Baugher's Orchard (Westminster,MD)

Strawberry Picking with Friends
(The kids picked 20 pounds of strawberries that day!)

Going to an orchard to pick your own fruit is the perfect way to come together with your kids for an afternoon of fun. There's nothing better than allowing your children to see their fruit fresh on the vine or tree instead of just sitting in a container on the grocery store shelf. Add to that the satisfaction of picking the perfect apple or sneaking a few warm, juicy strawberries out in the field and you have yourself an outing your children will look forward to every year.

One of our favorite pick-your-own orchards is Baugher's in Westminster, MD. We ring in the start of summer by picking strawberries and then sweet cherries. Towards the end of summer, we go back for some peaches and then get ready for back-to-school by picking apples. We love the tractor rides out to the fields and climbing on the wooden train and swingset outside the market. In the market, you can pick up some extra produce, a homemade pie or some yummy fudge as you purchase your freshly picked fruit. You can also pick up a bag or two of animal food and head down the hill to the free petting zoo. My kids always love seeing the peacocks, pigs, rabbits and llamas and get a kick out of the goats and sheep who jostle each other to get a handful of food pellets. Of course, the good times continue as we come home with our fruit and make all sorts of yummy desserts.

I'm always surprised they don't make us pay extra when they see our juice-stained mouths, fingers and shirts as we take our baskets of strawberries to the counter!