It’s Picking Time!

I love this time of year with warm weather, long days, and lots of time spent outdoors.  I also get excited for our family tradition of heading to pick-your-own farms.  As a kid, I have so many fond memories of going strawberry picking in the early summer and apple picking in the fall.  My parents would pack a picnic lunch and we’d spend the day picking apples or strawberries and enjoying the great outdoors.

I’ve continued this tradition with my kids.  Both of our kids were picking apples and peaches before they turned one.  We’ve since added raspberry and strawberry picking to the list.  I wasn’t sure if my daughter would like strawberry picking since it gets hot out in the field, but she loved it!  She was so determined to find strawberries that she couldn’t even stop to look at the camera for a picture.  She was willing to hold up a strawberry as long as I didn’t make her take her eyes off the plants.  She was so proud of the strawberries she picked and could hardly wait to eat them.

 

 

A trip to a pick-your-own farm is a great way to encourage children to eat fruits and vegetables.  It’s amazing how excited kids are to eat fruit that they’ve picked themselves.

To find a pick-your-own farm in your area, go to www.pickyourown.org.  In our area, we can pick strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, apricots, plums, pears, and nectarines.  We’re eagerly awaiting opening day of cherry picking.  They looked so pretty but weren’t quite ripe when we were strawberry picking.

Do you have a fun family tradition that encourages kids to eat fruits and vegetables?  We’d love to hear your ideas.  Just click “Comment” below and send us a message.

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