PYO Blueberries

I haven't been to too many farms around here, but I can't imagine it would be easy to beat Honey Pot Hill in Stow, MA. They have a little area with animals (goats, chickens, rabbits, and literally, three little pigs), a great farmstand with soft serve, cider donuts, lemonade slushies and fresh produce, and amazing blueberry picking. They don't charge a fee to get in and it is almost always quiet. (How many years do you have to do something in a row before it is considered tradition? We went last year for Ashton's second birthday and went again this year right around the same time. I just re-read that linked post and it's funny because I have nearly the exact same pictures for this one, just with a bigger kid!)

We ventured out to Stow last Saturday with my friend Kathleen and her two boys, Jackson and Adrian. I believe I've mentioned them here before but she is extra-special to me because her husband has the same schedule Jason does - he works evenings and weekends too. She and I have had standing Friday night pizza parties all summer, our boys get along great and in general it's just nice to have someone to hang out with during what is usually family time for most people. She had never been to Honey Pot before so I couldn't wait to show her how cute it was.

Honey Pot has two blueberry picking areas, the best one is a few minutes' walk through the woods.

Off we go!

Ashton was very serious about his blueberry picking. Frankly, it was odd. He was nearly silent the whole time with like laser-beam focus. It really wasn't necessary because there were blueberries everywhere. You could have closed your eyes, ran your fingers through the branches and come out with a perfect handful. They were just falling off at the touch. Anyway, at one point I looked over at him and he was kneeling down with his carton on the ground, sorting through, picking out the "bad" ones and pulling off any stems that he could see.

We had such a good time! The boys were finding huge berries and even Alex stuck his chubby little arm out once or twice to get in on the action. I had him in the carrier and he did great.

Our "mom" pics :) Because darn it, sometimes we should be in the picture too!

After we had full cartons, we walked back to the main farm, had a picnic lunch, got some ice cream, and fed the goats (the goats are up on a very high platform and you can send a can of feed up on the trolley = endless entertainment, or would have been if we hadn't run out of quarters!)

After we got home and Alex went down for a nap, Ashton and I made muffins, because that's what you do with fresh blueberries.

And that, my dear readers, is the latest in my PYO series. Hard to believe, but it's likely apples are next...the summer heat has definitely left the air and apples mean fall and cider and sweatshirts...I have mixed emotions on this but for now, I am enjoying these gorgeous, humidity-free summer days and I know Ashton is too!