To best enjoy beauty, work ethic, and kindness my vote is Harvest Hosts! Staying the night at a local family owned business is such a treat. You get the benefit of a free night, local merchanise/food, and getting to know someone that has put a lot of work into their business. It’s truly a win-win!
Riley Creek Blueberry Farm – Laclede, Idaho.
Friendly, beautiful setting, yummy blueberries, and fun farm setting complete with rooster alarm at 4:30am 🙂
It was peak blueberry season and help was needed so Marin woke up at 5:15am to pick berries in the field with the Filipino women workers. She picked 40 pounds of berries in 4 hours and was paid $1/lb.
Blueberries are ranked number one in antioxidant health benefits. The owner told us to not wash them – the white powdery substance on them were actually part of the antioxidants. We bought 10 lbs of blueberries, blueberry pie, blueberry juice, and blueberry topping. 🙂
Purple Haze Lavender Farm – Sequim, Washington.
Sequim is the lavender capitol of the North America.
This place looked good and smelled good! We learned lavender is cut twice a year (October & summer). Lavender is good for insomnia, headaches, and keeping bugs at bay. There are over a dozen varieties of lavender but this location focuses on 3 – Grosso (fragrant), Melissa & Royal Velvet (culinary). We learned that if you cut lavender and hang it upside down it keeps its aroma for up to 3 years. They made their own lavender ice cream (mized with White Chocolate, Lemon Sherbet, Lemon Chiffon, and Peppermint). It was so yummy!
Although there were no hook ups it was so nice to stay right below a beautiful Willow tree and outside the windows see the rows of lavender bushes. The girls loved their extra little flower-filled garden and visited it more than once.
Stay tuned for our next Harvest Host experience…..