Pick-Your-Own Cherries!

I love driving out to the farmlands nearby. Some days, if there is nothing pressing to do (a rarity) we like to drive into the valley, or along the delta, or just into the hills. We might lunch in Oakdale, Farmington, or Lockeford. I find it very cathartic to just get out to the country and smaller towns.

Another thing I love while out is getting fresh produce. I always try to stop at fruit stands for corn, strawberries, or fresh veggies. A favorite is cherries.

We haven’t been cherry picking for quite awhile, so my husband and I made a point of it recently. There are a number of good places near Brentwood. In this case, we made it only as far as Long Shadow Farms, but that was enough. Down the long dusty road, we made it to the good natured folks who set us up. We each took a bag and set out. I thought it might be difficult to fill a bag, but we found trees that were absolutely full of ripe, delicious red cherries. We could have managed getting enough at ground level, but Michael loves to climb (both the trees and the ladders). We picked enough for ourselves and to give a generous amount away. It was really a lot of fun, and didn’t actually take as long as we expected! That saved some time for a nice drive around Mt Diablo and lunch in Walnut Creek.

The cherries lasted us almost a week. I hope we have time to go back before the season ends; next year is a long time to wait for fresh picked cherries!

If you would like to pick some yourself, simply Google Cherry Picking Brentwood and see how many come up! There are also some places along the coast, of course, so choose an area that makes you happy to visit. And engorge!