Ooooooweeee – Ben and I have had the best day ever!! The plan was to go apple picking, but the weather had a different idea…RAIN! Undeterred, we headed out. Destination: Berry Patch Farm, about 30 minutes north of our house. Neither of us had ever been so we weren’t really sure what to expect.
Heading out…the rain is comin’ down…
About 30 minutes later it was still cloudy, but it least the rain had stopped! We drove along some unpaved roads for about 20 minutes, enjoying the scenery…
The we arrived!
Berry Patch Farm is seriously one the cutest little orchards/berry farms I have ever been to. It was absolutely gorgeous!
You were able to drive or walk all over the orchards and berry patches, picking from ~8 varieties of apples, luscious blackberries, raspberries, strawberries and blueberries! We started by picking some late-season strawberries…
And some beautiful, fuchsia raspberries…
Feeding the love of my life 
How romantic.
Then…it was HONEYCRISP time!! Can you imagine?? Rows upon rows of trees packed with my absolute favorite apple on earth!! You would have thought we were 10 and had just stepped into a candy shop…Ben and I were giddy with excitement!
Of course, we snacked on a couple of apples as we were picking…the juiciness & crunch factor were indescribable…
Actually – they aren’t…listen!
Ben got in on the HC action too!
LOOK. HEAVEN.
I seriously had 3 or 4 while we picked. I couldn’t get enough!
We filled our bag and headed back to the sales stand to pay.
This is Jack – the farm mascot. Such a sweetie!
And the owners of Barry Patch Farm.
“Judy has stolen my heart and refuses to give it back.” –Ben
Yep, it’s love.
We left with a jar of Fresh Raspberry Preserves
And 4.5 lbs of Honeycrisp apples! For $8.00!!!!
If you live in Central IA – get your behind out to Berry Patch Farm – ASAP!
So maybe you thought that the day would have ended there? Well, you’d be wrong. It just so happens that Barry Patch Farm is a stones-throw from one of Ben and I’s favorite BBQ restaurant – Hickory Park!
Hickory Park is an insanely delicious BBQ restaurant in Ames, IA that was voted Most Unexpected BBQ Brilliance by Maxim in their annual 2009 Maxim Food Awards!
The inside is like a giant barn with a very eclectic decor.
Hickory Park is so big that there is ~75 on staff for a typical lunch shift. THAT IS HUGE! There’s always a wait, but it doesn’t matter – I’d wait hours to eat here.
See – happy to just be there.
15 minutes later, our number was called!
I ordered the “Saucy Southerner” which is what I get every time I come.
YUM!!!!!!! To be honest, I wasn’t that hungry because I ate SO MANY APPLES at the orchard, so I had half my sandwich and a couple bites of mashed potatoes.
The Saucy Southerner was everything I remembered it to be – sweet, smoky, saucy deliciousness. This is what a BBQ sandwich should be!
Ben got his staple too – Open Faced Smoked Turkey Sandwich.
HE ATE THE ENTIRE THING.
Can you imagine?! We were both a little shocked…
Not too shocked to order dessert though! Ummm – this is the dessert menu… I know…ridiculous!
Sticking with the apple theme of the day, we ordered a small Hot Apple Crunch Sundae to split.
OMG!
That’s the warm, apple pie filling with streusel topping…
We ditched the whip cream and dug in.
Maybe two minutes later…we had crushed it, leaving only two small hills of vanilla ice cream in the dish. Let’s be real…we order the sundaes for the toppings!
The BEST part of Hickory Park?? The prices! We got all of our food for under $20. Unbelievable.
So as you can see, Ben and I spent our Saturday having some good, clean fun – and the best part was that we got to spend it together. I’m off to relax before I have to hear this all night long…that’s right…Miami is playing tonight! Have a great evening everyone!
That fresh raspberry preserve looks ah-mazing
Gosh, that looks like an awesome day!
At least you probably won’t have to cook dinner with all the food Ben ate! That BBQ joint looks extra tasty.
What a fun day!!! The weather her is meh too
I am jealous of your honeycrisps; apple picking is on Mike and my to-do list in the next few weekends though.
And that dessert menu? Ridic. However, my style! Have a wonderful evening!
“Juiciest honeycrisp ever” **slurps**
“Gross.”
HAHAHA!! Love it
You two are the most adorable married couple ever, honestly.
oh.my.god. you just pulled at my heart strings. Berry Patch farms and Hickory Park in one post!? Im am beyond jealous right now. I miss it SO much! Next time you go to hickory park try their Chicken Salad sandwich (sounds boring, but I swear to you, best thing you’ll ever have!). I can taste that corn just thinking about it. mmm butter
Love the Valley Dance sweatshirt the hubby is wearing! both my roomies went there (and one of their moms is a teacher there!) Small world again!
Glad you had a good saturday!
Um. this is why I love your blog! I live in Atlanta now but am originally from Ames. I *love* Hickory Park, and despite all of the brilliant gourmet options available here, I am SO JEALOUS that you get to go to Hickory Park!!!! I made my last trip to Iowa in August, and did not make it. Next time, next time…
Berry Patch Farm looks so cute! That sundae looked so good!
I went apple picking today too!! Visiting friends up in NY, it was sooo much fun
No honeycrisps where we were, but plenty of cortland, macintosh, red delish and gala! Plus some peppers and fresh beans mmmmm.
It’s so funny that you came to Ames today, which is where I live, because I went to DSM to try out Cafe Su! I knew I had to try one of their crab rangoons ever since seeing your blog post about them. Today happens to be my boyfriend’s and my two year anniversary, so off we went to try it out! We had a great lunch there with a Dim Sum sampler – crab rangoons, calamari, and pork pot stickers. Yum! I was practically bouncing in my seat as I waited for the chocolate-dipped fortune cookie, which I knew was coming, thanks to you!
OM goodness that place looks amazing!! Those desserts! Ahhhhh. And good deal indeed.
I’ve been wanting to go berry or apple picking for the longest time at our local farm. Looks fun!
Oh…I miss Hickory Park! (I went to ISU)
I’ve never been to that Berry Patch. It sounds great!! Especially if they have honeycrisps!
Oh my god, that honestly looks like the best day ever! I LOVE apple picking in Autumn! I need to get my bum moving before the season’s over! And way to top it off with AMAZING bbq – one of my faves!! Love it!
Thanks for the luck on the race too
All that food for 16.80! How is that possible?
Berry and apple picking always looks so much fun, but I have never gotten to do it. The closest I got was picking grapes for a wine shop. Jealous! Your desert looks amazing! YUM
Haha! Oh my gosh, that slurp in the video was absolutely priceless! But it sounded really yummy. Ben’s turkey dish looks AMAZING! And I cannot believe all that food was so cheap–jealous! Glad you had fun!
That looks like such an amazing time! Glad the rain stopped
I love that Ben is wearing your Valley Dance sweatshirt!
What a great day! That farm looks amazing. I would love to go apple picking…now why don’t they have places like that in AZ.
I almost took the kids apple picking today, but the weather was blech and my allergies were acting up, so I had zero energy to chase a 2 and 4 yr old around an apple orchard. Your honeycrisps and BBQ lunch look amazing! You guys are adorable – esp. love the video and Ben’s Valley Dance hoodie.
What a wonderful day!!! I so wish I loved in Iowa now, I would love to go to both places as those apples and bbq looked amazing, yummy!
=) Laura @ Finding A Healthy Balance
Hahahahaha! Your videos are cracking me up!
That farm looks amazing…how far a drive would that be from KC…maybe worth it? hmmmmm…….
And, um, holy cow, I didn’t know you could get that much food for $16.80! Looks delish!
Oh wow what a great day! Love honeycrisp apples..and you really do look like you are in heaven
That restaurant sounds amazing…it is awesome that you can get all that yummy food for under 20 dollas!!! yeya!
I am so jealous! Not only does your lunch look incredible but those honey crisp apples look phenomenal…and affordable!
Sounds like a perfect Saturday to me!
wow, you are so lucky to have a place like that to go!! We have nothing like that around these parts, I’m SO jealous!!! Those apples just look amazing- honeycrisps are my fav!
I tried my first Honeycrisp the other day at a Farmer’s Market! It was everything you promised it would be
I’m so jealous. I’ve never been apple picking like that!
Such a cute post. Hope you have a good Sunday.
x
aww I have always wanted to go apple picking – seems like such a fun thing to do!! honeycrisp apples are the best!
what a fun spot to eat!
i wish i lived in that area, because going apple picking and sharing your love of honey crisp apples sounds like so much fun right now! I can’t wait to go this season!
Your love for them is so adorable! 
That just looks like a perfect day. I can’t wait to go apple picking soon.
Thanks for this idea! We are taking our boys today… awesome pictures! BTW… tell your hubby, “great game” last night. I bet he was on the edge of his seat…. or not sitting at all, as was my husband. The 3 boys in my house were running around with their jerseys on screaming at the tv… now my 7 year old wants to shave a “U” in the back of his head like Jacory Harris… gotta love college football!
my jaw dropped when i saw the bill~! holy smokes that is cheap!!
I’m so jealous! I checked all the apple farms by me and no one advertises having honeycrisp.
OMG, I love Hickory Park, but have not been there forever. Must do that soon!!
I <3 Hickory Park and their AMAZING BBQ. We went there late August just because I couldn't remember the last time we had been there and I needed their mashed pot. I love their gravy. And even if you are stuffed to the BRIM you must get dessert. It's blasphemy if you don't
Oh and the beauty of your honeycrisps … gorg!
[...] know how much my girl Kristin loves Honeycrisp, so i enjoyed every bit in her [...]
That looks like so much fun!! A friend of mine and I are going to head up there this Sunday to pick apples! Although… apparently at Fareway they are the same price… $1.99/lb right now. I don’t care though, picking them myself looks like a lot more fun.
I love me some Hickory Park. It’s always a special occasion when we go there, though, as we are in Waukee, it’s such a long drive.
Wow, I haven’t been to Hickory Park in YEARS. Last time I was there, they were still in their old, teeny-tiny location. (Yeah, that was probably 20 years ago!) I need to get back.
Hello! I was also at Hickory Park on Saturday for a friend’s birthday. I hadn’t been there before. … the burger with guacamole and bacon was awesome! And I am definitely going to Berry Patch Farm this weekend. On another note, I was at World Market on Sunday in WDM and saw your favorite brand of licorice — Darrell Lea. It is, of course, awesome. Didn’t know if you knew they carried that brand …
I went to school at Iowa State, & my dad loved Hickory Park so much that every time I came home for the weekend, he’d have me pick up several dinners to go, & then he’d invite company over that night, & my mom would heat everything up! Crazy!
Love your blog! I stumbled upon your incredible site when I was researching chia seeds .. found them to be incredible for running and hiking long distance … so I find you and you include the first restaurant (Hickory Park) that I went to with my family when they dropped me off at USU in 1982 for my first cross country season at ISU! .. I even remember the menu you have posted!
Hugs!
Kristen Westlake