U-Pick Strawberry Festival Northern Virginia

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Published: 05/20/2013

Biggest U-Pick Strawberry Festival in Northern VA 5/25 & 26

Bluemont, VA - Come celebrate the event that launched Great Country Farms 20 years ago. The Strawberry Jubilee May 25^th & 26^th promises to be a bumper harvest due to the favorable spring weather. The weekend is packed with stupendous fun including live music, food contests (pie-eating and tart tossing), and delectable strawberries. GCF recommends that serious pickers arrive early as this vine ripened fruit is a favorite of many. The farm has moved with the times and now posts regular updates on their social media about produce conditions. Founder Farmer Bob Zurschmeide recalls “Back in 1993, we invited folks to help themselves in our strawberry fields never expecting to begin an annual event. We just wanted everyone to taste a perfect, ripe strawberry for themselves.” The traditional Diaper Derby invites the youngest visitors to join the fun by crawling across a finish line for prizes of fresh fruit or toys. The Royal Strawberry princess makes her annual appearance for pictures and strawberry stories.

Great Country Farms is also celebrating 20 years of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). CSA members are always welcomed free of charge to all of the farm’s renowned weekend events and receive special discounts on U-Pick produce and items in the Farm Market. There is a $100.00 per share discount when 2 or more shares are delivered to one location. These sites can be private or open to the public for doctor's offices, heath care facilities, gyms, etc. to expand foot traffic and offer a great benefit to your employees and customers. Members receive a weekly newsletter with chef created recipes tailored to the harvest cycles. There are a few shares left available for purchase by Friday, May 24 at 12:00pm or you can sign up when you arrive. CSA members are welcomed all season to enjoy the farm, take hayrides, and romp on the five acre playground featuring the Giant Jumping Pillow, pedal carts, rope swings, picnic areas, and more. Four legged family members can run free in the off leash dog zones.

Event Details:

Strawberry Jubilee May 25 & 26, 2013

Open 9am-6pm $10/child & $12/adult/Under 2 and military with ID FREE

GreatCountryFarms.com website

18780 Foggy Bottom Road Bluemont, Virginia 20135

via press release

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Review: Great Country Farms

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Published: 10/19/2012

So, listen. I tell you guys pretty much everything when it comes to fun stuff to do with your kids. I'm going to tell you about Great Country Farms because I told them I would and they gave me giveaway tickets.

But I don't want to, because I want it to be all mine.

I have never left a pumpkin patch/farm feeling peaceful and relaxed. In fact, I usually leave mumbling to myself "one...two...three...one...two..three" from hours of compulsively counting my children because I'm sure they're going to get lost in the throngs of people. When we went to Great Country Farms this week, I didn't have that feeling at all. Peaceful, open, and very "farm" (as opposed to being very "attraction") we went on a Tuesday and were among a handful of people. That morning there'd been a few schools and groups that came through, but by lunchtime when we arrived, most of them were leaving and we had the run of the farm with just a few other families.

It's really hard for me to tell you about their hayride without comparing it to the hayride we go on every year...so I'm not going to try. There's no hay on this hayride, and there's benches to sit on! Benches! No hay fever and no legs falling asleep! This is strictly a hayride, though, around the farm to the field, so don't expect a show, although the landscape is gorgeous!

The hayride ends at the pumpkin patch, which includes lots of different varieties from the traditional orange jack-o-lantern to the decorative white and green varieties. The pumpkins are already cut off the vine (I actually think they just scatter them around the corn field) and are sold by the pound.

There are also tons of animals around the farm. Cups of feed are $2 and we fed pigs, chickens, ducks, turkeys, peacocks, horses, cows, sheep, donkeys, rabbits, goats, and probably some other things I'm forgetting. You can also do "catch and release fishing" in their pond. Bring a rod. Putt Putt Golf is available for $1 per ball, which is refunded when you bring your ball back.

Awww, they're being cute :) This is the entrance to pedal go-karts, which are really fun, but hard for smaller legs to propel. I liked that everything was interactive and kid-powered.

This is a giant pillow. You bounce and run all over it until someone gets tired and/or runs into someone else. It's tremendously fun, and I think that my kids did it for a full hour.

Isn't this fantastically beautiful? These stairs lead up to a pipe slide down a hill. The whole farm is very picturesque.

This is a giant play area full of corn kernels. Your kids will come out covered in cornstarch, but very happy. We spent several hours on the farm and enjoyed some hot cider on our way out. They also sell cold cider, local sodas, and ice cream in their store.

In addition to everything mentioned here, there are tons and tons of play structures, a cow train ($2) and the farm also hosts a CSA, or community supported agriculture program. We really enjoyed this farm, and I would definitely go again. It's a bit of a drive, about an hour and a half from Woodbridge, but you could easily spend an entire day there. While the farm is open for fall and features pumpkins and a corn maze, they're also open year round and have fun events for each season. Admission is $10 per child and $12 per adult. There's a restaurant that's open on weekends, or ample picnic table space for those who want to pack. This is definitely a "highly recommend" in my book- even if it's not in Prince William County!

Want to enjoy your own idyllic day at Great Country Farms? Enter by leaving a comment on this post! Don't forget to include your email address so I can get in touch with you! This contest closes on Monday, October 22, 2012. Good luck!

PS- Great County Farms provided our family with comp tickets to come and review their farm. All opinions are my own, and we really did have a fantastic time. Just ask my husband who slept in an adirondack chair all afternoon.

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Guest Post: Belvedere Plantation

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Published: 10/16/2012

Special thanks to our guest poster, who emailed me asking about Belvedere and agreed to go write about it when I didn't have a review! If you like to write and visit new classes, places, or playgrounds, I'd love to publish your work, too!

Sunday, October, 14 we spent the most beautiful fall day at Belvedere Plantation!!

We arrived soon after opening, which I highly recommend! By the time we left in the afternoon it was quite crowded. While in line to pick up tickets, we were greeted by the Pumpkin Princess dressed in a beautiful orange gown greeting the children with a bucket of candy! I am not quite sure if it was the candy, or the princess, but my 2 ½ year old was instantly in love! She wanted to follow the Princess all around the plantation the rest of the day!

There were a few things that greatly impressed me about Belvedere Plantation. The first was they had REAL bathrooms, and many of them! They also had a baby changing station/family bathroom. This was amazing since we are right in the middle of potty training and the idea of trying to get my little one to go into a porta-potty gives me nightmares! They also had lots of benches and places to sit. If you have older grandparents with you, this is a huge plus.

Another thing that really impressed me was the way they handled the jumping pillow. At other farms we have visited, they were a free for all with a mix of big kids and little kids. At Belvedere, they have someone working at the jumping pillow timing the jumping times. He gave 2 minutes for each group- little kids, then big kids. It was awesome because it gave each group an opportunity to jump with children their own size. They could come back an unlimited amount of times.

The other activities in the same area as the jumping pillow were the pedal cars, pony rides, and the fun barn. These are geared more towards the 4 year old and up crowd. There were not very long lines for any of them. The Fun Barn is also in this area. It is filled with a foot or two of loosely packed hay with ropes for the kids to swing on.

They have activity tents with face painting and pumpkin painting. The face painting was free, but the pumpkin painting was an extra charge. There are a few activities spread out that are an extra charge if you only purchase the Cackling Farm Pass. If you plan to do the flower cutting, pumpkin painting, or want to fire pumpkins from a cannon, the better value is the Crowing Farm Pass. We decided next time that we would get the extra pass for our daughter, but not for us since she would be the one doing the activities.

One of the highlights of the day was the Pig Race in the Swine Speedway at 12:30. It was very exciting for all of the children. Farmer Ian was the MC of the race and gave out prizes and also let the children participate by holding up flags representing their team’s pig. There is an area for the kids to pet goats and sheep as well as see turkeys, chickens, and pigs. The one thing they didn’t have that my daughter asked about was cows.

The area we enjoyed, having one under 3, was the Little Farmers Corral. There were lots of fun swings and areas for the little ones to play. The zip lines are also there. They had regular zip lines for the children to hold on, but they also had zip lines for the little ones with seats. It’s a little close to the Pumpkin Cannon, so be aware if you have a child that gets spooked by loud noises, it can be loud over there.

We ended our day with a hayride to the pumpkin patch. We didn’t have to wait at all to get on and as soon as we had picked a pumpkin they were there to pick us up. They are well prepared for big crowds.

Overall, we had an amazing day!! Thanks to PWC Moms and Belvedere Plantation for giving us an opportunity to go! More information on hours, coupons, and ticket information can be found at http://www.belvedereplantation.com Don’t forget to enter the photo contest after your visit!!

Beth Heim is a mom to two kids. When she's not at the pumpkin patch, you can find her spending time with her family, taking photographs, and working as a teacher PWC schools.

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Stribling and Hartland Orchards

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Published: 09/17/2012

Markham, VA is about 15 minutes from the Prince William County/Fauquier line, and it's the location of two fruit orchards. In the past, we've always gotten off 66 at the Markham exit and turned right to go to Hartland Orchard, which we love for apples and peaches, especially. However, this fall we got to check out Stribling, too!

STRIBLING ORCHARD:

StriblingOrchard.com

Last Friday, though, our friends invited us to break with tradition and hang a left over to Stribling Orchard. This involved a fun hairpin turn and some railroad tracks, which my kids thought were fantastic. Hooray for adventures. Stribling Orchard is a lovely location with a long gravel driveway up to some very historic looking buildings on the left side. A friend who came with us said that you can arrange an educational tour and they take you around the property. Incidentally, we saw Christ Chapel Academy (also from Woodbridge!) there enjoying a tour!

Like every orchard we've ever been to, you have the option to drive your car right up into the fields to pick your fruit, or you can park by the checkout area (in this case, an actual storefront) and hoof it on up. There are also lovely picnic areas around the property for those who would like to pack a lunch. I typically wait until October to go apple picking, since some of my favorite varieties aren't ready until later in the season, including Granny Smiths, which I use for my Thanksgiving pies. Yum! However, even in September you can get some delicious eating apples (especially if you're a fan of the red varieties).

Picking baskets are located on the side of the main building near the bathrooms and are a big help for shorter pickers!!

The staff was friendly and helpful, and gave out maps. The trees here are a little more mixed than at most locations we've picked fruit at, but the trunks are typically marked with spray paint to indicate the variety, and using the guide on your map you can determine what looks good for eating. Stribling was lovely, and I love that they offer tours, but the prices were much higher than we were used to, and the apples were coated with white film from the pesticide. (I know we're not paying for organic, but I still don't want to see whitish apples!) However, I know many people love this orchard and go every year! $25 a half bushel is steep for me, because with 3 kids picking, we usually leave with APPLES! Typically we pick a bushel and a half when we go, although this particular day we only did one half-bushel because $75 of apples isn't happening! I did appreciate that Stribling takes Visa/Mastercard/Discover because most orchards take only cash or checks, and it's nice to not have to remember to stop at the ATM! Local cider and honey are available, too.

HARTLAND ORCHARD:
Hartland Orchard is our go-to pick your own place. In the fall, they also have a corn maze, pumpkin fairy, pumpkin chunking and more. I didn't realize it before visiting another orchard, but at $12 a half bushel, I love them for their prices. A lot. Our typical bushel and a half of apples here is $36. Whoohoo!

The pumpkin fairy, from HartlandOrchard.com. The pumpkin fairy is available to visit most weekends, and Hartland is great about answering their phones if you want to call and check before leaving.

Hartland's fields are generally organized by variety, although you'll find the occasional random yellow tree in the midst of the reds. Our fruit has always been delicious, including the Granny Smiths, which are sweet and tart at the same time and make excellent pies. Last year was the only year we ever had an issue, and it wasn't really their fault- it was the Stink Bugs!! Those little suckers LOVE apples and were all over the place boring holes into the fruit and flying kamikaze-style at your face! However, the population is much more under control this year and while you may see a few bugs, it's not like the 9th plague or anything :)

This is the same little guy working the apple-picker in the Stribling pictures his first time picking apples at Hartland. He was 18 months old and had a grand old time on daddy's shoulders.

The only problem with apple picking (especially at $12/half bushel) is what to do with all those apples!! We peel, slice, and freeze a lot of ours to use in crisps or pies all winter (pre-measure into Ziplock bags for your favorite recipes!), and we also make applesauce (mix up a bunch of varieties in the crock pot with 1/2 cup of OJ or Apple Juice/Cider, a cinnamon stick, and sweetener of choice if your want it on low until everything is soft and delicious!) Another favorite in our family is chicken salad with red and green apples, pecans, celery, onions, craisins, and raisins. Yummy!

No matter where you decide to go pick apples (and you should go- it's fun!) be sure to:
1) Bring bug spray/sunscreen
2) Be prepared to drive into the orchard- pick a car that can handle mud/rocks/gravel. If your car can't, then park and walk
3) Grab a map, an apple picker, and visit the bathrooms BEFORE you head to the fields
4) Pack a picnic and make a day of it!

Do you have a favorite apple orchard to use? Perhaps a favorite apple recipe? Share in a comment below!

These reviews were unsolicited and represent the views of PwcMoms.com only.

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Saturdays in the Garden with PWCMG's

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Published: 06/06/2012

The Master Gardeners of Prince William County offer "Saturdays in the Garden" each week in Bristow. Held at St. Benedict Monastery (9535 Linton Hall Road, Bristow VA 20136), each program is held from 9am-12pm and features concurrent adult and children's programming, however, children's programs are not drop-off, so plan to bring your gardening gloves, too!