Many years ago, I ate my first freshly picked green bean from a garden in Pennsylvania. It was surprisingly sweet for a vegetable and crunchier than I had expected. None of the store bought ones ever tasted so good.
Since then I have been to many u-pick farms to get my green bean fix. It is hard, back breaking work and sometimes very dirty especially if it has been raining and the ground between the rows gets muddy.
Few people know that The Girls also grows vegetables like beans, tomatoes, swiss chard, and lettuces.
I went in last Saturday and found the candy store packed with sugar crazed children and their ragged parents. I persisted, pushing my way through to the back door. It led out onto a porch. There I grabbed a red bucket and a blunt pair of scissors, and walked along the red brick path until I found a hole in the trees, leading out to the beans.
I've learned, from past u-pick-it experiences, that the best crop is furthest away from the grove entrance. It is the place few people have the energy to walk to, so it means it is the area where the most vegetables can be found.
I've also learned with green beans, bigger is not better. In fact, bigger often means tougher. So this trip, I decided to pick the smallest, youngest beans I could find. Three hours later, I had picked over seven pounds of beans and paid $1.99 a pound for them.
It might seem like a lot of beans but for a green bean fanatic like me, seven pounds of beans only lasts me a week.
To pick your own beans, cherry tomatoes or strawberries if you prefer you can go to The Girls website
They are open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to sunset.Their phone number is (561) 496-0188
UPDATED Jan 2016
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| Belle Glade grown green beans, Fla. Copyright 2012 by Helen A Lockey |
Since then I have been to many u-pick farms to get my green bean fix. It is hard, back breaking work and sometimes very dirty especially if it has been raining and the ground between the rows gets muddy.
But that's not the case in South Florida at The Girls Strawberry U-Pick in Delray Beach on Military Trail just north of Atlantic Avenue. They have tamed the u-pick experience adding rows of neatly covered earth and hydroponically stacked plants. They also have an ice cream/candy store out front with bathroom facilities.
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| Seasonal strawberry u-pick stacks, The Girls, Delray Beach, Fla. Copyright 2012 by Helen A Lockey |
Few people know that The Girls also grows vegetables like beans, tomatoes, swiss chard, and lettuces.
I went in last Saturday and found the candy store packed with sugar crazed children and their ragged parents. I persisted, pushing my way through to the back door. It led out onto a porch. There I grabbed a red bucket and a blunt pair of scissors, and walked along the red brick path until I found a hole in the trees, leading out to the beans.
 |
| The Girls Strawberry U-Pick garden, Delray Beach, Fla. Copyright 2012 by Helen A Lockey |
I've learned, from past u-pick-it experiences, that the best crop is furthest away from the grove entrance. It is the place few people have the energy to walk to, so it means it is the area where the most vegetables can be found.
 |
| U-pick string beans, The Girls Strawberry U-Pick, Delray Beach, Fla. Copyright 2012 by Helen A Lockey |
I've also learned with green beans, bigger is not better. In fact, bigger often means tougher. So this trip, I decided to pick the smallest, youngest beans I could find. Three hours later, I had picked over seven pounds of beans and paid $1.99 a pound for them.
 |
| Fresh picked string beans, The Girls Strawberry U-Pick, Delray Beach, Fla. Copyright 2012 by Helen A Lockey |
It might seem like a lot of beans but for a green bean fanatic like me, seven pounds of beans only lasts me a week.
To pick your own beans, cherry tomatoes or strawberries if you prefer you can go to The Girls website
They are open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to sunset.Their phone number is (561) 496-0188
UPDATED Jan 2016
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