Big Jim’s farms
This is a must see before summer ends. Big Jim Farms has several varieties of U pick crops from August through October. Crops range from sunflowers and other flowers, green and red chile, pumpkins, melons, cucumbers, ect.
The staff here at the farms are absolutely amazing and some of the kindest and most welcoming people you’ll meet. There is no admission fee if you’re there to just enjoy the sight.
If you wish to take some flowers home you can rent clippers for 5 dollars. The 5 dollars also cover the decorative mason jar your pruned flowers will go in. They even prune and arrange the flowers for you!
The sunflower crop
Sunflowers are my favorite type of flower. They always have been since I was a little girl about 5 years old. I had this red dress with yellow sunflowers on it. It was my absolute favorite dress and I would have worn it everyday I could have. So naturally, when I saw this event pop up, I couldn’t stay away long.
August and September are the best months for visiting the sunflowers. The farm is open daily from 8am – 6pm. With September a few days away, there are still plenty of opportunities to experience this sea of gold. There is something about seeing a field of sunflowers that really makes your breath catch in your throat. The first time I saw this was when I was 17 and on a mission trip to Kentucky. On the drive there from Florida, we past a field of GAINT sunflowers. These flowers were much larger than my face and a whole lot taller than me too. This field went for miles. I’d never seen anything like it and to this day I have not forgotten about it.
Now the sunflowers at Big Jims are not of the giant variety, but they are spectacular in their own right. Big Jim’s recently moved from a 7acre location to a 21 acre field beginning this year allowing for much more flowers! The new location is right next door the the old. When you arrive you’ll be greeted by fields of sunflowers growing in rows that you can stroll through as you pick out the best to keep.
…if you dare.
WARNING!
This is not a place for those allergic to, or afraid of bees… the flowers are a magnet for them. You will be hard pressed to find a flower without at least one bee on it. There are thousand of them. Bees of every size, shape, and color. Bees I didn’t even know existed. Yes, know they are an important part of nature. Yes, they leave you alone if you leave them alone, but that does little to calm the fear that a bee phobia can instill. So instead I will tell you this, the flowers are just as beautiful when safely enjoyed from afar, as I did 🙂 Even while keeping a respectful distance we managed to clip ourselves a bouquet to take home!
We had such an amazing time and are already so excited to go again for the green Chile crops and we’ll definitely be getting some pumpkins as well. Watch out McCalls!
What I Wore
This is a farm so obviously dress code is casual. However, I’m not about to go to a field of sunflowers without having a little fun. Have fun with it and get all dolled up for the pictures, you won’t regret it. Keep your shoes in mind and there is a lot of uneven ground and dirt so a stiletto is not a good fit.
Graphite and Jade 