One of my favorite summertime activities is picking fresh fruit at my local farm, Bishop’s Orchards. And last Friday I had the pleasure of doing that with my mom and my 8-year old niece who’s a total hoot.

It was a hot and sunny day, the quintessential blueberry picking day in my book. And with a relatively early start, we hit the fields by 11:30 and away we went. We picked about 8 pounds of blueberries. Yep, that’s right 8 pounds. And my mom and I have been turning them into all kinds of delicious creations (I’ll share some recipes in subsequent posts) ever since.

But here’s what I love about picking fruit for myself instead of buying it in the local grocery store:

1. You save a whole lot of money when you pick your own fruit. We payed $2.25 per pound which is a huge savings over the cost at the store. We can easily pay $3 for a pint or 1/2 pint of blueberries so this is a real bargain.
2. It’s fun! You get to be outside, enjoy summer and take friends or family with you. And you get to come home and get creative in the kitchen with your finds.
3. It supports the local economy. I’m happy to spend my money supporting local agriculture and a farm that’s pesticide free.
4. It’s super healthy.  We all know we need more fruits and vegetables in our diet and blueberries are some of the healthiest around, chock full of key antioxidants.  And when we buy locally, we’ get produce with higher nutritional value than what you find in the store.
5. It helps the environment. Locally grown food doesn’t have to be shipped across the country or have plastic packaging. 

Do you ever pick fruit at a local farm? What are some of the benefits you get and in what way does it inspire your creativity?

Filed under: Antioxidants, Environmentally Friendly, Fruit, Locally Grown Food