Want your kids to eat their veggies? Then load them into the car and take a leisurely summer jaunt to a U-pick farm. “The more kids are exposed to where their food comes from, the more likely they are to eat it,” says Lisa Whittlesey, coordinator of the national Junior Master Gardener program at Texas A&M University, in College Station. Even better news: Many pick-it-yourself places grow the kinds of fruits and vegetables you’ll love your finicky eaters to try. Some of our favorite farms and crops:
Coonamessett Farm. Get leeks, a relative of onions, at such places as Coonamessett Farm, in East Falmouth, Massachusetts. You have to be a member to pick the produce here, but the small joining fee entitles you to visits with the farm’s alpacas, a type of llama. See CoonamessettFarm.com.
Agua Linda Farm. The Agua Linda Farm, near Tucson, offers a rotating menu of fresh vegetables, including salad greens such as arugula and spinach, that may entice your kids to eat more than only iceberg lettuce. When no one’s manning the stand, visitors can weigh their produce and leave their money in an Honest John box. Go to AguaLindaFarm.com.
Barsana Orchards. When the Fuyu persimmons are ripe at Barsana Orchards, in Austin, they’re as soft and sweet as pears. The 7-acre spread also includes 70 trees laden with juicy peaches. See BarsanaOrchards.com.
Hallock’s U-Pick. Customers come from as far away as California to get their hands on specialty Chinese and Jamaican vegetables that grow fresh at Hallock’s U-Pick Farm, in New Egypt, New Jersey. But your kids may be more willing to sample Southern favorites like okra and black-eyed peas. Visit HallocksUPick.com.
Swanton Berry Farm. Furry kiwifruit look odd, but they’re a nutrient powerhouse, packed with more vitamin C than an orange. At Swanton Berry Farm, a 200-acre organic farm in Davenport, California, you can pick them by the handful. And try olallieberries, a blackberry-raspberry hybrid that’s found on the West Coast. See SwantonBerryFarm.com.
Justy’s Produce. Indigenous to the Mediterranean, fiber-rich fava beans thrive at Justy’s Produce, a suburban farm in Milwaukie, Oregon, 10 miles south of Portland. You can also pick your own gypsy peppers, Concord grapes, and even chestnuts. There’s also delicious quince and shallots at an adjoining market stand. Call 503-659-4169 or email email hidden; JavaScript is required.
To find a pick-your-own farm, visit PickYourOwn.org, a website that tracks farms in all 50 states. Or contact your state’s agriculture department.