Hungary's markets are already full of gorgeous local produce, and they will keep filling up with more for months to come when they’ll be brimming with great local fruits and vegetables. But nothing beats picking your own, if you are into that kind of thing. Via Biopiac Online we found a few opportunities for taking a more active approach to procuring your food. At a farm near Gyöngyös, the Székely family runs a pick-your-own fruit operation (szedd magad gyümölcs) from June until September. At the Székely Családi Gazdaság there are sour cherries and cherries (in June), apricots (from late-June until July), peaches (from mid-July until September), nectarines (in mid-July), ten types of apples (from mid-August) and Besztercei plums (in September). Contact the family at szeddmagadgyumolcs@gmail.com or by phone: Székely Gábor (30/232-48-90), Székely Tamás (70/362-39-34), Székely Zoltán (20/351-63-91). The farm is open daily from 7am until 7pm and is next to Gyöngyös (at the 78 km mark on road 3).

You can also forage for mushrooms without actually leaving Budapest. On the next two weekends there will be mushroom foraging (gombász kirándulás) trips into the Buda hills. On Saturday June 14th Attila Bathó will lead a group to Csúcshegy in the third district (meeting at 7:40 am at the number 18 bus stop at III. Szentlélek tér, Árpád híd). And on Sunday June 22nd Attila Makay will lead a group to Szépvölgy in the second district (meeting at 8am at the number 65 bus stop at III. Kolosy tér).