Man, I feel like this is just another chicken post one after another. No, it's not a chicken post, but for a while there that's all I had to talk about. Now it's yet another strawberry post.
Yes, we've been regularly going out to our strawberry/blueberry patch to harvest that day's ready-to-eat strawberries, but today was not about our patch. A good friend of ours of about 5 years invited us and the boys to go strawberry picking at an organic farm out in Monroe. Since we really didn't need a flat of strawberries ourselves (the boys have had their fill from the Costco flat we got a few weeks ago and our own harvest), we asked my mother along. What we really want this year is home made strawberry jam, and this year, we envisioned having it made from fresh-picked organic strawberries!
It was a beautiful 75 degree day with the sun shining and the kids had a ball. They haven't seen their friends much this year because they're in different schools. So they played and ate more than they picked, but that's most of the fun of U-pick farms.
![]()
Meanwhile, we were serious berry pickers. Of course I had to sample the merchandise, but mostly I only ate the ones that came off the stem without the top in place.
![]()
In the end we left tired and sated, with 18 pounds of organic strawberries. At my mother's house we proceeded to take the tops off, wash and cut the berries, then sorted them into 6 cup bags. All in all, we got 5 batches of jam making material, which will deliver 20 pints of jam as needed, fresh frozen for optimum taste. My mouth is watering just typing this. Sorry there were no shots of the strawberries, I didn't think of it before we started topping them, then it was so messy that I didn't dare touch anything.
For now, the only evidence of our work is a quart zip lock bag full of the best of the bunch for fresh eating, along with 3 cups of strawberry tops that the girls LOVE! I had given about 3 cups to my brother as well so he can see just how much chickens like strawberry tops. The majority of mine are in the fridge for use over time.
I hope you can enjoy some freshly picked strawberries this season, they're like nothing you'll find in any store, or even at a farmer's market as they lose taste the moment they're picked.
Enjoy your garden!
Yes, we've been regularly going out to our strawberry/blueberry patch to harvest that day's ready-to-eat strawberries, but today was not about our patch. A good friend of ours of about 5 years invited us and the boys to go strawberry picking at an organic farm out in Monroe. Since we really didn't need a flat of strawberries ourselves (the boys have had their fill from the Costco flat we got a few weeks ago and our own harvest), we asked my mother along. What we really want this year is home made strawberry jam, and this year, we envisioned having it made from fresh-picked organic strawberries!
It was a beautiful 75 degree day with the sun shining and the kids had a ball. They haven't seen their friends much this year because they're in different schools. So they played and ate more than they picked, but that's most of the fun of U-pick farms.
Meanwhile, we were serious berry pickers. Of course I had to sample the merchandise, but mostly I only ate the ones that came off the stem without the top in place.
In the end we left tired and sated, with 18 pounds of organic strawberries. At my mother's house we proceeded to take the tops off, wash and cut the berries, then sorted them into 6 cup bags. All in all, we got 5 batches of jam making material, which will deliver 20 pints of jam as needed, fresh frozen for optimum taste. My mouth is watering just typing this. Sorry there were no shots of the strawberries, I didn't think of it before we started topping them, then it was so messy that I didn't dare touch anything.
For now, the only evidence of our work is a quart zip lock bag full of the best of the bunch for fresh eating, along with 3 cups of strawberry tops that the girls LOVE! I had given about 3 cups to my brother as well so he can see just how much chickens like strawberry tops. The majority of mine are in the fridge for use over time.
I hope you can enjoy some freshly picked strawberries this season, they're like nothing you'll find in any store, or even at a farmer's market as they lose taste the moment they're picked.
Enjoy your garden!
I love doing a u-pick berry picking day. We do that regularly for blueberries and raspberries. Such a fun outing and your have something you will eat all through the year and think of that sunny day every time you do. How great is that?
ReplyDeleteIt looks like it was a fun day. I have fond memories of when I was a child picking strawberries as a family. My grandmother and great-aunt would turn them into yummy deserts and freeze the rest for later use.
ReplyDeleteI hear you! We have a bumpercrop of berries in our yard. lots for fresh eating, and I made two strawberry-rhubarb pies (one for guests this week, one for the freezer). OMG. Nothing like fresh from the garden -- or Farm! I plan to pick another batch while the little guy is napping for jam-making goodness. The big question is: Strawberry jam, or strawberry rhubarb?
ReplyDelete