Strawberry Season

I am excitedly awaiting my next family-friendly adventure: strawberry picking.  My son, who’s now 3.5 years old, is old enough to recognize ripe strawberries and I anticipate that he will actually be helpful this year instead of just a tag-a-long.  Well, not so much a tag-a-long as kid-who-just-wants-to-eat-strawberry-shortcake.

Last year we went to the Strawberry Festival at Smolak Farms in North Andover.  By the time we arrived, most of the pick-your-own strawberries were gone; the field had been picked out.  It took me quite some time to find a section that had been overlooked and I filled one or two pint-sized buckets.  My son managed to add many unripe strawberries to the batch.  Back at the farm house, there were strawberry shortcake and local folk musicians… each alone is enough to make my day!

With all the rain we’ve had this year, I am hopeful that the strawberry crop will be abundant.  We plan to attend Smolak Farm’s strawberry festival on June 20th and 21st.  This year, however, I plan on either picking during the week, or early, early in the morning!

Many other local farms have fields of pick-your-own produce… after all, it’s saves them a lot of labor to have you doing all the work for them!  At www.pickyourown.org and mass.gov you can find listings of local farms. Additionally, you can find reviews of several Essex county farms here on North Shore Parenting.

Russell Orchards–A Sunny Day Diversion

As we round the corner of the scenic Ipswich road, an old familiar sight rolls into view. Yes, it’s still here, Russell Orchards. My mother used to pull into this very driveway on the way home from Crane’s Beach, and tell us kids to wait in the car while she ran in for a few things. Now, as I am finally getting out of the car and walking into the barn myself, I can finally see her rationale: letting us kids accompany her would have delayed our long drive home by, oh, three or four hours at least.

The first thing I notice is the large, charming 18th century barn, all original beams and barn boards intact, home of the farm’s bakery and store. The bakery’s claim to fame is their very own cider donuts, said to be the very best in New England. They also boast the excellence of their homemade pies, scones, cookies and muffins. In addition, they have they sell a long list of fresh-picked items grown and produced on the farm itself; quite a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs from the day’s harvest, delicious fudges, tangy pestos, unique cream cheese spreads, the farm’s own jams and jellies, maple syrup and honey, and even their own ice cream stand. Most intriguing is the farm’s own line of fruit wines, pressed on the premises–in fact, you can stop by in the fall and watch the process yourself. Dandelion wine? Wonder what that tastes like…

One of the biggest draws, of course, it the Pick Your Own feature. At the time of this writing, the strawberries have gone by but the raspberries are just beginning to ripen. It is best to arrive earlier rather than later to get the best pickings, but remember to bring your bug spray. One of my favorite features about this place is that they are ecologically responsible; they use their own biofuel to power the tractors, and they do not use pesticides on their blueberries and strawberries. My two-year-old helps me gather berries for an hour before he decides it is time to return to the barnyard.

The barnyard is a favorite area for children and parents alike; guests are allowed to visit the stables and meet the farm’s horses, ponies, sheep, goats, pigs, geese and chickens. Three goslings, still fluffy in their yellow down, waddle over to greet us. The chickens and geese wander freely around the barnyard.

Also popular are the areas set aside specifically for children. My son loves the fenced-in playground, complete with picnic tables. I notice several families with packed lunches here, supplemented by goodies purchased in the farm store. Within the barn itself, there is another spot in the corner by the fireplace where books and toys are provided for quiet play time. I am tempted to curl up here myself.

We stop to sample the aforementioned cider donuts, fresh from the oven and surprisingly light and tasty, as well as an oatmeal cookie stuffed full of chocolate chips, enough to satisfy the most discerning chocoholic. We also enjoy the fresh cherry-apple cider, wonderfully cold after a warm pick-your-own adventure.

Although Russell Orchards has relied heavily on passing beach traffic over the years, it is clear that the owners and staff have worked hard to make this place worth a visit on its own merit. The folks here are very friendly and helpful, and enjoy their visiting guests. “This is the best farm ever!” one visitor told me. “I’ve visited just about every farm in the area, but we always come back here.” Come and see for yourself!

143 Argilla Road
Ipswich, MA, 01938
978-356-5366

Much more information can be found at Russell Orchard’s excellent, up-to-date website:

http://www.russellorchardsma.com