U Pick

We ventured back out to Underwood Family Farm this weekend. Aside from the blazing heat, it was the perfect family trip. Animals for Matilda, cucumbers and berries for Tim and reminiscing about my farm day for me. Not only did we get to visit the farm animals and stock up on perfectly ripe produce, but we got really dirty doing it. I expected us to all get a little dusty out in the field, but didn't really calculate the toddler + tomatoes + raspberries + dirt equation quite correctly. Only Sarah managed to escape intact, the rest of us were in dire need of some Zout by the end of the trip.
Tim in tomato heaven. We turned them into a cold pasta sauce that night, it was perfect.
Matilda went to town on the tomatoes and ate three while we picked. I am not sure if that is sticking to their "feel free to sample, but don't make a meal of it" rule for the u-picking.

She also ate a fair amount of this green pepper. Actually, most every item in our wagon had baby bites missing before we checked out. Tim was joking about the crop being infested with babies, and needing some repellent spray. Here you can see some of what we picked: beets (to be roasted), yellow beans (for snacking), okra (to be smothered), raspberries (already gone in a raspberry and almond tart), blackberries (long gone), tomatoes (pasta sauce), yellow zucchini (sauteed), peppers (for salads and snacking), and cucumbers (a must have).
And we capped off the picking with a quick trip around the farm yard to greet everybody. The chickens and ducks in particular were a hit.