I never really understood why people would u-pick when you could buy your fruit at the market. I just figured I could do other things with my time. But last year my children loved huckleberry picking at our local park (click for blog post) so this summer I decided to take them to a u-pick farm. We choose Krause Berry Farms in Langley, BC. because at a recent dinner party friends brought Krause’s custard pie and this is possibly one of the best pies I’ve ever had! Visually it is stunning; you almost don’t want to cut into it.
I asked my kids what they liked about the farm. My youngest daughter liked the petting zoo which I think is a bit small for the $2.00 fee. My son liked the play area which has lots and lots of sand. Always a good thing in a play space.
Lots of buckets, shovels and sand.
Having fun with the cut outs of various vegetables.
My favourite was lunch. I had the pesto panini and farm fries. And the coffee was good too. My older daughter ordered the waffle and berries. The waffle bar is really cool. They have a whole section set up as a waffle eating area. And the waffle and the freshly picked blueberries, plus a generous serving of whipping cream and berry syrup, were scrumptious.
The blueberry waffle.
Interestingly, my husband’s favourite part was the berry picking. It was mine too but I had to mention the food! My intention was to show the kids where their food came from and for them to appreciate the work it took to harvest. In the end, the lesson was more for my husband and I. To pick the fullest, bluest blueberries takes patience, care and a lot of time. There were a lot of kids there and I was happy to see how engaged they were. But so were the adults. One woman picked a flat on her own. Personally I felt very connected to and excited about the food I was harvesting. So much that I am making jam. And that is saying something.
Picking blueberries.
We u-picked the blueberries.
If I am to conclude anything from our visit to the farm, it is that slowing down and actively harvesting (or planting) your food is important. It is a fast, busy world, but I’m going to try and take more time and more care with my family’s food. And to start, we’re having our neighbours over for the amazing custard berry pie.
The famous custard pie!
Growing up urban the outside way,
jonina
