I love creating new family traditions. Every autumn we have to go to a apple orchard or pumpkin patch … it just isn’t fall without a visit to a U-Pick farm! Seriously though, Ryan and I started the tradition in college and it was such a fun date-day! I love hand picking apples off the trees or hunting down the greatest pumpkin to carve. Now as a family, we can usually make a day out of it since so many U-Pick farms offer other activities such as hayrides, corn maze, petting zoo, etc., and you can always count on great photo-ops to capture the memories!
This summer was the first year we went strawberry picking and I’ve officially declared it a new tradition! Micah had a blast picking (and eating) ALL the strawberries he could find, and his cousins loved filling their buckets to the brim! It was an inexpensive activity that turned into a fun and memorable day.
We went to Strawberries Galore & More in Albany, MN about 30 minutes from St. Cloud. It is conveniently near our cabin, but there are many strawberry patches throughout the Twin Cities and Central Minnesota. MN Grown is a great resource for finding U-Pick farm in your area, and if it’s not picking season, try to find a local Farmers Market instead!
Going to a U-Pick farm is a fun way to spend a morning or afternoon as a family, and it’s also a great date-day idea! If you’re lucky, you can even find a farm that is also a winery or cidery!
What summer traditions do you have?