Last weekend, we went blackberry picking! We went out to Great Country Farm in Bluemont, VA, which just might be one of my favorite spots around. It is the same place where we went strawberry picking a few weeks ago and we also got our Christmas tree there last winter! It is such a neat place. There are barnyard animals, like goats and turkeys and geese. There are also peacocks! It is such a fun place for children. They often have festivals, where there are games and activities. They do CSA's too, which I want to join next year. There is apple picking in the fall, Christmas trees in the winter and berries all summer long! While there, we discovered that the peaches were ripe for picking, so we grabbed a few of those too!
I told Steve that I think I may have been a farmer's wife in a past life, but he didn't believe me, hehe. I love farms though! This town of Bluemont is seriously adorable. They have a general store! Love it.
I had plans to make something wonderful with the blackberries, but I pretty much ate them all...ooops. They were SO good though, so sweet and juicy and perfect! I still have the peaches though...does anyone have a good peach recipe? Maybe peach muffins? I don't want to make a pie, because we won't be able to eat all of it....
Across the street from the farm is a winery- so convenient! Bluemont Vineyard is one of my favorites in Virginia. The view from the deck is gorgeous- you can see for miles and miles. They claim that on a clear day, you can see the Washington Monument. I am not disputing this claim, though I haven't seen it yet! Oh, and this is a good hour from DC- you take I-66 past Dulles, and then get on route 7, and it is a bit passed Leesburg.
They have several different wines, including a strawberry, a blackberry and a peach wine! All of their wines are named for the farm animals-
2008 Viognier "the goat"
2008 Vidal Blanc "the cow"
2008 Rose "the donkey"
2007 Merlot "the ram"
Norton "the pig"
My favorite, aside from the fruit wines, is the Vidal Blanc. As you can see, we, along with some friends, enjoyed some refreshments after our afternoon of berry picking!
If you are in the DC area, definitely check out both places for a fun afternoon!
(I don't know why this is now underlined...and I can't get it to go away!)
5 comments:
Mmmm...I LOVE blackberries!! Blackberry-peach crumble is one of my favorites and can be made as large or small as you desire. Just add flour or cornstarch and a dash of sugar to the berries and toss them in a baking dish. Then mix together some oats, brown sugar, and cold butter and toss it on top of the fruit. Bake at 350 until done- time depends on size of crumble.
Wow, that all look amazing. What a fun outing!
I am foaming at the mouth here, thanks. Berry picking is definitely on my to-do list. The only problem is that by the time it's in season here, it's soooo friggin' hot and miserable. Maybe I'll have to settle for a pumpkin patch in the fall instead. Or maybe I should move to Virginia? Great photos! Looks like a lot of fun. I think I would've enjoyed the wine tasting afterwards the best. Oh, and I have a great blueberry muffin recipe. Maybe you could substitute peaches for it? Let me know if you want it, and I'll email it to you.
What a perfect day! The berry picking sounds so fun. It would be way too hot here to actually enjoy it. The winery is so pretty. The snack y'all had is making my mouth water. :)
The summer camp I used to go to had blackberries on sight, so I used to pick blackberries ALL the time. Of course now I can't eat blackberries, because they never taste as good as when I actually picked them. I'd would love to go to a place like that!
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