U-Pick, I Pick, We All Pick

Summer Half-Day or Full-Day Excursion

Your group will enjoy tromping into the fields to pick  berries or enjoying goodies made from freshly picked produce. Follow a day of picking berries with a meal prepared from locally grown ingredients. (This itinerary is best enjoyed from mid-June through August.)

Taste more of the freshness of the Tualatin Valley at Hoffman Farms and Farm Store (22242 SW Scholls Ferry Rd., Beaverton; 503-628- 5418). Run by first-generation farmers since 1983, Hoffman Farms offers an assortment of berries for u-pick, as well as ready- picked produce. (30 minutes to 1 hour)

Have lunch, a snack, or a refreshing cold beverage at the South Store Café (24485 SW Scholls Ferry Rd., Hillsboro), an historic landmark housed in a century-old clapboard building. In addition to a full coffee bar, the South Store Café offers an array of pastries, sandwiches, homemade soups and lunches all made fresh. (1 hour)

After a quick nosh, cross the street to Smith Berry Barn (24500 SW Scholls Ferry Rd., Hillsboro), and go into the field to pick berries or select farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, specialty herbs and perennials, hanging baskets, and more from the Garden Store. Step inside the historic barn and browse the selection of gourmet food products, distinctive gifts, kitchen goods, candles and teas. Cap off the visit with a coffee drink made fresh at the espresso bar, or satisfy a berry craving with a milkshake made with fruit fresh from the farm. (30 minutes to 1 hour)

For a change of pace, continue on to the final stop, Mountainside Lavender (17805 SW Hillsboro Hwy., Hillsboro), a family-run hillside farm with a view of the valley below, as well as Mount Hood and other majestic mountains of the Cascades. Mountainside offers more than 20 varieties of lavender in several summer-fresh colors. Pick your own lavender or buy lavender plants, dried bouquets, essential oil distilled at the farm and other lavender products. (NOTE: Mountainside is open June 1– July 31.) (1 hour)

To make this a full-day itinerary, add on the following stops:

Travel to Jossy Farms (31965 NW Beach Rd., Hillsboro) and pick peaches and pears at this family-run farm. (1 hour)

Next, pick your own, or taste the already picked berries at Unger Farms (34880 SW Johnson School Rd., Cornelius), and treat your group to sweet treat at the farm store, which is chock-full of locally produced goodies. (.75 hour)

Expert tip: Because of the unpredictability of the growing season, please call ahead to ensure u-pick is available.