and it would help if he relaxed a little more and smiled a lot! I understand that he has a business to run. Yet, there is nothing more inviting than a warm smile. I will be going back again soon.
  • *November 13, 2006: Comments from a visitor: "I love the fresh variety of veggies at this local farm. It sits on acreage in the center of the City, and gives me that old feeling Arlington once had - full of farms and farmland! The owners are fabulous people. If you are ever in Arlington, you simply must go there!"

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Blake: The truth of the encounter is often somewhere between the customer's and the farm's descriptions. But it's certainly tough to have a pyo farm in an urban area where there is such a diverse mix of customers - some who treat the farm like a playground, others who understand it is a farm. I have a lot of sympathy for the owners, trying to grow and maintain crops with people walking through them, but that is the nature of the pyo business. Of those who had a complaint, it included the attitude and disposition of the farm's staff, which is a shame, because it costs nothing to be pleasant!

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