Blueberry and Blackberry Picking

I love taking the boys to pick fruit, it was one of our favorite things to do in Virginia with the boys. They just have such a blast every time. I just happen to see a picture that a friend posted on Facebook about a blueberry/blackberry patch and I clicked on the link and found the most amazing little blueberry/blackberry farm nearby. It's really close to where my parents live and they charge 1.25 for a pound of blueberries and 1.50 for a pound of blackberries!!!! Can you believe how cheap that is?!?

So, Wednesday, we met my mom and took the boys out to the farm to check it out. It's run by an older husband and wife who live there and they were so sweet. The woman told me over and over that the boys could eat as much as they want (just so you know, we didn't let them eat as much as they want, that poor woman had no idea the massive amount of berries those two could put away) and she was just so friendly and helpful. We were the only ones there for a long time.

We got three buckets and started picking. It had rained quite a bit the night before, so I put rain boots on the boys since I wasn't sure how muddy it was going to be.

I felt like the boys did really good about picking the berries and they seemed to get the concept of which ones to pick and which ones not to, but they were all about helping Mamaw, so I didn't see much of what they were picking. Evan learned early that it was much easier to sneak a berry out of Mamaw's basket and eat than it was to pick one off a tree and eat it--such a stinker!

We got so many blueberries and blackberries and we only left because the boys were getting tired. It was hot and we were there for a long time, but there was so many berries!

My mom and I are going to go back without the boys one morning and get some more. We have big plans for these berries. Pinterest has given us all kinds of ideas on what to do with these berries. Greg and the boys LOVE blueberries, they like to eat them on cereal, in yogurt, or just plain, so I have to go back just to get some more to use in recipes.

It looked so pretty out there, but it was hot and humid. We were all a sweaty mess when we got done.

The boys pretty much stayed with Mamaw the whole time.

Blackberries.

This picture doesn't really show just how many we got, there's so many in that huge bucket.

When we were leaving, I looked up and saw this. I'm so glad I was able to snap a quick picture of it.

They were just standing there like this waiting on us. How cute are they?!

I got home and washed my berries. I froze some blueberries for my overnight oats, and almost all the rest is for the boys. I did sneak some for my salad that I made for lunch, it was amazing. Lettuce, blueberries, sliced salt and pepper almonds, goat cheese, topped with  lowfat raspberry vinaigrette. It was so good and filling.

I also made a batch of Paula Deen blackberry jam. I can't wait to try this, how could it not be good?

 

I'm so glad we found this perfect little berry farm. They're so nice and family friendly, the boys enjoyed it and the prices are unbeatable. I can't wait to go back next week and get some more. I'm also excited to find some more "U Pick" farms around there because I know the boys love doing stuff like this and I love getting fresh picked produce to bring home.