08.12.10
From the issue Farm Charms
Fruits of Your Labor
If you're looking for a plucking good time get to Swanton Berry Farm's u-pick Coastways Ranch. The strawberries are plump and the blackberries are in their prime. Pick up a cardboard tray and some baskets; then it's off to the fields. The game plan: find strawberries up on the hill, and blackberries down below. The challenge: collecting the berries in your baskets, not in your mouth (though a little tasting never hurts). Weigh in at the end and pay for your share; prices here are less than at the grocery store. Berry good!
TIP: Swanton also has a farm stand location, 8.5 miles south of Coastways Ranch. Pop in for fresh baked goods, homemade jams, and organic strawberries.
Swanton Berry Farm's Coastways Ranch location is 28 miles south of Half Moon Bay on Hwy. 1 (a quarter-mile past the entrance to Año Nuevo). It's open everyday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Swanton Berry farm stand is another 8.5 miles south. Blackberries are $3 per pound and the season usually runs until the end of August. Strawberries are $2.50 per pound and season runs until the end of September. Call the info line at 831-469-8804 to check supply.
