There are many wonderful benefits that come along with summertime and picking your own fresh produce at a local farm is one of them. It’s a great family-fun activity and teaching moment for your children. They will immerse themselves in the dirt and happily pick away, all day long.
Once you are there, the sights and smells of all the wonderful fruits and vegetables will take over and I bet you take home a lot more than you expected to! How can you pass up such delicious, healthy food??
Besides the fruits and vegetable being super healthy and tasty, there are many other great reasons to pick your own produce. Continue reading below to learn all the reasons why you should plan a trip this weekend to your local farm to pick your very own produce.
Oh and don’t miss the list of farms around Baltimore County where you can pick your own produce at the bottom of this article!
Benefits of picking your own produce…
Saves you money
Of course, you are the labor, no shelf space needed, no packaging and no shipping. Plus, often times when you buy in bulk it costs less.
You get to pick the perfect produce
How many times have you gone to your local chain grocery store and had a difficult time finding a piece of produce that wasn’t under- or overripe, bruised, moldy, squishy, or clearly has seen better days? We all have and it’s very annoying. But when you pick your own produce you select perfection every time, plus you buy only what you want, no premeasured packaging!
Get acquainted with the Earth
If you pick your own produce there’s a pretty good chance you will feel a deep connection with the Earth, a connection you do not feel while pushing your grocery cart around a crowded store, filling it up with food. There is so much to admire; the smells, the fresh air, the quietness (or not) of the farm, and the proud feeling you will get when you eat or serve the produce you actually picked.
It’s just better nutrition!
Produce has many more nutrients when you eat them as soon as possible after they’re picked. Picking produce at its peak tastes better and if you can’t eat it all before it goes bad, freeze it. Freezing it will ensure the nutrients are preserved and will taste like it was just picked when you are ready to eat it.
Keep farmers in business
When you shop at a pick your own produce farm you are supporting that farmer which in turn helps to support his family, his local economy, and the planet; a real domino effect that truly does have an impact. Running a farm is not only grueling but also a thankless job. The planting, weeding, watering, and harvesting is not something we think about while in the grocery store. When was the last time you thanked a farmer when you bought your watermelon, asparagus, or eggs? When you do the work yourself—you have a newfound appreciation for how that product got to your local grocery store and why it costs what it does.
Know where your food comes from
It’s simple when you arrive at that farm you KNOW all the food you will be walking out of there with was grown in that very spot. Another benefit is that many of these farms do not use chemicals and fertilizers making this a much healthier choice for you and your family.
Now that your mouth is watering, go pick your own produce!
Baltimore County Pick Your Own Produce Farms
Huber’s Farm – strawberries, pumpkins, a variety of vegetables & other produce
Hybridoma Organic Fruit Farm – certified organic blackberries, blueberries, & raspberries
Maryland Agricultural Resource Council – sweet corn
Mingodale Farm – blackberries, raspberries, asparagus, tomatoes, garlic, herbs, peppers, honey from hives on the farm, & flowers
Pearlstone Center – certified organic strawberries
Weber’s Cider Mill Farm – apples
Wind Swept Farm – sweet corn, cucumbers, peppers, pumpkins, summer squash, & tomatoes