Berry Days

Raspberries at Smith  Berry Barn.

Ah, summer!  We have been doing lots of berry picking lately.  This is one of our favorite summer activities with our homeschool group.  This year, we went to Bella Organic for strawberries, Smith Berry Barn for  no-spray raspberries and tayberries, and Bonny Slope Blueberries for the best blueberries on earth!  

Dusky, flavorful tayberries at Smith Berry Barn.

Smith Berry Barn has many different varieties of berries, more coming in season every week.  They have goats and chickens for kids to feed, and ice cream for sale. Directly across the street is the South Shore Cafe, a charming sandwich and pastry shop that is very kid-friendly. They are also near the Cruise In Country Diner and Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve.

Blueberries  at Bonny Slope.

Bonny Slope Blueberries is tucked into a sleepy residential area where you would never suspect a blueberry farm hides.  It's a total throwback to the area's not-so-distant rural past, not far from downtown Beaverton.  Some blueberry bushes were filled with enormous, juicy berries roughly the size of quarters, and others with many smaller but intensely sweet berries.  You can walk from there to Bonny Slope Park, which has a playground and shaded picnic tables.