Inside the house, we met the kindest Virginian couple, one of whom grew up not 10 miles away from where I did. My friends were like little kids on a field trip ready to get picking (and I was stoked to show off my home state), but remember how none of us had cash? My dad likes to boast how bad luck runs in our blood, but on that day I proved him wrong: I had an old check wadded up in my wallet. And Muskrat Haven Farm happily accepts checks. So we all grabbed a little tub and got picking. This had to have been one of my favorite days all summer, surrounded by friends and farm critters on beautiful land that I'm lucky and privileged to call home.