A Very Relaxing Evening

Last Wendesday evening, I served my family an early dinner and then Craig took over the evening kid-routine while I drove back out to Haskins to pay another visit to Pullins Raspberry Farm. This time I went solo.

It had been an extremely hot day, but I didn't arrive until almost 7 pm so it was starting to cool down and turn into a gorgeous evening. There were no other patrons around while I picked red raspberries and it was just so peaceful and relaxing to be out there and to clear my mind while I worked. The abundance of reds had increased from our previous visit so I was able to pick 2 1/2 quarts in a little over half an hour. About halfway through my picking of reds, Alan (the farm owner) came out to see how I was doing. He started picking along with me and contributing to my cartons while we chatted about kids and what they're like at different ages. The three Pullin children are between the ages of like 7-12, I think? We actually talked a lot about reading and children's books. He mentioned that his 12 (?) year old daughter read all seven (?) Harry Potter books in TEN DAYS! Holy cow! He said to me "She did nothing else but read. It was kind of annoying, but how do you tell your child to stop reading?"

It was just really nice being there. A perfect way to wind down after being at work all day. I just took my time, had an easy conversation with someone who seemed like an old friend and enjoyed the summer evening.

Alan went in to join his kids for dinner around 7:30 while his wife took me out in the golf cart to pick black raspberries.

Out there, I met a family of three who ended up splitting up (the dad and son went to fish in the pond with Alan and his son) leaving just the wife/mom and I. We started chatting while picking too and quickly learned that we were both dietitians! She works for the American Dairy Council, living in Perrysburg and traveling often to Chicago for work. We have a few similar acquaintances and it was fun to make those connections. We talked about the controversy of flavored milks in schools (our opinions differ, but I didn't mention that) and about nutrition for children in general. She has two boys ages 8 and 13 (I think?) and I dread the video game obsession that she's currently enduring. Seriously. Is it possible to avoid that? I'm holding out hope that it is. Ha!

We finished up and rode back to the check-out hut they have set up behind their home. On the short golf cart ride, I asked Alan if he loved his job as much as I imagined he would. I confessed that I thought this was just the dreamiest job and such a great environment to raise children. :) I assumed he farmed other crops besides, so I wasn't surprised that he said it was BUSY! He also said "Well, we work 8a-8p during raspberry season, so it does fill up your summer hours." But he did add that he very much enjoyed it and that it had been in his family for a long time. I'm sure there's so much more than I realize that goes into running a farm of any kind.

I'd added 1 1/2 quarts of black raspberries to my crate for a total of four quarts. I confirmed with Alan that their U-Pick rate is $2.95 per pound and my total came to just $14 and some change. I basically stole them for that price!

And one last question I asked was whether or not they offered a second season of fall raspberries, which is common. They do not. Boo hoo. :( But I'll just enjoy what we have while we have it! We are going to OD on antioxidants. :)

In summary, I highly recommend taking children along to U-Pick farms (it's a great learning experience and an inexpensive summer activity)... but if you have the chance, go alone at least once. It's so relaxing and peaceful.