Picking fruit and playing farmer

Urban people learn to grind soybean milk at a farm fun workshop in Songjiang District.(Source: Shanghai Daily)

BEIJING, May 24 -- Throughout Shanghai's rural suburbs, fruits and vegetables are ripe for the picking and urbanites are playing farmer for a day, harvesting produce, strolling in the fresh air and enjoying real country cooking. Chen Ye grabs her basket.

Many young urban Chinese are hooked on virtual farming on Kaixin001.com where they can own land, plant, pick, buy, sell and even swipe someone else's veggies.

But it's time to join the real world for a peach of a time, at least in spring and summer, and harvest real fresh fruits and vegetables from real soil.

Suburban farms encourage visitors to come and pick to their heart's content (for a price), to enjoy the countryside, do a bit of farm work, go horseback riding, sit by the old fishing hole, or just enjoy some fresh country cooking. Many farmers provide recreational activities.

Wenlei Garden Jinshan District

The garden has been likened by some visitors to a fairytale setting covering around 900 hectares, much of it planted in peaches and strawberries.

It's time to pick strawberries and some peaches; summer is for red grapes and flat peaches; jujubes are ripe in winter. Red grapes have been called the "treasure" of Wenlei Garden.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)