Berry Picking at Elderslie Farm

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TJ Lawson with Insurance Solutions of South Central Kansas
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There’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and that’s the berry picking at Elderslie Farm. Once my daughter was born, this was on my short list of things to do when she got older. Now at the age of two, I thought this would be the perfect time to enjoy a daddy/daughter date and put a checkmark on my bucket list.

If you want to pick blackberries, you have to reserve a spot. More information can be found on their website and time slots are available on their Eventbrite listing. It generally takes place between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. You’ll want to book fast, as they do fill up spots quickly. It took me two weeks to finally get signed up.

Once you sign up, you’ll receive an email confirmation. Then on the day of, it’s best to show up on time. If you arrive a little too early, you can always go look at the goats. My daughter is a huge goat fan. Elderslie Farm had bottles of milk you could purchase for $2 and change to feed the goats. This was a no-brainer for my daughter. She was loving every second of it.

Right before you leave, you can check in and grab a pail for your blackberries.

Not long after, the Berry Ferry arrived to drive us the half mile to the berry farm.

Someone was definitely enjoying the ride!

When we arrived at the farm, we were given some general instructions and which aisles we could walk down for the best berries.

One thing to note, don’t wear your best shoes. It rained most of the week, so the ground was very muddy. Aside from that, you can pick berries easily. No gloves were needed as their berries were thornless.

We then made our way to pick blackberries! My daughter picked it up quickly. The only problem was she was drawn to the wrong berries. It took me about twenty times to get her to focus on blackberries. Once she figured it out, she was off to the races and loving every second of it. We’ve done a lot of things together over the past two years and this might have been the most enjoyable for her. She was so focused and tuned in the whole time. There wasn’t a second, she wanted to stop.

Once we were done, aka the bucket was getting to heavy for her to hold, we made our way back to the Berry Ferry to take a ride back to Elderslie Farm. This was the face of pure enjoyment.

Once we returned, we made our way to the cafe to pay for the pail which was $18 for 2 quarts. It’s a flat fee for all the blackberries you can fit in. Payment could also have been made at the Creamery.

Judging by her expressions all day, I could tell she had a great time and will have to make this an annual tradition moving forward.

Elderslie Farm is located at 3501 E 101st St. N in Kechi. For more information, you can visit their webpage or Facebook page.

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Have something fun to do in Wichita that would be worth us coming out to write about? Let us know simply by e-mailing us with your information. We are always open to suggestions.