Going on a Berry Hunt

To help pass the time while Dan was at camp, we took the girls strawberry and sugar snap pea picking at Dorn's. We had never been before.  It was a fun experience, but it was kind of hard for them to do it and we weren't really prepared.  We will have to do it again next year!

Waiting for the tractor to go out to the field.  It was pretty chilly.

Are you ready?

Mommy and Hannah

Looking for some good ones.  It was hard for the girls (and me) to pick them because there were so many prickers growing in and around the berry plants.  Next time we will bring our gardening gloves...and tennis shoes. What was I thinking??  And, yes.  Alyssa is wearing a little black dress, sequined flip flops and pearls....to harvest crops.  That's our little princess.  

The PERFECT berry.

Mmmmm

Hannah had enough...

But, the tractor was fun!

Sugar Snap Peas were much easier to pick and also delicious!

I won't take us long to polish these babies off!

*******

After Dan got home from camp we went to pick blueberries with the Doyles at The Blueberry Patch.  So fun!  It was the perfect day, not crowded and were fun to pick.  Plus, we had an adventurous little picnic on the way there with great company!  Now we have blueberries galore!  

This one looks just right....

 Eating is more fun than picking...

 Sweet Hannah Babe... 

  One of my favorite pictures. Ever.

 We still have an entire bucket of blueberries...I guess I will have to make more muffins and scones!!  Now I can't wait to pick apples in the Fall...

Nature's Garden

I recently found this company, Nature's Garden Delivered, and instantly fell in love! They deliver affordable organic, fresh and seasonal produce from local farms right to your door...and they protect the environment in the process!!  Does it get any better than this?!?!?!

The idea is perfect, but there are two things in particular that stand out to me. First, the quality is unbeatable and it supports local growers...so nice to know where your food is coming from! Second, with all seasonal ingredients, the possibilities are endless!! You are not longer stuck in the same 'dinner rut'.  You can explore new recipes to utilize each item in your box...some of which may be brand new to your dinner table.  You can even swap out some of the items in your box ahead of time if you don't want it.  Can you tell I am excited...fits right into my Food Revolution 'kick'.  I can not wait to get my first delivery!!

Going {garden} Green

I love, love, love cooking and eating fresh ingredients.  I always thought it would be a great way to get the girls involved and teach them about where vegetables come from  to get them excited about eating them, but I never really considered having a garden for a variety of reasons.  Then, Dan found these really cool raised garden beds at Home Depot this year so the girls and I decided to give it a shot.  

We planted as much as we could in the little 4x4 bed, including: cucumbers, three varieties of peppers (red, yellow and banana), two varieties of lettuce (romaine and butter crisp), green beans, broccoli, and some of my favorite fresh herbs (cilantro, sage, rosemary, thyme and basil).  Then, we also have a strawberry planter hanging on a shepherd's hook nearby. 

I most definitely do NOT have a green thumb...in fact, is is almost black.  You can see that from the pictures.  The green beans may not make it, but the cucumbers seem to be doing really well.  I don't know how much - if anything - it will yield, but it has been a fun experience so far!  

Here's hoping we have lots of wonderful, fresh produce on the way!! :)