It’s that time of year! It’s berry season in the Pacific Northwest.  I love berries and there is absolutely nothing better than the fresh, local kind. I grow berries in my backyard, pick berries at my local u-pick, and steal a few from my mom’s yard, but there is one place that has my all-time favorite berries.

Biringer Farm is close to my mom’s house and I usually head up there a few times each year.  I always take a carload of kids and my mom to eat pick a few berries with me.

I usually spend quite a bit of time taking pictures.  There’s a method to my madness.  You see, if you bring a carload of kids and buy them ice cream on the way home, they’ll pick all of your berries for you! It’s child labor at its finest.

This year, we spent most of our time in the raspberry fields.  Raspberry jam is my favorite. Do you see those beautiful mountains in the background?  I love this farm!  We even had a few eagles soaring over our heads as we picked.

The raspberries are PERFECT.  My mom and I call the big, perfect berries, “breakfast berries” because they are so big and perfect that you could eat a handful and call it breakfast.

Once we picked about 4 flats of berries, we were ready to move onto Strawberry Land.  Now, Strawberry Land isn’t too far away.  See those pickers out there in the field?  It’s certainly close enough to walk out there, but what fun would that be?

We wait for the tractor.  A tractor ride makes everyone happy.

Oh, those strawberries!  I said that the raspberries were perfect, but the strawberries were even tastier than the raspberries.  Now, I’m not just saying this because I love Biringer Farm, this is the honest truth.  These are the best local berries you can buy.  I don’t know how they do it, but their berries taste better than any other local berries around, hands down.

We didn’t pick too many strawberries this year.  Strawberries are on my “don’t eat too much” list of foods I need to cut back on.  (Stupid kidney problems!)  I have never heard of anyone who can’t eat strawberries because of kidney problems, but that’s my fate.  I do confess, I ate a few berries, a few strawberry shortcakes, and had a bowl or two for breakfast, but I didn’t over-do it this year. (I’ve been known to eat enough fresh berries to end up at the doctor with hives.) Have I mentioned how much I love berries?

My little helpers did a great job picking, and an even better job of eating the berries when we got home.

 

Berry picking is one of those summer activities that I look forward to all year.  We grow fruits and veggies in our own garden, but I really love the farm experience.  I believe ALL kids need to have the experience of seeing, first hand, where their food comes from and participating in the harvesting process. 

Fresh food is so different from store-bought-food.  The colors are more vivid and the taste is unlike anything your can find in the produce section at the store.

We made homemade shortcakes, with fresh whipping cream. Click here to get my recipe.

There was strawberry lemonade.

And of course, we made lots and lots and lots of jam.

This year, I’m planning to go to the jam tasting at Biringer Farms.  If you’re local, come find me at the farm.  I’d love to meet you.  I’ll be the one with a camera around my neck and the berry juice dripping down my chin.

Happy Berry Picking!