Farm to Table!
As Eric and I were eating lunch at Chattooga Belle Farm, we noticed a few families carrying baskets and walking around the scenic property. When our waitress came to drop off our check, I asked her if they had any “pick-your-own” opportunities available on the farm. She excitedly told me that the figs, peaches, and apples were ripe & ready and that baskets were located in the farm store. That’s all I needed to hear – Eric says my face completely lit up! Best day EVER!!
I jumped up from the table and we power-walked over to the farm store to grab baskets and embark on a fruit-picking expedition!!! I was especially excited because I had only had fresh figs twice before – the first time was last year at our local Soda City Farmers Market, where our local organic farm, City Roots, was selling them. I ate the whole container in one sitting and have been on the hunt for fresh figs since then. Last month I found fresh California figs in Whole Foods, and although they were good, they didn’t have the “wow” factor of the local figs. So needless to say, the opportunity to hand-pick my own figs was nothing short of exhilarating for a fruit & veggie aficionado like me!
To add to my excitement, we just planted little baby fig trees in our backyard a few weeks ago (part of a wonderful birthday gift from my sweet Eric)! I got to see what full-grown fig trees look like and what to aspire to in our backyard in a few years!!
Within minutes we figured out how to locate the ripest figs (deepest red color) and how to get them off the branch without loosing the top (gently twisting). I quickly realized that with each pluck, the sweet fruity sap would ooze out of the top of the fig, creating the most delicious aroma!
As with any fruit-picking adventure, the hardest part was knowing when to stop! We took a quick break in the cool farm store to celebrate our loot, before heading back into the fields in search of peaches & apples!
Let’s just say these were the most perfect peaches I have ever seen!! Vibrant, colorful, and beautiful, these sweet treats were everywhere! They were surprisingly still very firm, but that was good since I would have some time to eat them. I scampered from tree to tree, excitedly examining the succulent fruits! (And a shout-out to Eric for carrying our baskets and carrying my water and taking pictures as I pranced around the trees 😉 )
Next were the apples! We made our way down the hill to the apple orchard in search of the Gala apples, which we were told were ripe and ready for picking. Unfortunately all the Galas were gone already, but we got to admire all the rest of the other little apples growing (and we were able to buy some freshly picked Galas in the farm store afterwards!)
And here is my Prince Charming, who clearly made this fruit picking experience so much fun!!! Take a look at that love, purse and all!! [Notice some young Golden Delicious apples on the bush!!]
We then made our way down the hill to the Chattooga Belle Distillery and found a swing in the shade to cool down for a while (my heat tolerance has disappeared during pregnancy). We enjoyed the gorgeous scenery, crisp fresh air, and our thankfulness for the opportunity to share this adventure together!
We then trekked back up the hill and paid for our tasty treats ($2.50/lb for figs, $2.00/lb for peaches, and $1/lb for apples) – I’d call that a deal!!
For the next week, figs and peaches were a part of every meal. Fig oatmeal, fig toast, fresh figs, peach cobbler, peach oatmeal, peach toast, peaches on everything! It was GREAT!!
As an avid health coach and soon-to-be nutritionist, a good part of my excitement stemmed from the fact that the nutrition content of fruits picked directly from the earth is super powerful! The fruits that we normally buy that the grocery store have been harvested, packed, shipped across the country (and in some cases across the ocean), stored for weeks or months, refrigerated, and coated in food-grade wax. These fruits are then displayed under flourescent lights for days or weeks at a grocery store, only to be tossed in a plastic bag and sit in the refrigerator or on the counter for a few more days. Can you conceptualize how many nutrients and how much flavor is lost during this processing??!?!?!?!?!?
When I have the opportunity to pluck and eat a fruit that same day, I can feel the energy and nutrients pouring into my body, I can taste the flavors dancing on my taste buds, and I can feel that satisfaction of knowing that I am doing something that is good for the environment and my body.
