Weekend Recap: Picking Berries

There are so many luxuries that I took advantage of when we lived in Tampa that I wish we had living here in the city. Last weekend we got a little crazy and rented a car for the day to head out of the city and to Alstede Farm in Chester, NJ to do a little berry picking.

In Tampa we have a city nearby called Plant City, Florida who are known for their strawberries. During strawberry season they put on a strawberry festival and have the very best strawberry shortcake and strawberry shake that money could buy. Growing up, we would always make a stop in Plant City during strawberry season to stock up on plenty of strawberries. Although we never picked any ourselves, it’s still a memory that I hold near to me.

We are always up for a new adventure and berry picking seemed like a perfect afternoon for just the four of us. Alstede Farm had so much more than just berry picking. There was a petting zoo, pony rides, flower shop, homemade ice cream, general store, and of course cut outs that make perfect photo ops.

Avery was cracking up at the cut outs and couldn’t get enough of sticking her head in them. She probably could have stayed the entire afternoon just peeking her head through.

After a photo opportunity we picked a wagon and headed out to the fields to do a little picking. They had raspberries, blueberries, cherries, and strawberries available that afternoon. Our family is huge berry lovers (the girls eat a carton of blueberries or raspberries a day,) so this was a huge treat for us to be able to pick them ourselves.

Avery had absolutely no interest in picking any of the berries. She just wanted to sit on the wagon and eat everything we were picking. Every time I looked over at her, this is what I saw.

Finally, in order for us to actually take any berries home, I had to give Avery something else to keep her occupied and from eating our berries.

The cherry trees were gorgeous. Bright red ripe cherries ready to be picked. These were Har’s favorite of the day.

Avery fianally managed to get out of the wagon to pick some cherries.

The strawberry fields were huge. And filled with so many strawberries. These were the hardest to pick because they are so packed together and you really have to get into the plant to pick them. Harlan and I did some picking while MacKay and Avery stayed behind.

Once again, Avery doing none of the picking and all of the eating. This girl was living the life.

After nearly two hours of picking, this is what we ended up with! So delicious!

The property on the farm was so big that we had to ride take a hay ride just to get around. Harlan and MacKay were tired after a long day of picking, but excited about all of the berries that we got to take home.

Before heading home, both girls wanted to take a look at the ponies that were being walked around the track.

Harlan loved watching so much that she wanted to take a pony ride. She couldn’t wait to get on.

It’s always a treat when we are able to get out of the city, even for just a day. It’s so easy to get trapped in this Manhattan bubble (especially without a car) and forget what life if like on the outside. Every once in a while we have to take a step back and get away. And picking berries as a family was the best way to do it.

Hope you had a great weekend!