I’ve always wondered what it would be like to go onto a farm or an orchard and pick my own fruit. I’m big on healthy eating and buy local, fresh, and organic whenever possible. And just try to turn me away from a Farmers’ Market!
So when some friends of ours invited us out to an orchard to pick cherries, of course we said yes.
Cherry-picking is a great kid-friendly activity, but there are points to keep in mind if you are planning to take your little ones.
KEEP AN EYE ON THE WEATHER
Even if the forecast calls for a pleasant, sunny day, keep in mind that you will be outdoors the entire time you are on the farm. This means hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, and protective clothing, especially for the kiddos.
GO EARLY, LEAVE EARLY
Since cherry season is at its peak, lots of other people will be planning their trip to the farm as well, and this can result in traffic jams, difficult parking, and not enough fruit to go around. If you leave from your home earlier, then you will have plenty of time to pick fruit at your leisure, and then you can plan to leave before the sun hits high noon.
STAY HYDRATED
The farm we went to did not allow us to have food around the trees where we would be picking, so our lunch had to stay in the car. Water was fine, and you’ll need it on a hot day. Pack lots of water and remember to take it with you. It may be a long walk back to the parking lot!
ONLY PICK WHAT YOU NEED
So since this was our first time picking anything, we had no idea how much we would actually end up with. We took two buckets and filling them up was fun and easy, as pretty much every cherry was a ripe one. However, when we went to purchase our bounty, our cherries tipped the scales at eighteen pounds! Definitely more than we needed. We were stuck paying for all of them, since “You Pick, You Buy”. (P.S. If anybody knows of any delicious and simple cherry recipes, I’d love to hear suggestions.)
Picking fruit with your kids can be a very rewarding experience. They can see how things grow in nature, where their food comes from, work hard for something they want, and in the end, they can reward themselves with the yummy “fruits” of their labor!
Hope you all had a fun, relaxing, and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend!
The Haute Mommy Handbook 
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I love cherries and would have so much fun if I got to pick them! And oh the possibilities with 18 pounds! Jam, ice cream, popsicles, pie, smoothies, and even salad are what I’d make. You can also make cherry filling to put in a fruit crumb cake http://swirlsandspice.com/2015/04/10/raspberry-peach-crumble-cake/ or these: http://swirlsandspice.com/2015/01/30/cherry-chocolate-meringue-cake-in-a-jar-grain-free/
Thanks so much Julia! I will be checking these out đŸ™‚
Yum! What a fun thing to do đŸ™‚
It was a fun and educational day out with the kids đŸ™‚
A few years ago, I took my son, Connor, strawberry picking. I thought he would love it. I should have known his attention span would be limited. He enjoyed pretending the strawberries were baseballs. Oh, well. In the end, I was still able to make jam. I will say, however, that I never went alone, again. Either my husband or a friend came with me. It’s more fun with other people anyway! I just wrote about preserving and canning not too long ago on my blog, http://justthiscrazy.com
Uh oh… Connor was having fun in his own way, I guess! Yes, this kind of activity is way more fun with friends, and even better if there are other kids in the group. đŸ™‚
nice blog!
xoxo
Thanks Karla. I love your fashion inspiration!
Sounds like a a fun thing to do on the weekend! đŸ˜‰ Ill have to see if we have one here in Vegas. đŸ˜‰
I’ve heard of places to pick veggies in Vegas. Hopefully there’s a cherry orchard too!