Love Love Love....did I say LOVE?!? Found this awesome farm on facebook, while I was looking for a place to pick blueberries. Wesley Wells Farm came up and I saw that they offered appointments you could schedule via Facebook, so I booked an appointment for Saturday.
I popped their address into my GPS and it wasn't a super long drive. I'd say about 30 minutes total. Just an FYI, you turn down a dirt road, you may think "hey, am I going right way?" Yes, you are.
We parked in their grass lot and walked to a little red house. When we arrived at 9:30 am, we saw a few other people outside picking (what I assumed were blueberries). We saw boxes of fresh produce: tomatoes, cucumbers, Asian eggplant, regular eggplant, etc. We waited for my sister and her kids, and a nice woman greeted us and explained the options. Option one: You could do a you pick for $25: whatever you could fill in one of their 5 gallon buckets (literally) OR for $35 you could fill one of their five gallon buckets with whatever produce they had already picked. I asked the woman what about blueberries and she said she just got word that they were out. While I was a little bummed, I wasn't for long when she explained we'd be able to pick whatever produce they had out (corn...she said was about 1.5 weeks from being ready to pick, zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, green beans, eggplant, tomatoes, lots of options). We decided to do the $25 you pick, and split the cost.
Each row of crops was labeled, so you knew what you were picking. I have to say, this was such a fun experience for both me and my kiddo. It's a great teachable moment about the hard work the farmers and their families do, so we can enjoy our produce. It was also really fun for him to be able to pick his own veggies.
We also picked a bunch of wildflowers, from sunflowers to bells of Ireland, and even dill (which FYI, I didn't know how pretty the flower on a dill plant was and super fragrant).
While we were picking, one of the owners, a gentleman (Mr. Wells, a third generation farmer) thanked us for coming and asked if we needed any help or if there was anything we were looking for. My mom said she'd like a few eggplant and he went out to the crop and picked a few for her (it doesn't get fresher than that!).
We lugged our five gallon bucket up to pay and Mr. Wells and his kiddos were so nice, helpful, and appreciative of people coming out to the farm. We were so glad we got to experience picking our own food and flowers and really enjoyed it.
We also purchased a few cucumbers and eggplants from the pre-picked boxes they had out (which were mainly two for a dollar). With flowers, a five gallon bucket of veggies, and some pre-picked veggies, and an additional $2 credit card fee, our bill came to $33 (honestly, this was such a bargain).
Pros:
-Fun experience for kids and adults
-Unique way to see how your food is grown
-A steal at $25 a bucket
-A lot of parking
-Support local
Cons:
-None
Tips: Check their Facebook and IG posts for updates regarding what's in season and when to pick. Also, be sure to wear old shoes (and closed-toed shoes), as it can get muddy. read more