Strawberry picking is one of the most fun summer activities for kids and grown-ups! Not only do we get to bring our “city kids” out to the farm, but they get to spend hours out in the field devouring the fresh, tasty berries! One of my personal favorite local farms for strawberry picking is Basse’s Taste of Country.
Basse’s Taste of Country is located in Colgate, WI, which is just west of Menomonee Falls. Basse’s offers u-pick berries throughout the summer for raspberries, strawberries and blackberries. Strawberry season begins Friday, June 25th and runs for about 3 weeks.
When you arrive at Basse’s Taste of Country, there’s a fantastic little country market with local family farm treats – apple cider donuts, strawberry donuts, the Basse famous strawberry sundae, fresh salsas and a TON more. We made a stop at the market on the way out and grabbed quite a few little treats to take home. I, personally, can’t wait to try the corn salsa we grabbed!
There’s also a little petting farm area, playground and tons of other climbing activities for kids to the side of the country market. Don’t be tricked, though! That area is only open in the Fall for the Basse’s pumpkin picking festival – so be sure to add that to your fall bucket list.
For strawberry picking at Basse’s they give you a big metal bin with a cardboard box to bring out to the fields for picking. There is a 5 lb. minimum for picking strawberries and you can use as many bins as you want in the fields and then combine them when you’re done. MKE MOM TIP: Depending on your family size, consider carefully how many bins you want to carry with you. The picking fields are pretty narrow and you stay with your group while picking so a bin for each person isn’t needed.
To get out to the fields, you just hop on the tractor! They don’t allow people to walk out to the fields or back.
When you get out to the field, the Basse’s staff explain to you how to pick the berries and then walk you to a specific section of the field and they assign each family a row to pick their berries. I was a little surprised that you get assigned a specific section but it totally makes sense – it made picking the berries so easy because they were all ripe and there were a ton to choose from!
Our number one tip for strawberry picking: Rain boots! You want to consider dressing the kiddos in their rain boots, even if it hasn’t rained. There’s hay covering the ground to protect the strawberry plants and I can imagine that would be really hard on regular tennis shoes. Plus, if there happen to be any puddles out there, it presents an opportunity for some puddle splashing.
A few more tips for your trip out to the strawberry fields:
- If your kid even has the slightest seasonal allergies, I’d highly recommend giving them something for their allergies before heading out.
- Bring lots of water, if it’s a hot day! And, maybe even a sun hat. The fields are directly in the sun and quite toasty warm. There are no water coolers out in the fields.
- Don’t bring a stroller. We ran into someone as we were leaving who asked if we thought they could bring a stroller out in the fields and I’d highly recommend against it. The fields are tilled so pretty uneven and the berry rows are all layered in hay. A stroller would be very difficult. Stick with a carrier.
- Eat tons of berries! They are sooo delicious fresh off the vine!
Overall, strawberry picking at Basse’s was a ton of fun! I certainly can’t wait to head back in the fall for pumpkin picking and to play in the huge play area!
