There are few options for outdoor activities right now, which is why I was very excited to go berry picking with my family this summer at Larriland farm in Woodbine, Maryland. 

Berry picking has always been a great thing to do with your family because you get to spend time outside and when you get home, you reap the benefits of fresh fruit. After I picked berries for about an hour, I went home and made blueberry muffins and raspberry sorbet. The berries were very fresh and tasted amazing.

Larriland farm has many precautions including requiring people to wear masks, having plexiglass at the check-in desk, requiring the purchase of a container instead of weighing the fruit and providing hand sanitizer at the gates to each fruit picking area.

Even though it wasn’t very crowded, there still were a few situations where I was in the same row as somebody else and had to quickly move past them. However, almost everyone adhered to rules requiring mask wearing, with a few exceptions of people pulling their masks down to talk.

Both farms have a policy that if you touch a berry, you have to take it. However, that policy seemed difficult to enforce, so you should make sure to use hand sanitizer and wash your hands after you pick.

In order to limit the amount of people in the fields, Larriland leaves a certain number of containers for picking at each field and makes each person take one in order to ensure the fields are not overcrowded. 

It is also an inexpensive activity; at Larriland, blueberries were $3 a pint with no charge for admission. Butler’s Orchard, another pick-your-own fruit farm in Germantown, Maryland, has been charging $3 for admission per person plus $5.50 for a quart of blueberries, so Larriland seems to be a better deal.

If you are planning on taking a trip to  the farm, it is best to spontaneously go during the week when people have work and their schedules are unpredictable. And because it might be crowded during the weekend, I recommend going early in the morning on the weekend or on a weekday.

Although Larriland is about 45 minutes north of the CESJDS Upper School campus, it is definitely worth the drive to enjoy this unique activity while you quarantine. Overall, going to Larriland farm to berry pick is a very good option for any parents or students who want to get off the screen and out of the house during the pandemic.