“People want to buy fresh, buy local,” Beinlich says. She has seen a definite change over the past 15 to 20 years to the importance of the Farm to Table movement in her customers. “And that it takes special people called farmers to raise it for them.” “And that it has to ripen seasonally with sun, soil, water, and air,” she says. And everyone loves the animals - pygmy goats at the Goatfield Street Bridge, along with chickens, rabbits and a potbellied pig.īonus: Depending on the distance to the picking fields, you might score a hayride shuttle.īeinlich hopes the experience teaches kids that food doesn’t come from a plastic container from the grocery store. The Rompin’ Rope Maze helps burn off energy. You’ll find hillside tunnels and tube slides named after the Liberty and Squirrel Hill tunnels. A spinner directs players on how many jumps to move. The entire family acts as game pieces in a giant farm-themed board game. Visit the Bee Barn, where a Plexiglas window allows visual access to the inner workings of a beehive. Pop’s Farmyard is a massive collection of fun pursuits. “So, for example, not only can you pick strawberries and raspberries and peaches together, you can also enjoy the activities in Pop’s Farmyard.” “All of our activities are based on children and adults playing together as family time,” says Suzanne Beinlich of Triple B Farms. 72 Hillside tunnels and slides are part of the fun at Triple B Farms. Soergel Orchards, 2573 Brandt School Road, Franklin Park. “You can see the evidence of that on their faces and hands that they’ve been sampling a little bit of everything,” Voll says with a laugh. It helps to put things into perspective.”Īnd kids have fun enjoying the fruits of their labors, so to speak. “They get to do a little hard work on their own. “There’s a lot of hard work that goes into agriculture and food,” he says. Voll says the farm experience allows kids to learn where food comes from. Pick apples and pumpkins in September and October. Strawberries are in the spotlight now, followed by blueberries that are expected through July and August. The café and food market sells ice cream treats, snacks, and meals – plus lots of specialty products and baked goods to take home. “There’s also the play areas completing the experience.”Īt Soergel’s, kids can enjoy the farm area, petting zoo and Tiny Town recreation spaces, which are free of charge whenever the market is open. “That is a big impacting factor,” he says. The pick-your-own feature started about 30 years ago. “I think a lot of it has to do with the nostalgia and the memories of themselves doing the same thing here with their parents,” says Voll, who is part of the sixth generation at the 167-year-old family farm. The parental attraction for pick-your-own farm visits goes deep, says Eric Voll of Soergel Orchards. Families fill the strawberry fields at Soergel Orchards. All suggest calling ahead to ensure availability. Here are seven area farms where your kids can play farmer and have a lot of fun, too. Perhaps your junior farmers will be intrigued enough by the experience to beg a berry bush or fruit tree of their own. Many local farms have greenhouses, markets and lots of kids activities to make a full day out of a visit. There’s an entire growing season from which to choose. Return to pick peaches, tomatoes, apples, and pumpkins. Working to fill a basket to take home gives a sense of pride and ownership.Īdding those berries to breakfast cereal, baking into a pie, or topping shortcake along with a dollop of whipped cream gives kids nearly as much satisfaction as if they’d grown the fruit themselves. There’s nothing like tugging a sun-warmed, juicy strawberry or blueberry from the stem or reaching up to pluck an apple from a tree. Seeing where food comes from – beyond the plastic-wrapped produce in your local supermarket – is an excellent lesson for inquisitive kids. Summer on the farm is a berry wonderful time of year.
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