Harvest Time

You've seen the various berry picking experiences this summer. Now we're enjoying the Fall harvest season. We are lucky to have so many community farms around Seattle so we've been visiting those as well. It's really great to show the girls where their food comes from and be a part of it. Plus, Lucy has a thing for dirt, tomatoes on the vine, hay bales and a tractor ride. I mean, who doesn't?

This is South 47 Farm where we have gone to pick pumpkins in the past. It is a CSA farm which means community members purchase shares of the farm in exchange for whatever is harvested. These members can also come out and help with the farming tasks as well. There is also a section of the farm where local chefs are growing herbs and vegetables for their restaurants. It's a beautiful space with flowers, all kinds of veggies, apple trees, a variety of berries, corn maze, goats, chickens and even a preschool program during the week. We love this farm and came to pick apples this day. We now have homemade applesauce which is pretty yummy. The farm is also completely organic without using organic friendly pesticides or herbicides either.Last week we went to a new farm called Fall City Farms. It looked more like a traditional animal/crop farm but was much less friendly. It was unfortunately really. There is a vibe when you go to places like this. Either the environment is set up for exploring freely or there are signs everywhere telling you what you cannot do. This farm has cardboard signs EVERYWHERE telling parents what kids cannot do. It takes away the welcoming feeling for sure. Even things like a hay bale maze that is designed for kids to play in has a sign that says no climbing. It's only two bales high. Seriously? Oh, and next to the maze is an electric fence with signs that say, don't touch, electric fence. There is a HUGE, old scale in the middle of the "store" for weighing pumpkins but the kids are told not to put their pumpkins on it.

I just found the farm to have lots of rules and a poor design. We practiced a little civil disobedience by roaming while the owners were walking preschoolers through farm tour. We found the two baby cows, the horse and the donkey in the barn. We fed them all the alfalfa that was laying on the ground and they were quite happy even if we did see a sign later that said don't feed the horse and donkey. Oh well...they got a treat that day.

Do I sound a little annoyed? Well...I get annoyed when places suggest they are designed for families and children and have inappropriate expectations. Plus, no one wants to visit a farm that is cluttered with "don't do that" signs everywhere. Of course, the girls were quite happy and Lucy got to get up close to some sheep and roosters who were talking. She got to stomp in the mud which is ALWAYS a favorite and feeding the horse was a highlight.