Summer is upon us. It happens every year. I’m not sure why I’m surprised.
One of the best parts of summer in my hungry humble opinion is the availability of fresh produce. Fresh blows the roots off anything you can find in the grocery store.
I’ve been shocked to learn that my suspicious nature has been proven correct at farmers’ markets–some venders are receiving supplies from the same places as the grocery stores. Say wha?! That’s what I read. While the farmers’ markets are still a great option, because you can find any number of legit, hard-working farmers peddling their wares, here’s another option for you:
Pick-your-own farms.
Pick your own farms are abundant throughout the country…except maybe the desert. Here’s what I love about pick-your-owns:
- You know exactly how fresh the food is.
- You know exactly where the food came from, right down to the stem on the plant in the row in the field.
- The prices are almost always significantly lower than anything you’ll find in the grocery stores, and almost always cheaper than the farmers’ markets as well.
- It is educational. Your kids get out of the house, away from the city, and out onto the land to see where food really comes from.
- It smells good–the dirt I mean, and the strawberries, and everything else. Maybe it’s because I grew up on a farm, but I love the smell of rich dirt.
- Your kids can get dirty. Your kids should get dirty. Your kids need to get good and dirty as often as possible. It’s good for their immune systems. It’s good for their kid-ness. It’s just plain good for them to be outside getting sun and fresh air and, yes, dirt, without anyone telling them not to muddy their $65 shoes. Get the $12 Walmart shoes and the $2 thrift store jeans and let the kids get dirty for the love of all things real!
- Your children are far more likely to try something new if they had a hand in it somehow. That hand can be as simple as selecting it at the grocery store, but the stakes are upped even more if they planted it or picked it themselves.
- It counts as exercise! Woo hoo! Squats for strawberries, toe raises for cherries and apples.
- The farmers are right there–you can ask them what goes on their plants and if they’re in bed with
MonSatanMonSanto.
- It’s wholesome family fun. Whee!
Those dirt comments totally made you want to find a pick-your-own farm near you, didn’t they? Good! Check out this website:
PickYourOwn.org
It has to be one of the worst looking sites I’ve run across in quite some time. It totally needs a rehab. I hate it. At the same time, I love it! It shares PYO (I got tired of writing pick-your-own) farms all over the country, and you can search by state and county. Each farm has a write-up and places to go for additional information. It rocks in its out-dated ugliness. Go check it out.
You can also run a quick search of your own region on Google or (my favorite search engine, since it helps me pay for Christmas presents just by searching) Swagbucks {affiliate link}. Just type in “Pick your own farms in Smyrna, Tennessee”…or wherever you live, since I’m pretty sure you don’t all live in Smyrna–nice place though.
Happy picking! I’ll see you in the fields!
What is your experience with pick-your-own farms?
