Goin’ for a ride, part 2: Update on U-pick at King Farm

One of the things I like about living here is that there is lots of good food and much of it grows where I am allowed to pick it. I am lazy, so I stopped off at King’s to buy some fruit that was already picked and washed. Betsy thought I should see what’s going on in the orchards. Would I like to go for a ride? Yes.

We hopped on a golf cart and headed into the trees, Betsy providing running commentary. We passed rows of espaliered apples (“we grow them that way for quality, not quantity”), tunnels of dark sweet cherries (“it’s a really good crop”), fragile Queen Annes (“they’re destined to be maraschino cherries”).  The dark sweets will be ready to pick this weekend and will come on strong the following week. 

Birds are gathering, plotting raids on the cherries, launching sorties from the tops of maples in the woodlot. The Kings countered with a noisemaker that plays bird distress calls. Betsy says they have to move it every couple of days. “If we leave it in the same spot the birds figure it out.”

We arrived at the raspberry patch. Plump, sweet berries begged to be picked. I was busy taking pictures of them. Betsy is more practical. She jumped off the golf cart and in the time it took me to focus on one special berry she had a handful of ’em.

You can pick some of these yourself and have a good time while you do it. Holler at the birds. Sing loudly and off key. Try not to eat all the berries in the car on your way home.