Neither do we! We have a small garden, but it is not big enough to supply us with all of the fruits and vegetables we need. This means we have to get our produce from somewhere, so today we decided to go green and went picking. By picking your own, you know where the fruit or vegetables come from, how the farm deals with pests, and when they were picked. Inspired? Visit pickyourown.org and click on your state or country to get started.
How is picking your own different from the supermarket?
- It’s fresh! You can pick the ripest, tastiest berries and eat them right away.
- Your food comes to you almost as naturally as it would if you picked in your backyard – just add a drive to the farm.
- No packaging waste is involved. You can bring your own containers to take your goodies home with you.
- It is less expensive than the store. Because you are not only cutting out the middle man but a few other guys as well, they can charge less and still make money. Plus, you don’t pay for what you eat in the field!
- You are supporting a local small business, not an argi-giant. Most pick your owns are small family-owned farms.
- You can learn while you pick. If you’ve never seen an unripe blueberry or the flowers on a raspberry, you will get your chance. Often the farm will help you find out how to pick ripe produce too.
- It’s fun! You can’t run around and stuff your face while you shop.
We picked our own blueberries this weekend (a man up the street has several bushes). I swear, we have enough blueberries to last the rest of our lives!!
We’ve tried growing a garden, but our ground is blighted, I’m convinced.