Pick-Your-Own Strawberries, 2011 Edition

If you've been following my blog since you last year, you know I enjoy picking my own fruit in the summer. Last year I told you about my trips to pick-your-own farms for raspberries, blueberries, and apples. Today I've got pictures from my weekend strawberry picking adventure - all 17 minutes of it!

The plan was simple: drive 45 minutes to Andrews' Scenic Acres in Halton Hills, which is 52 km (32 miles) from home. I've been to this farm before, and the last stretch of the drive is really pleasant on a winding, hilly country road. The less fun part is on Highway 401, a major thoroughfare through the Greater Toronto Area that is always densely populated with vehicles, even on the weekend. Hence the need to spend 45 minutes to drive 52 km.

What I hadn't expected was construction, or more specifically, construction that closed one stretch of the highway overnight but which did not end at 9 am as planned. Four lanes of traffic were merged into one and directed to a detour route through suburbia. Total driving time: two and a half hours. This left 17 minutes to get to the fields, pick as quickly as possible, grab another pre-picked basket on the way out, wait in line to pay, and navigate the crowded parking lot on the way out to make it back to town in time for an appointment I couldn't cancel.

But the berries... they were so lovely! I couldn't hold a grudge against the universe for making my one car trip of the week a total nightmare. Take a look at this photo and remember that all it takes to grow such a beauty is for one of those tiny seeds to germinate in healthy soil and create a plant when exposed to sunlight and water. That's it. Nature is incredible, no? Makes it easy to forget about silly drivers and silly construction and my inability to cycle all the way to the farm!

That's as far as we got in 17 minutes. I'll be visiting family in Montreal over the long weekend and may be able to squeeze in another farm trip then to make up for my minuscule harvest. Meanwhile, this first batch went to good use with cream scones (thanks Marc):

Trust me, there was actually a scone underneath all of that whipped cream, as well as slices of strawberry and a lovely strawberry coulis. What's your favourite application of farm-fresh strawberries? Do you pick your own?

An Apple a Day...

After much searching, I finally found an apple orchard that minimizes its pesticide use! Frootogo Orchards, nestled within the Niagara Escarpment in Waterdown, implements integrated pest management (IPM), which is a fancy term for using beneficial insects to eat bad bugs, among other things. Follow this link to read about the other IPM components Frootogo employs on the farm. The provincial government also provides a lot of crop-specific information about IPM on their website.

Another surprise: Frootogo is participating in the Ontario Environmental Farm Plan, which uses workshops to educate farmers about potential environmental issues on the farm (e.g. water and energy efficiency, soil management, pest management, waste disposal, wildlife habitat protection, etc.), then helps analyze a given farm's situation to create realistic projects that reduce its overall environmental risk. Frootogo has already completed two plans.

Thanks to all of these wonderful environmental initiatives, the apples taste amazing! So, on to the pictures...

First, Northern Spy, the tried-and-true baking apple. Frankly, I'd just as happily eat these out of hand.

The dwarf trees made for easy picking.

These are Cortlands, another great baking apple, and also super tasty to eat.

I discovered a new (to me) variety: Jonagold, a cross between Jonathan and Golden Delicious developed in the 50s in New York. Really flavourful, incredibly crisp, a hint of tartness... I don't want to eat supermarket-bought apples ever again. Ever. EVER!

  

Good haul! Compared to berry picking, the basket filled very quickly. That's probably the only downside to apple picking. Too bad I forgot to take a picture of the cute red wagon we borrowed to carry the baskets!

Lots and lots of apple trees! The farm had a total of 60 rows, and what you see here is half of one row.


Oh, and lots of animals, too. I couldn't help myself, they were very cute. Scroll past them for pumpkins, if you prefer!

There are still plenty of apples available for picking. I won't accept the excuse that this is just an activity for children. An outing to a pick-your-own farm is always worth your time. Get out of the city (carpooling with friends, of course), breathe in fresh, clean air, go for a hike when you're done, and reconnect with nature. Most importantly, get to know the farmers who grow your food, and savour the flavours of the land.

Blueberries: proof that healthy food can be tasty, too!

While raspberries are my favourite berry to eat straight off the bush / out of the basket, I have to admit that blueberries are far easier to pick.


See how the berries are just hanging there, out in the open, right at the outer edges of the bush? Not tucked behind foliage close to the centre stalk.


Notice, too, how they grow in huge clumps, just like grapes, further facilitating the picking process. It was almost too easy... but I'm not complaining.


While you can't really tell how tall the bushes are from this picture, trust me when I say they are the perfect height for picking. You can stand up straight (no lower back strain from slightly bending over to reach the berries at the centre of the bush) and harvest the top half of a given bush, then sit down on an inverted bucket to lazily pluck an even greater number of berries from the lower branches. I filled a 4-litre basket in just over one hour from a single bush!


These gems are sometimes referred to as "superfoods": not only are they rich in vitamins and essential nutrients, the blueberry is touted as the antioxidant superhero of the fruit world. Check out this summary of research on its disease-fighting properties. You may also be interested in reading what Dr. Joe Schwarcz has to say about blueberries keeping your brain healthy.

Meanwhile, attempt to live vicariously through me, because while the following pictures of pie (and little tarts made from leftover crust and filling, lovingly baked by my partner) look fantastic, technology has not evolved far enough to allow you to taste anything through the internet. In other words, please do not lick your monitor!

Summer Happiness in a Basket

After what felt like an endless week of high heat, high humidity, and daily smog warnings, today’s clear blue sky and pleasant breezes made for just about perfect conditions for a trip out of town – carpooling in a fuel-efficient vehicle, of course – to pick raspberries.


While there are many things that make me happy, opportunities to escape the city and breathe fresh air are pretty high up on my list. There’s something really appealing about resting my eyes, gazing at green hills that roll on into the horizon instead of right angles of steel and pavement. Sometimes I forget how much chronic strain I feel in my shoulder and neck muscles (which I believe is a result of the rushed, hustle and bustle pace of city life, despite my best efforts at resisting this lifestyle) until I get a chance to take a few deep breaths of clean air and find the tension slowly recede. The countryside is my spa!

Today’s little expedition reinforced my already strong belief in the value of harvesting fruit and veggies for immediate consumption, baking, cooking, and preserving. Sure, you may end up spending more money than if you had visited your local grocer: farmers have to charge you not only for what you pick but also for what you eat in the field, and you have to factor in the cost of fuel (and unforeseen expenses such as splurging on freshly baked pie). But think of what you’re getting in return! The freshest possible produce, a reduction in stress, a generally fun time, and bonus: a sense of pride and satisfaction for having supported your local economy. What a deal!

Obviously, while I’m a big proponent of heading out to pick your own tasty berries, it’s not a good idea to do this on a regular basis. Mother Nature probably prefers it when one truck carries the fruit to supply a number of centrally located stores, rather than having the downtown-dwelling masses drive a one-hour round trip in their cars every weekend. Concerned that the big-box grocery chain doesn’t offer a fresh selection? Then visit your local farmers’ market. It’s a fun activity in itself, especially if you grab your bike, find a scenic route to get you there, and invite your friends to join you.

So, the next time you find yourself heading out of town to bring home summer happiness in a basket, take a look around and smile when you see families teaching their children where food comes from, how much work goes into growing it, and how much fun it can be to harvest it. We need to pass these values on to the next generation, and encourage everyone to grow what they can in their own backyards (more on that in another post).

To find a pick-your-own farm near you, check out PickYourOwn.org. Happy picking!