Strawberry Pickin'

After Cupcake Camp, we went back to Shelby Farms to ride the paddle boats. Satchel has been asking since last year and I finally obliged. When we went in to pay, the guy looked at us and said, "Y'all can't do it." I really tried talking him into it, but he said on such a windy day the three of us wouldn't stand a chance. We needed another adult. "I like people to have fun, and I think you'll just end up stuck in the bank," he said. We went outside to see for ourselves and agreed that he was probably right.

So, plan B was to drive across Walnut Grove to the Jones Orchard strawberry patch and pick strawberries. It was something else we wanted to do last year, but never managed to find the time. Despite the looks on their faces, the monkeys were actually very excited about it.



We each got a little carton and were told we could pick all we wanted. At the end, they ring you up and it's just $1.99 per pound. The patch didn't look like much and I expected it to be pretty picked over, but it was actually bursting with berries.



It took about two seconds for the monkeys to get totally into picking. I had one rule--pick only the ones you would want to eat yourself. Jiro was attracted to the ones with funny shapes, and Satchel always picked the really big ones. (I like the smaller ones.)





It took us about ten minutes to get a really nice haul. I've never picked strawberries before either, and I found it to be incredibly satisfying. Strawberries are just so red and pretty!



Our haul totaled 5 pounds and cost $10. It's the deal of the century. I'm going to have a hard time not going out there every week. (We can eat a lot of strawberries!) If you haven't been, you should totally go. I think kids of all ages would love it. It's so fun and easy!

We got the picking schedule and agreed we'd drive out to Millington to pick peaches, blueberries, pears, and apples once they're ready. (Jiro was bummed to learn that we would never have a banana, coconut, or pineapple picking season!)