Strawberry Picking: “Sweet” Spring Family Tradition

by Shell Rouch on March 8th, 2017 | 1 Comment »

In a family with three boys, trying to get them all to agree on anything is always a challenge. But every now and then, we latch onto something that we all enjoy as a family. And we make it into a family tradition.

Traditions don't have to revolve around holidays or a particular day. We didn't set out to make this one a tradition; this one just happened naturally. It happens every spring and, not surprisingly in this house of boys, involves food and the opportunity to get a little dirty.

Picking Strawberries with the Family

On a warm spring day (with no rain if we can help it), we head to a local farm to do some strawberry picking.

A perfect day for strawberry picking.

The strawberry farm we go to allows you to bring your own container, so my boys personalize theirs.

We wouldn't want to get their strawberries mixed up, now would we?

We've also learned that it's best to have "strawberry picking clothes," which should include a red shirt to better hide the strawberry stains. Trust me on this one.

The boys have their strawberry picking technique down: you twist and then pull. They know they can pick as much as they can carry but can't eat any until we wash them. But it's a hard lesson to teach, especially when even I am tempted by the sweet juicy fruit in my hot little hand. We wander up and down different rows, allowing them to decide which berries they want to pick.

He has that twist-and-pull technique down.

When they are satisfied with their amount of strawberries, we store the berries in our van and explore the farm. We take a hayride, pet the animals, climb on tractors, and check out the treats in the market.

The first year we were there, my oldest spotted some bright flowers and insisted "Mommy, this is for you!" Each year since, they have picked out flowers for me and for their grandma, too.

Pink for mom, red for grandma.

When we are all good and tired, we head home where we immediately wash the strawberries while the boys practically dance around the kitchen with excitement.

Then we head to the backyard, spread out a blanket and have a picnic of strawberries and homemade lemonade (okay, lemonade we picked up from Chick-Fil-A on the way home). We eat 'til their bellies are full and then enjoy the spring weather. In little boy terms, that means chasing each other around the yard and inventing games that have me wondering which of them will be the first to break a bone.

Broken bones aside, strawberry picking day is always a fun tradition for our whole family.

What spring traditions does your family have?

Shell- known as @shellthings on Twitter- wrangles chaos and mayhem on a daily basis (otherwise known as raising three boys). When she’s not breaking up wrestling matches or ducking Legos, she spills her thoughts on her blog, Things I Can’t Say. Featuring the popular weekly link-up “Pour Your Heart Out” and a guest post series titled “Things They Can’t Say,” Shell’s blog is all about encouraging community and support among bloggers. In her free time (ha!), Shell is cofounder of Other Half Media, which takes on blogging and social media projects for bloggers and companies alike. She also team-teaches classes for bloggers on How to Rock Your Blog.