Farm Fresh Food & Fun

by Carrie Wells, Ed.D.

While the rest of the country is freezing their butts off, we actually get a month or two of really beautiful weather in South Florida. That's when I like to get off my butt and do something really fun outdoors. This past weekend, we went to some of our favorite places: Bedner's and the Girl's Strawberry Patch. They are about 40 minutes north of us, but so worth the drive.

Bedner's is both a you-pick farm and farmer's market. They had beautiful tomatoes and peppers to pick. Lydia had a fun time looking for the right color peppers and tomatoes (we told her not to pick the green ones, just the red - she did a pretty good job). Bryce enjoyed resting in Richard's Ergo. After picking our fresh fruits/veggies, we enjoyed some delicious BBQ. Lydia liked the brisket and corn on the cob. I liked the baked beans and collard greens. Richard liked it all!

Then we went to the Girl's Strawberry Patch. I've posted about it before - it's this crazy place behind a somewhat run-down looking strip plaza. The front is an old-time candy store and ice cream parlor. Behind it, though, is this huge hydroponic you-pick with animals (donkeys, tortoises, rabbits, geese), statues, trees, antique cars, and all sorts of stuff! We picked some awesome strawberries and green beans...and shared some delicious birthday cake-flavored ice cream. 

Lydia picking strawberries

I made some scrumptious menu items with our fresh produce. Here are just a few!

From-scratch vanilla cupcakes, whipped cream, and strawberries 

Caprese salad with freshly-made pesto

Whole wheat crepe with strawberries and chocolate ganache