Here we are in June, the first month of Summer, though we still have three weeks to go until the official start. School is done, the ice cream truck has started making the rounds, we've had our first picnic at a State Park, and the farmers markets are in full swing. For the next couple of months, I thought I'd share some classic things that are on our "must do" list for Summer. I thought it might be fun if other bloggers shared their favorite Summer activities also. I don't want to get too serious about it, since we're supposed to be relaxing and having fun, so I'll aim for every two weeks, on a Monday.
So what is our first Summer Loving adventure? Strawberry picking!!
The same afternoon that I called a local farm to see if they had ripe berries for picking, my husband bought a $6 quart at the farmers market. That is the going price around here for no spray berries, which makes them way too expensive to buy in bulk. Luckily, there is a third generation old-timey farm in town that offers pick your own berries. (You have to play berry hide-and-seek through the thistle and other weeds, but at least you know they are definitely no spray!)
So on a perfect Friday afternoon, with the first rays of sun shining that we'd seen all week, the three of us headed off into the weed strawberry patch with our buckets. The little babe "not seeing any good ones", passed the time by helping herself to the berries in my bowl. I think she ate about 1 for every 10 that I picked. There was no hiding from the farmer the fact that she'd been snacking on more than a few!
She lasted over an hour, then proceeded to march back through the field, declaring that she was done. Our bowls were mostly full anyway, so home we went - all of us with sticky stained hands and one of us with a sticky face, arms, and neck also. I was able to freeze two one-gallon bags and still have some to top our pancakes on Saturday morning. I know we'll be heading back several more times over the next couple weeks. Last year I froze 6 bags and we have about 3 cups still in the freezer, so I want to freeze at least that many again.
Do you have a place for strawberry picking? Have you had the first local berry of the season yet?
The next Summer Loving post will be on Monday, June 22nd and I'd love to have you link-up!
Shared on the Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop.