Strawberry Fields Don’t Last Forever

In elementary school our kids all took field trips to Great Country Farms (GCF) in Bluemont. They were able to live the life of a farm hand for a day and it gave them an appreciation for the amount of work it takes to run a farm. Maddie fell in the pond during hers and came home with a t-shirt, pretty nifty on her part even if she did smell bad for the rest of the day. GCF also sponsors various youth sports leagues in Western LoCo, so when we heard about their CSA program at the Loudoun Grown Expo this past winter is was a no brainer.

Yesterday was our first pick-up of the season, our box had kale, spring onions, asparagus, a basil plant, and strawberries. Bonus u-picks are part of the program, members get to go out into the fields and pick extra fruits and vegetables. This time of year it’s strawberries, so I helped myself to an extra quart with the idea that I’ll make some jam. We’ll see how that goes!

Three other families were on my wagon ride to the strawberry fields, and along with the animal tours, barrel ride, and restaurant there is more than enough to do for the little ones. There is still a week to sign up for the CSA if you are interested, and you don’t have to go to the farm to get it. Check out the Great Country Farms website for more info. Maybe we’ll see you there.

Cheers,
Mike