Community Corner
Down on the Farm: Three Great Day Trips
Support local farmers, pick fresh produce and enjoy a day in the country with these great day trips.
I have to admit—my oldest daughter thought that peas came from a bag, not from pods.
Then we went to Duffield's Farm, in nearby Washington Township, for pea-picking and a whole new universe opened up for my little girl.
A day on the farm with your kids is not only fun, but secretly educational. Your kids have no idea that they are learning about nature, nutrition and an important lesson in social responsibility (that being to buy local!).
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Check out three of my favorite farm day trips. And if you want to pick something specific, check out Pick Your Own, a directory website that links to farms all over New Jersey.
1. Spend the morning at the
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While the Blackwood Farmers Market is not technically a farm, it is a great way to spend a couple hours on a Saturday morning perusing the produce, selecting ingredients for dinner and maybe grabbing some ice cream from Hilltop Creamery (in the summer ice cream is totally okay for breakfast, right?). Have your kids pick out a new fruit or vegetable to try, go home and prepare it together. Bring cash—for about $20, you will easily purchase enough fresh produce for a family of four for a week.
Duffield's is a fabulous way to spend an afternoon. Springtime and early summer are the best for picking strawberries and peas. August brings apple-picking. Pumpkins are bountiful in the fall. Stop by the small petting zoo to visit with cows, goats and sheep—feed for the animals is just 50¢. Grab lunch—there are sandwiches, salads and soups—inside the market and enjoy a family picnic under one of the pavilions.
Johnson's Corner Farm in Medford is like the supercenter of local farms. You can pick just about anything and everything from May through November (when it is sweet potato season!). Right now, blueberries are fresh. My favorite item, however, is the popcorn—ready to be picked and popped right after Halloween. Take a hayride to the fields ($3.25 per person) and then come back to check out the Discovery Barnyard, a fabulous farm-themed playground. Johnson's market offers oodles of fresh prepared food and additional produce.
