Picking Berries at Graymarsh Farm
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In this post, I’m going to be talking about the berry picking and why it is a good idea to pick your own whether it is a Graymarsh Farms or another U-Pick farm. You can find complete listings of pick-your-own farms near you by visiting the website www.PickYourOwn.org.
Graysmarsh Farms grows lavender and a wide array of berries on their 1000 acre farm. It’s located at 6187 Woodcock Road in Sequim, Washington just below the Olympic Mountains and next to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
In this post, I’m going to be talking about the berry picking and why it is a good idea to pick your own whether it is a Graymarsh Farms or another U-Pick farm. You can find complete listings of pick-your-own farms near you by visiting the website www.PickYourOwn.org.
Graysmarsh Farms grows lavender and a wide array of berries on their 1000 acre farm. It’s located at 6187 Woodcock Road in Sequim, Washington just below the Olympic Mountains and next to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Upon arrival, head over to the farm stand to get your containers (they provide them) and then head out to the fields. Depending on what is in season, you will find strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, loganberries and boysenberries.
Reasons Your Should Pick-Your-Own this summer:
1. Save money because you are not paying the added costs of someone else picking, packaging, shipping, and shelving your produce.
2. You get to pick the perfect berries. No more moldy, squishy berries that have seen better days.
1. Save money because you are not paying the added costs of someone else picking, packaging, shipping, and shelving your produce.
2. You get to pick the perfect berries. No more moldy, squishy berries that have seen better days.
3. It’s a fun (and educational) adventure where you can spend time with your family or friends and connect with Mother Earth. You may even meet new people amongst the vines.
4. You’ll get better nutrition from the fruits when you eat them just after they have been picked because they have more nutrients than when they have sat on a grocery store shelf for a while.
5. You can stock your freezer. Pick some extra that you don’t intend to eat right away and freeze them right away to preserve the nutrients and well ensure you have fresh whole fruits at least for a few months…think about Sunday morning pancakes with strawberries.
4. You’ll get better nutrition from the fruits when you eat them just after they have been picked because they have more nutrients than when they have sat on a grocery store shelf for a while.
5. You can stock your freezer. Pick some extra that you don’t intend to eat right away and freeze them right away to preserve the nutrients and well ensure you have fresh whole fruits at least for a few months…think about Sunday morning pancakes with strawberries.
6. Make your own jam, chutney or coulis which could be great over pancakes or would even make great homemade Christmas gifts.
7. It’s good for the environment. When you buy food directly from a farmer, it promotes sustainability because you are supporting the farmer and his family instead large corporations who either import the food from other countries or pay low wages to workers here in the United States.
7. It’s good for the environment. When you buy food directly from a farmer, it promotes sustainability because you are supporting the farmer and his family instead large corporations who either import the food from other countries or pay low wages to workers here in the United States.
8. It’s healthy for your body and mind. As I kneeled or crouched over the rows of berries, you really get a sense where you food comes from as well as how much work was involved in planting, weeding, watering and harvesting. And the next time you spread your homemade jam on toast or make a berry clafouti, you’ll feel very satisfied knowing that you picked the berries that went into your creations as well as keeping local farms in business.
Tips for Picking:
1. Dress for picking. Wear closed toed shoes and a hat if it is hot outside. Don’t forget the sun screen. Consider wearing long sleeves if the serrated edges of leaves tend to irritate your arms. Wear dark colored clothes to hide the inevitable juice stains. Be sure to check for ticks when you get home.
2. Berries are fragile so bring a cooler with ice to store them after picking.
Don’t have time to pick your own? No worries. Graymarsh Farms has an area where they have berries already picked just waiting for you to take them home … after you pay for them, of course.
1. Dress for picking. Wear closed toed shoes and a hat if it is hot outside. Don’t forget the sun screen. Consider wearing long sleeves if the serrated edges of leaves tend to irritate your arms. Wear dark colored clothes to hide the inevitable juice stains. Be sure to check for ticks when you get home.
2. Berries are fragile so bring a cooler with ice to store them after picking.
Don’t have time to pick your own? No worries. Graymarsh Farms has an area where they have berries already picked just waiting for you to take them home … after you pay for them, of course.
If you've never been berry picking before, I highly recommend it!