Picky, picky!

When we lived in Seattle, we had a lovely yard with a decent sized garden. I tried to plant lots of edibles around the yard, which our son loved to nibble from regularly. He could often be found devouring strawberries, blueberries, plums, snap peas, tomatoes, and cucumbers. He'd also nibble kale, basil, and many other kinds of greens. Sometimes we had a hard time getting him to stop dining al fresco! We learned quickly that one cucumber plant would never be enough for our tenacious eater.

While I try to grow a few things in our little rock garden, I struggle with growing edibles in pots. The extreme weather of Japan doesn't help in my endeavor, with crazy rainy seasons and a very hot summer.

So, when we have the chance to go to a farm and let him harvest to his heart's desire, we jump at the chance. Our latest farm escapade took us to greenhouses filled with strawberries.

Strawberries are mainly grown in green houses in Japan, extending the season from December through April. When they are grown outdoors, they are ready between May and June. For those that don't sell their fruit commercially, many offer u-pick options for customers.

My parents took us berry picking every summer when I was a kid. We always loved going out into the fields and filling our buckets or boxes with as many berries as we could. Of course, we also filled our bellies as well. My dad would often joke to the owners "You should weigh the kids on the way in and out and charge me for all the berries that they eat. You'll make more money that way." He was onto something, and Japanese farmers listened to his recommendation.

Many Japanese farmers choose to sell their u-pick strawberries using an entrance fee method that allows customers to eat as much as they want for an allotted time of picking. We paid ¥2,000 ($18 USD) per person for 30 minutes of strawberry gluttony. We hadn't told our son where we were headed, so when he realized we were going to gorge ourselves on strawberries, his head practically exploded.

This greenhouse offered 5 different kinds of strawberries grown in pots at shoulder height. Upon entering, we washed our hands and were given little trays with a small amount of sweetened condensed milk to dip our strawberries into (a common way of eating strawberries here). Then we were encouraged to go forth and eat.

It was a bit hard to pace ourselves. The berries were so juicy and flavorful! We ate and ate, just like I did as a kid. The big difference being we weren't being pummeled by the summer sun and we didn't need to put any into buckets that we would haul home. Of course, that means no strawberry jam or strawberry shortcake, but we were just grateful for what we could enjoy.

Curious about pollination, we learned this farm utilizes worker bees that don't sting and do not make honey. They live in cardboard boxes strategically placed throughout the greenhouse.

After 30 minutes, it was time to roll ourselves out of the greenhouse. I don't think we could have fit another berry into our bellies, yet we all had smiles plastered onto our faces. The berries might not have been from our yard or garden, but the experience of getting to eat as many berries as our hearts desired was still a satisfying experience.