Welsand's in London

Strawberry Picking Standing Up

My friend Tracy and her family invited Sophie and I to go to a pick your own berry and veggies at the Parkside Farm just outside of London. It was a gorgeous day! Around 70 degree! Fantastic! There were so few people on the farm being late in the season and a weekday morning, the kids were able to run around without getting lost or in the way, it was perfect.

Our first mission was the strawberries. They have the cleverest way of growing the berries--their late summer "everbearer" strawberries are now exclusively grown on a "Table-Top System" which allows you to pick without bending. You can pick strawberries all day without ever having to bend over--what a saviour for your back! And there were lots of strawberries hanging over the sides of the "tables" just perfect for kids to pick! After Sophie had eaten more berries than she picked and her face was smeared red, we went on to pick some fresh cucumber, okay one, these were almost done; some courgettes (zucchini), french beans, sweet corn (to die for!) and Sophie picked one mini squash that looked like a pumpkin. She did also help our friends pick some beetroot (beets) which is really popular here, mostly in a pickled way I believe. Not a fan of beets in anyway shape or form...

Later that day I made my great grandma's berry pie recipe with the fresh strawberries for the Longhurt's which didn't quite set, but they were kind and said it still tasted great. I don't think I added enough tapioca, which thankfully my best friend Teresa sent me from the US (which cost her almost $10 in postage to send me, ridiculous!). The next pie...

posted by Chris @ 3:51 PM