I researched something fun to do with kids and adults and found this hidden gem. The family that…read moreruns the farm is so kind and knowledgeable. The family grows and cultivates fresh herbs, freeze dried and fresh organic eggs, and take really good care of their animals. First, we saw their barn, then walked to the cows, then to their orchard, then two chicken coops, and then we met and pet the Goats (my son loved Pongo the best! ), qnd then saw Alpacas. Overall, my family and I loved it! We wanted to stay longer! Sweet family and maybe if they start up a Bed n Breakfast, we would love to stay.

This place is heaven on earth. For Christmas, my husband sponsored Pongo the goat for me and we got…read moreto go hang out with all of the animals! These babies are LOVED. Ron and Lisa are such wonderful people who really have passion for what they do. On our way out they gave us some eggs and they are THE BEST eggs we've ever had. We actually just picked up 2 more dozen today and some honey! I can't wait to order some more stuff from their country store. We will be forever customers of Back Forty Farm!

Introduced to Richardson Family Farms' remarkably good organic strawberries as available in 2 lb…read more flats in early September at the Boise Co Op by friend Carl Y and his wife, my husband and I found these fragrant, perfectly ripe, super delicious gems to be the best strawberries of the season. That they were local and organic and harvested so late in the summer intrigued us enough to seek out Richardson's in Emmett and pick our own. WORKING MEDITATION There is a sort of meditation involved in being in a place like this doing the work of picking berries. The only sounds were the wind rustling plants, the click of grasshopper wings in flight, the buzz of yellow jackets seeking out the fruit over-ripe and the upbeat voice of brother talking to sister in the next field as they picked berries for the market. Add in the aroma of the berries as warmed by the sun, it was a pretty sweet experience all around. THE DRILL The drill here to pick is pretty informal. When they see your car pull in, one of the folks who work on the farm (we met both the owner and his son) will ask if you're there to pick, give you a box for the berries and point you in the direction of the plants with the most ripe fruit. The owner even gave my hubby a strawberry picking tutorial, how to recognize the perfectly ripe ones from those that seem ready but aren't quite yet. When you're done, they'll weigh your boxes and tell you what a ridiculously little amount of money is owed. WEEDING FOR BERRIES The owner told us for folks who want fresh berries but who feel they cannot afford to buy them, he is happy to trade their work to help weed the rows for berries in return. Nice barter system it seemed to us. Work for food. THANKS TO FARMERS My strawberry picking days are in the rear view mirror due to limits introduced by MS but I had a lot of experience in my youth and enjoyed supervising my hubby's first time efforts! He thought it was fun for an agricultural excursion day and enjoyed every minute of his couple of hours. But he also recognized it would be back breaking to pick berries for a living. We both took a moment to tell the Richardson Farm family members who were doing that work, this is truly a family operation in the fields as the owner has more than a dozen children,, how much we value being able to simply swing by the Co Op to buy their fine berries because of their work. It was a verbal hug of America's family farmers of whom we think good thoughts all the time. CO-OP AVAILABILITY If you're planning on buying via the Co Op the berries should be available there at times into October. The folks we met at the farm went out of their way to say how much they appreciated having the Co Op as their partner. THIS N THAT: 1) PRICE: If you want a true appreciation for what a fair price is on these flats of berries at the Co Op, venture out and pick for a couple of hours and consider the cost to the farmer to organically grow them, pick them, package them and transport them to market. Then consider the cost of the Co Op to put them up for sale. 2 lb. flats at Co Op are $7.95, so just under $4.00 / pound. If you compare to the most commonly available CA Grower (Driscoll) for organic berries pound for pound, these locals are a lower cost. If you pick your own at the farm, they cost a mere $1.50 / pound. Factor in the cost of travel to get to Emmett and the opportunity cost for your time, that Co Op price is a bargain too! 2) ACCESSIBILITY: Hard packed, gravel covered pathway. Neither porta-pot is accessible. 3) OTHER FRUITS AND VEGGIES: Sometimes available. Yesterday they included cherry tomatoes, Armenian cucumbers and Italian prune plums. 4) CONTACT INFO & GETTING THERE: If you plan to venture out, the farm is a little tough to find. The best way to zero in is via their website linked here. http://idahoberry.wordpress.com/ 5) THE OWNER: Worth saying he is an eccentric type of man. He has run for Governor at least once and his personal, legal name is Right to Life. You are not going to meet Old MacDonald if you visit the farm.