Picked Our Own Strawberries

June 19, 2010

You've probably noticed that CSAs are more about vegetables than they are about fruit. And seriously, how's a girl supposed to make a half decent pie from a bunch of leafy greens and radishes?  Because of reasons like cost, taste, health, and my spotlesssly clean image, I've pretty much bought this 'eat local' thing hook, line, and sinker. So, in our quest for fruit, we decided to keep it close to home and headed out for a morning of strawberry picking at the strawberry farm.

The first strawberry that James picked was absolutely ginormous. See?

He was like, "Mom! This thing is huge! Take my picture while I pretend it's video game controller."

I was like, "James, SHHHHHH. That strawberry is local--you should pretend it's a horse comb, or a classic novel or something, not a video game controller!"

That kid is so ridiculously embarrassing. I wish he'd work a little harder at preserving his mother's reputation.

Here's a picture of the strawberry field:

I posted this picture for two reasons. First, I can't get enough the that guy in the overalls (love him!), and second, that woman on the bottom right is my 88 year old neighbor.

There she is again, motoring along on her hands and knees (she likes to call 'em her prayer handles):

While I was snapping that picture, this guy came up behind me and said, "Why don't you stop taking pictures of your grandmother and help her instead."

I gave him a straight look, and with my most matter-of-fact tone I said, "That's not my grandmother, she's my step sister."

He had no reply. Besides, she doesn't want any help. If she needs help this year, it means she'll need even more help next year, and she's only 88--totally not ready for that.

Here's what we left with:

Grand total? $35.68. They were $1.60 a pound. That night when I went to grocery store I checked the price of strawberries, and get this--$2.99 a pound. They were from Mexico--lovely place for a cruise, not so much for growing my berries.

So, what do you do with a zillionteen strawberries? Well, you let your kid eat so many that he has diarhea at the supermarket, you put a big bowl in the fridge, and you freeze the rest:

That way he'll be able to poop his pants in the middle of the winter, too.