I think it’s safe to say that my daughter’s favorite food is a blackberry … more like 100 blackberries. And, I didn’t find this out until we went blackberry picking over the summer. Out of all of the outdoor adventures I’ve had with my gal pal, this was one of my favorites.

It all started when my high school friend reached out to me months ago to let me know that she moved to Maryland. We knew right then and there that we had to get our kiddos together. Well, months and months went by and our schedules just weren’t matching up. And then it finally happened. We both had open schedules and were free to meet up at Butler’s Orchard for an evening of blackberry picking.

Our sons became instant friends and were running all over the orchard playing and having fun like they had known each other for years. The boys definitely picked their fair share of blackberries. My daughter, on the other hand, was preoccupied with trying to sneak as many blackberries as possible. She could hardly make it down any of the rows without shoving handful after handful of blackberries into her mouth. I could not stop laughing at how quickly my little blackberry monster was trying to enjoy as many berries as possible.

By the end of the evening, my gal pal was covered head to toe in blackberry juice. A beautiful sunset, time spent with a high school friend and her family, blackberry stained fingers and faces, dirt covered clothing … all in all, it was a pretty fantastic summer evening.