Pick Your Own Stuff!

So it's fruit and veggie season! Yum-o! We love fruits and veggies but there's nothing like standing outside in a field eating a dripping red ripe strawberry to make you really appreciate the bounty of nature :)

In that spirit- here are a few places around (okay, so some are a trip- but worth it!) to pick your own miscellaneous stuff! Special events are noted, too!

1) PYO Lavender- 7 Oaks Lavender Farm- Check out this farm and be sure to breathe deeply!! This farm is scout troop (and any other kind of group) friendly, and also offers Saturday classes for both older and younger students where you can make a wreath, sachet, wand, or even lavender art! Admission is required, but is really the amount you are required to spend on lavender or other products.

2) PYO Berries, Cherries, Gourds, Pumpkins, Etc- Westmoreland Berry Farm- Westmoreland is our family's favorite farm for berries, and not just because of the super cool goat walk! We love the variety and the taste! Located in Oak Grove, this is a drive, but again, we love it here and it's fun to spend a day!

3) PYO Orchard Crops and Berries- Hartland Orchard- We LOVE fresh peaches (and save a bundle buying them direct from the farm!) If you've never had a ripe peach from the top of a tree you are missing out on one of life's greatest pleasures! (Or I'm a big dork, but either way, they're good!) Peaches are fun to pick because you get to use a long pole with a basket on the end, and great for a family picking day because they're easy to use the leftovers up in cobblers, or just slice them and freeze for use later! (But we eat most of ours on the car ride home- no need for a picnic this day!) There's not a lot of distractions at this farm, but the crops are some of the best quality you'll find!

4) PYO Pawpaws, Peaches, and Apples- Mackintosh Fruit Farm- we've never been to this one, but it's on our list for this year.  If there's another farm in our area selling pawpaws I certainly don't know where it is, but we're excited to see how this exotic sounding fruit grows and what it tastes like, especially since George Washington apparently loved them!  This farm is located in the Shenandoah Valley near Skyline Drive and Luray Caverns, so we might just make a weekend of this one and camp overnight!

5) If you are the crunch sort- Oak Hart Farm- is probably the place for you! Using sustainable growing methods, organic practices, and offering camps, canning classes (LOVE that!) as well as pick your own fruits, veggies and flowers, this place sounds like a granola paradise (and I mean that in a very good way!)

6) If you're looking for a family-friendly experience, it has to be- Great Country Farms- with a lot to do besides just picking, as well as fun events like a Marshmallow Harvest and Egg Hunt around Easter, a Strawberry Festival each Memorial Day Weekend, and Father's Day Fish Out (just to name a few) there's tons of fun and special events at this Farm!

7) Another new one on our radar- Ticonderoga Farms- is on our list for sure because it's located in Chantilly and boasts a few fun activities as well as pick your own veggies.  We'll definitely be hitting this farm at some point in July when they open for PYO.