When the warm weather returns, self-service pick-your-own farms quickly draw their regulars back. Among the best-known in the Île-de-France region, the Cueillette de Torfou in Essonne attracts thousands of visitors every year. The concept is simple: grab a basket, head out into the fields, and pick your own fruits, vegetables, or flowers, depending on the season.
At the entrance, a sign lists the current harvests, which plots are open, and the picking guidelines. Then, everyone moves at their own pace through the rows of tomatoes, beans, zucchini, or lettuce. Depending on the season, you can also leave with strawberries, raspberries, apples, pears, pumpkins, or even bouquets of flowers to arrange yourself.
Since the crops change every week, no two visits are ever quite the same. In the spring, strawberries are the stars of the fields. Summer gives way to tomatoes, eggplants, and zucchini, before fall brings back apples, squash, and leeks.
An outing that’s a nice change from the usual walks
All in all, La Cueillette de Torfou is a great idea for a day trip. Many people come with their families for a few hours, basket in hand, before heading home to cook the produce they harvested that very day. You walk, you pick, you exchange a few tips with the staff on site, and then you head to the checkout with your harvest.
And beyond the pleasant stroll, there’s also a financial benefit. The fruits and vegetables are sold by weight, with no middlemen, and at prices that are often more affordable than those of equivalent products in stores, especially at the height of the season.
Less than an hour from Paris, La Cueillette de Torfou offers a true escape to the countryside. An easy, gourmet outing that takes you off the beaten path!
📍Location: Cueillette de Torfou – D99 between Torfou and Lardy