By Julia

As a Big Sister in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, I’ve gained the perfect outlet for reliving all of my favorite childhood experiences. When I was a kid growing up in Pennsylvania, my grandmother would take my brother and I out every summer to pick strawberries which she then transformed into the best strawberry jam I’ve ever tasted. I developed such a strawberry obsession that my dad added several rows of plants to the garden which were then mine to tend. Oh, those were the days! Luckily my Little Sister is as crazy about the little red berries as I am, and when she asked if we could go strawberry picking on one of our outings I jumped right on board!

The great think about Washington County is that, especially in the eastern part of the county, you have great accessibility to both urban and rural activities. We made if from Beaverton to Baggenstos Farms in less than 15 minutes, and with the windows down and the sun shining, it felt even faster. Tuesday evening was perfect timing - not at all crowded, with just enough people around to be friendly. Just to prove that you learn something new every day, we discovered that there are all different types of strawberries! Of course we had to sample them all before we started any serious picking, and we decided that among the Hoods, Bentons and Totems, the Hoods were our favorite. We brought our own baskets, which we started filling, but you can also get boxes there. They also have a play area for the kids, some miniature goats to admire (but not feed!), and a farm stand with other seasonal fruits and vegetables, pickles, preserves and breads. At a reasonable $1.25 per pound, we left with bellies full of “samples” and enough strawberries to keep us happy, at least for a few days.