N.J. Farm Offers Prime Berry Picking, Family Fun

CHESTER, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Summertime can be stressful when you're trying to keep the kids occupied, but as CBS 2's Cindy Hsu reported, you don't have to look much further than your local farm—where it's prime berry picking season.

At Alstede Farms in Chester, N.J., families can find tons of animals to feed and lots of fruits and vegetables to pick.

The Litterio twins' father, Anthony Litterio, said they are experts at picking blueberries. He told CBS 2 it's like a classroom outside of school.

"It's important for them to learn how things grow and how to take care of things and how to nurture certain things," he said.

The farm also has summer camp, where they teach very unique skills.

"[We] Learn how to clean goats antlers, learn how to drive," 8-year-old camper Patrick Koster said.

At the camp, there's no fast food, allowing campers to explore their palettes.

"I learned that I like beets a lot," 11-year-old Ava Lafer said.

If you're into picking peaches, Sam Walmer of Alstede Farms says it's all about the color and advises on staying away from the green ones.

"What you want is to have the background color be yellow, just ignore the red color.  That's like advertising, just to make you buy it," Walmer said.

After you're worn out from all the picking and playing, there are lots of sweet treats at the farm store, from pies to homemade ice cream.

Alstede Farms is open year-round, but picking season runs from April until the end of November.

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