On our second day at Lake Chelan, we visited Blueberry Hills farm. For us, a family vacation is just incomplete without a visit to a farm. Especially a farm with a U-pick field! And especially when lil’ kids are involved. I was very much farm-deprived as a kid so I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.

Before picking any fruit, at the entrance to the farm, we met this lovely lady who talked about barn owls. She explained how the owls help solve the problems caused by mice in, well… barns – what do I know about that? – but is sure does sound better than using poisons and traps; letting nature do its “thing” instead.

She said that a barn owl catches, and eats, about 8 mice a day. That’s 2,920 mice a year! This sure does sound impressive. However, the city girl that I am, I could not help thinking about how this owl looks like an orchestra’s conductor; the way it is standing on its two legs like that, all tall and upright, he seemed to me like a bird wearing a tuxedo with funny, skinny legs.

The owls were fascinating and we spent lots of time asking question about them. Well, OK, I did most of the asking and the kids Suburban Cowboy was getting impatient.

Sadly, the blueberries were still green!

Some with a shade of purple

Or a touch of pink

But not ready to be picked. That’ll take another 2 weeks or so.

Luckily, the farm had strawberries and they were ripe and ready. Yay.

Not certified organic but the folks at the farm promised they do not spray the strawberries with any pesticides, and we took their word on it.

Gorgeous.

Suburban Cowboy was looking pretty good in a hair net, don’t you think?

Oh, Man, the strawberries tasted so good. It doesn’t get any fresher than that!

It was a hot day and the strawberries were warm and bursting with juices and sweetness. Earth-candy.

And I just love to see kids, especially mine, on their hands and knees picking fruits and vegetables.

This is by far the shortest distance food can make from the ground and into the mouth.

(… and I’m starting to fall in love with my cheap lens – the one that came with the camera’s kit – and its “fish bowl” effect.)

OK, that did it! I want a strawberry field in my backyard! Rows and rows of the stuff.

Our bag of treasure cost 85 cents!

Oh, yeah, baby…

That’s right, we were dipping our freshly picked strawberries in chocolate sauce.

The lady who moaned in the pool below as if she was having great s_x (she didn’t; was merely excited by floating in the pool) had no idea what was going on only a few feet away and above her head in our balcony. A quick chocolate fondue by the lake. Oh, yeah…

Related Posts:

U-pick farms

Suburban Cowboy and the next generation

Green blackberries are red

Tags : farm, strawberries
Categories : Farms, Seattle/Pacific NW