Last year, a visit to my friend
Andrea’s ranch was humbling. The 7 year old was utterly mystified by corn
growing out of the ground.
Apparently, I had neglected to fill the 7 year old in on certain basic life
info, like the fact that corn grows from
the ground, not from the produce bin at Safeway.
There’s a whole farm-to-table
culinary craze going on these days. It makes me suspicious. I like fresh food
as much as the next girl but eating in the middle of the field in which the
food’s been grown? Sitting there at a trestle table, with a bunch of strangers,
nibbling away, rain showers or no?
I think no. I think fans of
this endeavor may be inflating the fun factor quite a bit. Just because it’s a
cool picture doesn’t mean it’s a cool experience. Like long distance running,
winter camping and family cruises. Fun-in-theory. Not-so-fun-in-practice.
Nope. I’ll take my farm fresh
food the old-fashioned way. From a rickety, old tractor. At a pick-your-own
farm. You can do this too! Visit pickyourown.org to find a farm near you where
you can go and pick all the tomatoes, peaches and blueberries your heart
desires. (Click this link for pickyourown.org.)
It turns out farms aren’t just
for pumpkin picking in October. They are even more fun in June! On a recent
berry picking trip with the Dynamic Duo, we had a blast. Here’s what it’s like:
a big tractor drives you through the fields and stops at different crops. From
then on it’s basically like that kid’s book Blueberries For Sal. Lotta
time spent picking the berries and throwing them in your bag, even more time
spent eating them straight from the vine.
Two hours in the sunshine with
your crew? Not a Starbucks or a videogame in sight? That’s worth a lot more
than the $12 a bag we paid for our berry picking adventure. Plus, we had fruit
that lasted for weeks! And a free agriculture lesson too.
Show your kids fruit
ninja isn’t just a videogame, go berry picking this summer! Make sure to read
all the details from the above link about the farm you choose to visit. Each
one has different pricing and recommendations for what to bring/wear etc.
Happy summer, guru girls & guys!
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