MONROE, La. – We’ve all been cooped up for a really long, stressful year, and now we are ready to get outside and have some fun (safely) in Louisiana. Spring is a great time to plan for some family fun at one of the many “Pick Your Own” farms or locations around the state. The advantages are pretty amazing. Not only do you get fresh fruit and vegetables at a much cheaper price than in most grocery stores, but you are helping to keep our wonderful Louisiana family-owned farms in business. And you’re showing your kids where the food they eat really comes from, and that is bound to motivate them to eat healthier themselves.
Anybody who knows me knows that I look forward to picking my own blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries every year. I usually pick enough for the whole year, and it has become a treasured family tradition and something I look forward to every year. As a matter of fact, I made some banana bread over the weekend and added blueberries that I picked and froze from last season.
One of the questions I always get when giving someone some homemade goodies with fresh fruit is “I didn’t know you could do that, where did you go to pick these?” There is a website that I love, and have used for years, even when I am visiting other areas of the state, and it’s PickYourOwn.org. This will tell you not only where you can pick your own fruit and vegetables but also what is in season and the links to websites for the locally owned farms.
Some of my picking locations are outside of Acadiana, because I do love a good road trip, but you can see for yourself where to go, and when. Blueberries and blackberries are just coming into season right now, and they are super easy to pick, especially since we are having such nice weather lately. Check out PickYourOwn.org / Louisiana, and let me know how your picking is going, y’all.
