Yesterday, prior to the hot dog meltdown, my family and I did one of my favorite things, go to a local farm and pick fresh fruit. Not only does it help support local farmers and freshness in produce but it also teaches my daughter that food doesn't simply come from the supermarket and there is real work behind each and every morsel we put in out mouth. Yesterday was the end of strawberry season and was the perfect weather to take her out. 
What are some of your favorite things to make with strawberries?
We used to always go to a smaller farm in Chester named Alstede Farms. Their selection and quality is amazing. Unfortunately for me but fantastic for them, they were featured on the show Real Housewives of New Jersey some years back. This has caused their popularity to soar, and now it is impossible to go there on the weekend without having to deal with crowds. What this has caused me to do is search out more local farms to patronize. This particular day we went to Donaldson Farm in Hackettstown, NJ.
This farm was nice and I think one of the positives that it had over some others that I have visited was the limited selection. By not trying to offer every fruit imaginable in the Pick Your Own area, more area was able to be dedicated to the one fruit we were trying to pick. The farm also had a lot of fun things for kids to do, such as a petting zoo, pony rides and a large sand box. Inside the actual market was a great selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as a fantastic area of fresh baked goods. Prices were a little on the high side from other farms I have gone to but it wasn't bad enough to make me never consider this place again.
There was a huge strawberry festival the day before which made me afraid that everything would be picked over, but there were plenty of rows to pick from and at the end of the day we ended up with around 3 lbs of berries. Now to look up some great strawberry recipes.
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