At one of our OrganWise Guys Mom’s Council meetings, one of our members shared the idea of visiting a local farm to pick berries with her children. It sounded like a great idea so I planned an OrganWise Guys field trip with some of my favorite OrganWise Kids!
When I showed up at their house first thing in the morning, I was greeted by two excited faces. Immediately upon being buckled into their car seats, both kids proclaimed, “We’ve never been to a farm before!” They talked nonstop about what they would possibly see on our outing during the entire 45 minute drive to Southern Belle Farms.
This particular farm was a berry farm during the summer. After a quick bathroom break and few exciting moments checking out the old tractor, we headed up to the berry field. For $10 we got to pick a whole bucket of blackberries! Neither child had ever tried a blackberry so it was great fun to watch them pick them off the vine and eat them. Finding ripe blackberries and carrying the bucket was an adventure for the kids. After about an hour we had a full bucket and had explored almost all of the rows in the field. (There were rows of blueberry bushes and the children were intrigued to see how they grew. There was also a huge corn field behind us!) Now it was off to spend some time with the animals. There were cows, goats, donkeys, chickens, and horses. After a fun visit with them, we loaded up and headed home. From start to finish the whole outing lasted about 4 hours.
No matter where you live, chances are there’s some type of farm within driving distance. This website – pickyourown.org – is a great resource to help you find one. Here are a few things to remember before your outing:
- Call ahead or check their facebook page to make sure they are open. Farms will, of course, run out of produce and sometimes they close for a few days while items ripen.
- Carry a small bag with you that contains water, sunscreen, and bug spray. If you are out in the summer months, it will likely be hot. Make sure you take breaks for the kids to drink water.
- Let the kids explore. They may be fascinated to see berries in their different stages of development or to see a baby cow for the first time.
- Plan some recipes incorporating the fruit or vegetable you just harvested. Kids will be more interested in helping in the kitchen and trying the item if they just helped to pick it!
If you have a great farm experience, we’d love to hear about it! 
