strawberry season
It is strawberry season.
Pick your own for $1.50/lb? Count me in.
The strawberries are so sweet and plentiful, they practically fell into the boxes as we squatted in the rows of plants. I may have gone a little overboard.
The morning has not been without a couple of hiccups, though. Daniel did great. He is enthusiastic about most outdoor projects, especially if they involve my friend Pat (who joined us at the farm this morning). Anya, on the other hand, stood among the rows of strawberry plants and whimpered that she was hot and tired, even though it was only about 70 degrees and very pleasant outside. She got more and more pathetic until I agreed to hold her on my lap while I picked the berries, and then she fell asleep. So there I was, squatting in the strawberry field with my daughter - who is two and a half and not exactly an infant anymore - sleeping in my lap clutching her monkey doll, and every time I had to move over to get more fresh berries, I had to do this awkward sort of crab walk while scooting the ever-heavier picking basket over to make room. Urg. Once we were out of the field, she woke up and happily joined us for a picnic lunch, though.
The second problem is that I got home with 20 pounds of strawberries, one box of pectin to make freezer jam out of some of them, and realized that I have about 1/2 cup of sugar left in the canister. The kids were way too tired to be dragged to the store and the berries were getting riper by the minute after sitting in the warm car, so I nixed the jam idea and just washed them all to be stored in the freezer. Then I was scrambling for freezer containers, even though I bought a ton last year and I'm not sure what happened to them all, and had to make due with a bunch of little zipper sandwich bags. I don't like using those because they don't stack well and always tear when you open them up with frozen berries inside, but it was the best I could do.
I still want to make some freezer jam, so maybe I'll go back next week. I'll be sure to buy some sugar first, though.
Pick your own for $1.50/lb? Count me in.
The strawberries are so sweet and plentiful, they practically fell into the boxes as we squatted in the rows of plants. I may have gone a little overboard.
The morning has not been without a couple of hiccups, though. Daniel did great. He is enthusiastic about most outdoor projects, especially if they involve my friend Pat (who joined us at the farm this morning). Anya, on the other hand, stood among the rows of strawberry plants and whimpered that she was hot and tired, even though it was only about 70 degrees and very pleasant outside. She got more and more pathetic until I agreed to hold her on my lap while I picked the berries, and then she fell asleep. So there I was, squatting in the strawberry field with my daughter - who is two and a half and not exactly an infant anymore - sleeping in my lap clutching her monkey doll, and every time I had to move over to get more fresh berries, I had to do this awkward sort of crab walk while scooting the ever-heavier picking basket over to make room. Urg. Once we were out of the field, she woke up and happily joined us for a picnic lunch, though.
The second problem is that I got home with 20 pounds of strawberries, one box of pectin to make freezer jam out of some of them, and realized that I have about 1/2 cup of sugar left in the canister. The kids were way too tired to be dragged to the store and the berries were getting riper by the minute after sitting in the warm car, so I nixed the jam idea and just washed them all to be stored in the freezer. Then I was scrambling for freezer containers, even though I bought a ton last year and I'm not sure what happened to them all, and had to make due with a bunch of little zipper sandwich bags. I don't like using those because they don't stack well and always tear when you open them up with frozen berries inside, but it was the best I could do.
I still want to make some freezer jam, so maybe I'll go back next week. I'll be sure to buy some sugar first, though.
Comments