Our family had a fun opportunity to visit Berry Hill Orchard this week to pick some Aronia Berries. I had no idea this little gem of a place was located so close to our home here in North Iowa, and to be totally honest with you, I didn’t even know what an Aronia berry was until this week! I’m so grateful for the connections I have on Facebook and the friends that share the adventures they are having!
Top Highlights of our Trip
- Meeting the couple that owns the orchard. They are so sweet and generous! They taught our kids about their operation, the practical how-to’s for picking, and spoke so kindly to them.
- Berry picking is a family-friendly activity. Having children ages 3-17 makes it hard to find things that everyone can do together AND ENJOY. Well, picking berries is definitely something we could all do! The younger kids would run and chase each other up and down the rows of berries between picking.
- Time outdoors. We all love doing things outdoors when we can! Let’s soak up these good weather days while we have them, okay?
- It’s affordable. You know I’m a bit of an extreme budget crunching momma, and compared to other fruits we purchase the price is very affordable, dare I even say much MORE affordable? Seriously!! On top of that, these are SO MUCH healthier, grown naturally, and extremely local to us.
- It’s a fun experience that you can do at your own pace. If you want to move fast and spend 10-20 minutes picking, that works! If you prefer to pick for a couple of hours? That’s okay too!
- It’s educational! As a homeschool family, we are always looking or trips to take that TEACH, and this one definitely did. The owner also mentioned the lessons the kids will learn once they’re home and experiment with new recipes. Home Economics for the win! The thoughts are already swirling as we have all been thinking of the amazing things we can try with these berries.
Between all of us, we took over 500 photos and little video shots at the orchard! I uploaded a portion of them into a YouTube video so you can get a feel for what our experience was like. Spoiler alert: It was amazing!
If you’re local, I sincerely hope you will check this place out for yourself.
Note: If you don’t have somewhere near you to pick and purchase Aronia berries but still want the health benefits check Amazon for a wide variety of products from teas to powders, to syrups, and more! Read about some of the health benefits HERE.
You can get details including hours, recipes, and videos through their Facebook page.
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