U-Pick Strawberries |

As with many things in life,

the trick to picking strawberries

is to begin with the end in mind:

The end begins in the kitchen, for a short trip to the strawberry fields can leave you with long hours in the kitchen, when you might rather be napping. Start with a simple recipe and work backwards from there.

insert recipe here

Located near Creve Couer Lake off Page Road and the Maryland Expressway, Thies Farm is a long favored Green Spiral strawberry picking destination, and it’s nice to watch their eco-tourism business grow. It’s important to “Know Your Farmer”, and strawberry picking is a good first step in building eco-literacy in children. The best age to pick strawberries seems to be from “The Magic Years” (pre-school) until second grade.

Miles of Smiles

Thies Farm now has three locations; here is the GPS location for the strawberry fields in Maryland Heights as well as the phone number: 314-469-7559. Call before you head out to make sure the strawberry fields are open. Farmers live outdoors, and they’re getting better at using technology, but the phone beats Facebook on most days. Green Spiral almost never cancels a trip due to weather, and neither should your adventure group, but do know that strawberry picking is one of the few things you can’t do in the rain. The fields open at 9 am and you will want to get there early to beat the heat.

You will get hot, and you will get dirty. Children’s clothing will get strawberry stained, and so will your knees. Take a sunhat or hoodie, and a bottle of water per person. Short rubber boots are nice for kids. The strawberry window lasts for about two or three weeks, and it’s easy to miss during the busy month of May. Strawberries need sunshine to ripen, but when starts to get hot, know that your strawberry window is beginning to close fast.

People want to know if it’s okay for kids to eat strawberries in the fields, and Farmer Dave once told me, (Jessie), that it was okay. That said, there’s a big difference between a toddler nibbling on one precious strawberry, and a teenager mowing through dozens of strawberries that belong to someone else (the farmer). Obviously, the important thing is to teach children about reverence and respect, for food, the farmer and for each other.

Real Food Comes from Sunshine, and Dirt.

Strawberries are on the dirty dozen list, and many people ask if Thies strawberries are organic. They are not, as it is difficult to grow organic strawberries at scale. The best way to get local organic strawberries is to be first in line at your local farmer’s market, or to grow them yourself.

Thies Farm is often spotted hanging out with EarthDance Farms, which is a stamp of organic approval. Here’s what Farmer Dave has to say their IPM (Integrated Pest Management) practices. https://www.facebook.com/notes/thies-farm-greenhouses/integrated-pest-management/281999848483956

Now in three locations!

Strangely, when researching the topic of eating strawberries fresh from the fields, it turns out that the greatest danger from strawberries comes from people “fingering” the strawberries in the grocery store, which is why strawberries now come in those clam-shell containers. Gross! As they say “dirt is not dirty, people are dirty;” so fear not the strawberry in the field, and be polite by not switching strawberries from container to container with your fingers at the grocery store.

That’s me, Jessie, and Virginia

As a nature teacher and mom, I encourage you to study the many complex issues surrounding the simple act of picking strawberries. In my estimation, the experience of picking strawberries as children is so indelible, and so important, that it might well be considered part of a “true core curriculum”.