Strawberry Picking 2015

My family has started a tradition of going fruit picking at least once a year. Last year we missed strawberry season but this year, we planned ahead and made it to the fields. We always hit up Alstede Farms because we love their petting zoo.

We started the day off with some breakfast and it was basically every person for themselves. I ended up making myself some toast with avocado and tomato.

We arrived at the farm around 9:30, which was awesome because we got a prime parking spot close to the entrance. This little guy greeted us at the gate.

Then, we paid our admission fees, picked up a box, and headed towards the field. There's a hayride that takes you straight to the action, but because we enjoy the walk, we leisurely strolled down to the strawberry fields, passing blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and peaches along the way.

There were so many gorgeous ripe berries. The best part was that since we'd gotten there early in the morning, the field was pretty empty and we had the first pick of the day.

I found a bunch of these weird tomato-shaped strawberries.

After about an hour of picking, we'd filled up our box and we were on our way. I was thankful because it was getting a bit too hot for comfort and I needed to get myself out of the sun.

We paid for our 7 pound box of berries ($3.49 per pound), dropped off our loot in the car, and then had some fun with the animals.

I was in love with the little baby goat. He was so cute!

Whilst I was distracted by the baby goat, this crazy cow came and nudged me.

It was really warm out so the ducks were splashing around in their little pond.

Despite the water being incredibly dirty and poop-filled, I was actually a bit jealous.

Having had our fill of smelly farm animals, we went and got ourselves a treat. I opted for a strawberry soft serve sugar cone. We sat down under some tents to enjoy our frozen goodies next to a father with his son and daughter. The little boy was eyeing us hungrily while he ate his grapes and crackers. As they were leaving, he asked his dad if they could get some ice cream, to which the father replied, "It's not even 11AM. No, we are not getting ice cream." That made my sister and me crack up. Sorry kid, maybe when you're older you can have ice cream before noon.

xoxo.