Category Archives: Farms

Johnston’s Garden Center

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We were in need of some starts to add to our non-existent garden this year, so we headed to Johnston’s to check out what they had to offer! We knew it was a gamble considering we are now in late May, BUT we wanted to check out their current selection! We have been there many times before and love walking the property!

Location:

Johnston’s Garden Center is located at 10000 Wales Road, Erie, PA, 16510. They are open in MAY from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. In JUNE through SEPTEMBER, Monday through Friday hours stay the same, but Saturday changes to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and they are closed on Sundays. They are closed July 4 and Labor Day.

Property Description:

This is a garden center, so you can expect a LOT of walking space outdoors. They also have a little shop where you can go inside and make your purchases. You will find many different types of flowers, trees, fruit and vegetable starts, shrubs, and so many other beautiful plants and other landscaping needs. You will be walking through grass, stone, dirt, and gravel as you browse.

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Also, please understand that during different times of the year you will find different types of plants and more or less of a selection of what you’re looking for. This goes for all garden centers. For instance, I was looking for my absolute favorite tomato, and at this point in the year (late May), they were sold out of starts! And for those of you wondering what tomato that is, it is the green zebra tomato! They are so delicious and make an excellent addition to chili to give it a bit of a citrus zest! They are a family favorite of ours!

What to Do:

This is a garden center, so understand that you’re going to be looking at a lot of greenery and beautiful flowers! Expect to do a lot of walking through greenhouses and pole buildings, and up and down pathways to find what you’re looking for. Now, we’re not saying this is a bad thing! We enjoyed walking around and looking through the beautiful plants all around us!

Although it was not on this particular trip, I can say that we have purchased some beautiful fruit trees from this location! We have 2 amazing winecrisp apple trees and 2 cherry trees, one of which is already rapidly producing this year! Although we didn’t get any apples last year, we are looking forward to tasting them this year!

There are way too many varieties and plants to list, so if you’re looking for something specific, please check out their website here at https://www.johnstonplants.com and browse their selection before you go! You can also find planting guides and resources on their website.

One important thing to note it that they will deliver anything you purchase straight to your home! Delivery days and times vary, and there will be a fee, but we love that you can pick out a ton of greenery and not have to worry about getting it to your house yourself! You can also purchase gift cards for that special gardener in your life!

Who Can Go:

Anyone is welcome at this beautiful garden center, from young to old. We did bring our stroller in, as one of our littles wasn’t in the mood to cooperate. The stroller did not make it through some of the narrower pathways, so be aware of that if you do need to bring a stroller or a wheelchair with you.

We think that this can be a fun place for kids to come, especially to see how food is produced as they look at all of the different varieties of plants. Our littles also love looking at the beautiful colors of all the flowers. It is definitely important to stress a “look don’t touch” approach before you go, but as long as your kids can remember that you can spend a lot of time here checking out everything they have to offer!

Final Thoughts:

This is a great garden center with a huge selection of plants to meet anyone’s needs! We really love to come to Johnston’s Garden Center, even if it’s just to browse!

Mason Farms Pickle Picking

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After traveling down the path known as the Corry Junction Greenway Trail, we looked for an opportunity to get outdoors but also knew there would be a few days of rain coming. For that reason, we knew this was the perfect season to go gather some Pickles at Mason Farms.

This is certainly not a *new* destination, as we previously have been to Mason Farms for both strawberry picking, as well as raspberry picking. However, as the seasons change, so does the type of fruits or vegetables that are available.

Location

If you haven’t been here yet, now is another great opportunity! Mason Farms Country Market is located on 8603 W Lake Rd, Lake City, PA 16423. It is located on Route 5, and while the stand is open at the front of the property with a small parking lot, if you are trying to go pick pickles (cucumber pickles that is), you need to drive the dirt road back into the field. It’s a simple road that is a straight shot back, and in addition to pickles there are other items still in season.

Property Description:

In addition to cucumber pickles, at this point Mason Farms still has raspberries, as well as Blueberries to be picked. There are other items getting ready to come into season, however, so by the time you read this there could be other fresh fruits or veggies to be had.

Things to do:

This was a very simple day compared to the other times we have been picking items at Mason Farms. Compare the size of a strawberry or a raspberry to a cucumber, and you can imagine why. We filled up a basket which gave us probably around 4 or 5 dozen pickles. They vary in size, but the average one was about 4 inches long, and 2 inches in diameter. Filling up a basket of pickles literally only took about 10 minutes.

One point of note: While we only picked a single basket of pickles, there were other patrons there who picked multiple baskets and of multiple fruits and veggies.

Who Can Go:

This activity was actually one of the easiest we had done. Compared to the size and fragility of raspberries (not to mention the prickers on the vines), picking cucumber pickles is a very easy thing to do. The cucumbers are much more stable for young hands than a raspberry (so less “destroyed” produce at the hands of our toddler). In addition, the size of the cucumbers means it’s a lot easier to spot one compared to trying to find berries behind leaves.

Final Thoughts:

Because this was such a short activity, we actually used many of the cucumber pickles themselves to jar pickles. This is another activity that can be done off of the cucumbers, and with a few more items that can be grabbed from the farm stand at the front of the property (for example. We grabbed peas, cauliflower, and peppers). You will of course need the other supplies such as vinegar and the mason jars, but this was an additional activity we were able to do in order to preserve the vegetables over the coming weeks and months. After all, while fresh food is a healthy part of any diet, it may be hard to eat 60 cucumbers in a week or two before they start to rot. For that reason, both the experience of picking the cucumber pickles, as well as the process of preserving them in jars, is a set of fun activities that the whole family can participate in.  

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Raspberry Picking at Mason Farms

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What can we say? We have been on a fruit kick lately, and a handful of the locations we have found happen to be in the west county of Erie, Pa. We just visited Ziesenheim Farms to pick cherries last week. It is 2020, and we are still obviously trying to maintain social distancing. This can be hard with young ones. In addition, it’s cold in Erie, PA for many months of the year. Finally, fruit seasons come and go, and if you miss one, then you’ll likely have to wait another year until you can go out and get it fresh. For that reason, we actually headed back to Mason Farms because a new season is in play. While picking fresh strawberries is still at the tail end of the season, picking red raspberries and black raspberries is now open at Mason Farms.

While we’ve already gone through the details of Mason Farms in Lake City, PA, there are a few items to note. For more in depth information, take a look at when we visited specifically for picking strawberries.  

Location:

Mason Farms is on Route 5 in Lake City, PA, just past Fairview, PA. The fruit and vegetable stand is located at 8603 W Lake Rd, Lake City, PA 16423. Remember that if you just want some farm fresh groceries, you can get them at the stand and don’t even need to drive back into the field to pick them yourself.

Property Description:

Another quick reminder that the weather in Erie is currently wonderful. It is ripe for wandering. That being said, please remember we are already passed the summer solstice. The days will already start to get shorter and the temperature will be cooler within a month or two. So, use this time now to get out and into the open under the hot sun. Being out in a field is a great way to get your steps in while also soaking up some warmth and sun rays.

Things to do:

Raspberries are great, but they are hard to come by in some parts of the country. In addition, they can be costly. A small pack at the grocery store could easily run you $5 for just a few handfuls. At Mason Farms, the price was $7 for a quart of red raspberries, and $8 for a quart of black raspberries. And the equivalency we has was right about 4 or 4.5 quarts in one cardboard basket … depending on the specific size of your basket.  

Who Can Go:

Compared to the cherry picking, this was another easy one for the full family. Berries grow a few feet off of the ground, so we didn’t have to hunch over like for the strawberries, nor did we need to climb a ladder to reach the cherries. This was one where we could all wander down the rows and grab the berries, high or low, that were within reach.

Final Thoughts:

Another great aspect we have found with wandering is once you discover a great location, remember to head back. Whether it is new sights with the season changes, new fruits and veggies to pick (or new items on the menu), or even just repeating a fun experience, we will keep bringing new locations, and great updates on old favorites, for you to wander.

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