An Afternoon in the Strawberry Fields

The boys and I spent an afternoon a few weeks ago picking strawberries at a farm down the road from us.

I had planned on picking them before we went to the cottage, so when I wasn't able to get around to it, I was afraid that by the time I got back, the season would be over.

Fortunately, though they weren't picking any more for the stand, I was allowed to head out and see what I could find.

Luckily for us, the plants were still full of plump, ripe berries, sweet from the summer's sun.

We took our time filling our baskets, sampling a few here and there. Is there anything more wonderful than a just-picked strawberry?

Next to a buffet of delicious berries, the golf cart ride out to the back field was a highlight for the boys.

Most of our berries were canned as Strawberry jam, but a few pints were frozen for a couple special desserts. Maybe a strawberry pie or a crumble?

Strawberry Picking

After spending this morning at an auction, I decided to take the boys strawberry picking at a farm down the road from us.

With all the rain we've had lately, the fields have been really wet and picking conditions haven't been ideal.  But as the season is quickly coming to a close, I put their rain boots on and out we went.

The berries were a little sparse from being picked over, but the few quarts I could get were well worth the effort. Plump strawberries, perfectly sun-kissed and sweet, are the perfect reward.

Though the boys were no help with the actual picking, they kept themselves entertained by climbing fruit trees and playing in the grass (and eating it).

He was so content when I finally let him out of the buggy.

Sweet Cherries are also in full swing! The trees are just exploding with bright red fruit. Last year, unseasonably warm weather and then a hard frost wiped out most of our cherry crops. So this is a welcomed sight.

I wasn't ambitious enough to pick any cherries, though it would have been much easier. I just picked up a quart on my way home (as well as a flat of already picked berries!).

I came home and spent the evening hulling berries and making jam. My 12 little jars of sweet, strawberry jam are under a towel on my counter. Every now and then I hear a pop. One will most definitely be opened with breakfast tomorrow.

And with that, canning season begins.