Stained Little Fingers

I originally hail from the deserts of the southwest, but I grew up vacationing in Oregon with my family. I remember seeing pictures of myself at three years old during a strawberry picking excursion with my aunt who lived near Eugene. My mom says I ate as many strawberries as she managed to place in her bucket.

Now, thirteen years later, I'm an Oregon local, yet I still haven't gotten used to the reality of wild berries growing abundantly throughout this state! Most locals consider wild blackberry and raspberry bushes a nuisance, but even after living in Oregon 13 years, I  feel as if I've hit the jack pot when I score handfuls of these juicy gems on walks through my neighborhood.

Nearly as mind blowing is the abundance of berry farms around the Portland metro area that offer U-Pick options at an impressively lower cost than your local farmer's market or grocery store.

Living in the suburbs of west Portland, I'm only 10 minutes away -- in good traffic (as if Portland ever has "good traffic") -- to an abundance of U-Pick farms offering the gamut of berries: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, tayberries, marionberries, loganberries...the list goes on. In fact, Smith Berry Farms off Scholls Ferry Road in Hillsboro boasts 20 varieties of berries!

Last month, my kids and I picked strawberries at Hoffman Farms in Beaverton. The weather was perfect in the low 70's with a slight cloud cover. We arrived around 9:30 a.m. (the earlier the better to avoid side stepping fellow gatherers). Before heading to the fields, I let the kids play in the sand box, as well as the unique play structure complete with a tractor out of which children can launch themselves down a slide.

  After a bit of play, we each grabbed a lined bucket available outside the store.* Then we grabbed wagon courtesy of the farm and headed to the fields.





Unlike many other types of berries, strawberries require a good deal of crouching, squatting, and plain ol' sitting on your butt in the dust or mud. The nice thing about Hoffman Farms is that the Hay Fairy lays down hay between the rows of plants allowing you stay a little cleaner. Hay also offers a bit of cushion for sitting or kneeling.

Thank you, Hay Fairy!

The berries were juicy and delicious as was evidenced by my little guy who ate his weight in these tasty morsels.

It took us less than an hour to fill two buckets of strawberries and a bucket of raspberries. The price of an hour's worth of picking made the work worthwhile...as if the promise of pie, jam and syrup wasn't enough!

$1.75/lb. for fresh berries straight from the source!

Rarely, now, will I buy berries at a grocery store or farmer's market. Why bother when I have dirt-cheap options practically right in my back yard?

The shop offers pies made on site, pre-picked berries,
jams, syrups, local  honey and more

A nice lunchtime spot or if you just can't wait to dive into
your berries before heading for home

July's U-Pick season is underway and includes blueberries, blackberries, marionberries, cherries and more. PickYourOwn.org offers a detailed guide for berry picking in Multnomah and eastern neighboring counties, and also designates farms that use minimal chemicals and pesticides, that use natural growing practices, or are certified organic. The same website also provides a calendar of berries available for picking each month.

West Union Gardens also offers some recipes and handy tips for berry care if you're not planning to eat them immediately. 

If you're looking for us, you can find us in the fields!

* Each farm's policy varies regarding whether you can use your own buckets or those provided by the farm. Check with employees before you get started.