Last week I took my 15 month old son, Gray, to the strawberry picking fields at Dempsey Farms on St. Helena Island, close to Beaufort, SC. About an hour’s drive from Hilton Head Island, across the marshes of the Lowcountry, St. Helena is rich in history and culture (home of the Penn Center), along with being an active farm community. I love St. Helena, the smell of the salt-air and the “getting away from it all” allow for a sense of calm.

Dempsey Farms is located on St. Helena on the right side of the road toward Hunting and Fripp Island. The land is a true “working” farm and has been in the Dempsey family for generations. The day Gray and I went, Maryann Dempsey was running the stand and gave us the low-down on the land. Two generations ago, they opened the fields to the public to “pick” and now they grow everything from cucumbers to eggplant to tomatoes (see list below) and depending on the harvest, they allow for “pickers” like myself!

When I heard about the farm, I knew I had to take Gray – what a wonderful treat, right in our backyard! Salty Island air, expansive fields and fresh off-the-vine strawberries. Look how big it is, great to let the little ones run!