Jun 07 2009
Strawberry Fields Forever
After days and days of rain showers, Kris and I were so happy to get out in the sunshine on Saturday morning and pick strawberries at the local(ish) pick-your-own farm in western Maryland.
We weren’t the only ones yearning for some time outside in the sun – the farm opened at 9am, and there was already a full parking lot when we arrived at 9:15am. Luckily, there were plenty of fields.
So over a two-hour span, we estimate that we picked about 50 lbs. of strawberries yesterday. We don’t mess around with our fruit – Kris and I are serious pickers (and I have the sore back and hamstrings to prove it today!) We eat our fair share in salads, and I make a breakfast smoothie nearly every morning, so these strawberries have already been slated for use!
Most were set aside in the freezer for smoothies and future salads, one flat was juiced in the juicer for sorbets and popsicles, 1.5 flats are currently being dehydrated (planning to make some trail mix or granola), and the rest are in the refrigerator waiting. I am for a small batch of preserves, as well as some fresh recipes that I have found online – Eunice’s Raw Strawberry Pie – Strawberry Black Pepper Tart for Two – Strawberry Citrus Salad – oh my my, the list goes on.
…just this morning, we whipped up some vegan pancakes and added the delicious strawberries and bananas to the top before dribbling some maple syrup (from last year’s Canada trip!) Perfect Sunday brunch material!
I wish you could all come over and share in the strawberry bounty – our kitchen smells so sweet!
(Kris and I have been on a real cooking/baking kick, so I hope you are ready for lots of fresh veg recipes and photos… they are coming!)
Oh my goodness, 50 pounds of fresh-picked strawberries sounds amazing! I wish we had a juicer and the fridge/freezer space to make that happen. I make a breakfast smoothie every day, too, but it’s almost always from the bags of frozen strawberries at the grocery store, alas.
I eagerly await lots of fresh veg recipes and photos!
Oh, don’t those berries look beautiful! Everything a strawberry should be.
ooh, lolly, those strawberries look delicious! mmm i can’t wait to see what other things you’ll be making with all those yummies
Drooling in MA….
I think the time of the year when strawberries are available again is one of my favorite as it marks the start of the fresh local fruits season. Yum!
OMG — my Special K breakfast soooooo pales in comparison.
I admire your commitment to healthy, fresh, local foods.
Oh I love strawberries! I’ve never done pick-your-own, I should look and see if there’s one in my area.
Yummyyyyyy!
Yum! We pick our strawberries every year, it’s our little summer tradition.
Oh man, I’m so jealous!! One of my seasonal jobs is as a berry picker on a farm near my house. I love getting up at 6 and hitting the field as the sun’s coming up. I’m missing it this year!
I’ve never dehydrated berries. Do you use one of those dehydrator machines? It seems like a great idea for all sorts of things.
Oh wow that breakfast looks so good! I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more cooking posts!
Yum! The pancakes look so good. I am curious about what sort of things you have been eating since you have been doing battle with the Lyme disease- the breakfast smoothie sounds like a pretty tasty idea. Would you think about sharing any more about your cooking/ eating?
mmmmm… fresh strawberries – my favourite thing in the whole wide world… apart from fresh rhubarb. Ok, ok, the two of them together? Heaven, pure heaven. I can hardly wait for berry season here in N.S.
Sounds like a wonderful way to spend the Saturday & the bounty is incredible!
I’ve been doing a lot in the kitchen as well with the return of my weekly farmers market adventures. I definitely need to blog some of the recent fun in the kitchen.
Yesterday I got 2 monstrous bags of spinach for $5 – I think I’m going to blanch & freeze some of it for when fresh spinach is a distant memory. I definitely need to reorganize the freezer so that I can “put up” more this summer for winter.
What’s your smoothie recipe. I have a bunch of strawberries to use.
The strawberries look fabulous. So red and juicy! Do you have a good smoothie recipe? I’ve become addicted to Panera’s strawberry smoothies, but they use syrupy strawberries, and I’d like to make it at home, healthier. I’ve been putting strawberries, yogurt and ice in the blender, and it’s pretty good, but not perfect. Is there anything else you’d recommend putting in a smoothie (other than other fruits, which I know are always an option)?
ohhh those look fabulous!
Could you recommend some smoothie recipes? I really want to start trying to actually have something of substance in the morning since I usually skip breakfast.
Those strawberries look delicious!
nom nom nom nom nom!
I was just listening to “Strawberry Fields Forever” from the “Across the Universe” Soundtrack right before I saw your post! I LOVE that song!
The strawberries look yummy!
Well, I bought mine at a farmer’s market instead of picking them, and sadly could not afford 50 lbs, but strawberries are one of my favorite fruits, and I never get sick of them. My current favorite way to eat them is with yogurt and maple syrup, agave, honey, or brown sugar. I am more than a little jealous of your strawberry bounty!
the strawberries look sooooo good! this time of the year is my fav. when it comes to fruits. strawberries, cherries, apricots…….. i had my first nectarine of this year today. it was so juicy that it tripped all over me, it doesn’t get much better than that
Wow – those look so delicious! Do you mind me asking what farm it is? We’re headed out that way on Thursday and might stop by after seeing these goodies!
Those strawberries look gorgeous! Enjoy!
Yum yum yum! Everything looks delicious!
What a vibrant colour of red – there is nothing sweeter than fresh picked. I have a wicked crazing for those pancakes now!
Oh, yum!
I’m hoping to score some fresh produce this weekend when I visit my grandparents. Those strawberries look outstanding, and I could go for some pancakes. Yum!
Such beautiful fruit! Fresh, tasty and local, how can you beat that? I wish I could have been there for brunch, too – it sounds really delish.
Bring on the recipes, I’m ready for them! xoxo
omigosh I’m salivating…..fresh local strawberries already!! Yummy
Ooh, strawberry envy! I love strawberries.. I don’t know if this is a Danish way of eating them or if people do it other places too, but for dessert we halve them, put them in a bowl and eat them with milk, cream and sugar. It’s delicious and fresh on a hot summer day!
Those strawberries and pancakes look delightful! Keep the food pics coming!
That takes me back to my childhood as we always went strawberry picking!
Go Penguins!
Thank you so much for posting where you picked these. I probably can’t make it out during strawberry season this year, but they have so many things that I’ll undoubtedly get something later in the summer!
Yay, I’ve been looking for a “local” u-pick place.
Oh, I love Larriland Farms. We had to miss the strawberries this year, because younger son graduated from Salisbury University and then we had a trip to visit older son who moved to Northern Michigan a few months ago…and I had to work the weekdays! Yours look so good that I can almost taste them throught the screen.
Girl, this post makes me so hungry for strawberries. And I’m at work, so no access to any. Boo…
Mmmmm…. Maurizio and I used to go strawberry picking when we were students in Ithaca. The fields always smelled of jam. Have fun using it all up!
Oh yum!