love to pick strawberries. I love to pick fruit and we've done a fair amount of that while living on Newark-Granville Road. Legend Hills in Utica is a great destination for this activity- strawberries in particular. A friend asked me this week- have you been to Legend Hills yet? I replied no and she said- what- you're that kind of Mom- I'm surprised you haven't made it up there yet. That is all it took- she's right. I am that kind of Mom. When I looked back to find a photo from past quests for the red berries I found a few that made me smile. The VBS shirts align with the timing of strawberries- often we'd go pick directly from VBS.
So this blog is about the why....why do I like to pick them? Well I love the taste- love to eat them right there in the field when they're warm from the sun. This year the reward was very sweet berries and pretty big ones too- more on that later. Love the fresh real flavor that you only get from local fruit. I love that we have to work a bit to bring home our food. I love to support the farmers that are allowing us this gift to be in their fields and offer a hands-on learning activity. I also love to be out in all that natural beauty- look at those blues and greens in the photos- the red bursts the perfect accents. I also love the challenge. I start with an empty bucket and have to fill it up and it gets to be a little addictive. I fill another one and regret not bringing another. I look for the biggest I can find, I don't want a lot of little ones...then I think about what I am going to do with all that is procured and I slow down...but I can't help myself as I come down from the hill I spy another real red, pretty big and I stoop to pick. I walk on- a cluster calls to me and I take the steps left and kneel to add to my lot....but duty calls and we have to get home. Later when cleaning them and preparing next steps takes over an hour I'm glad I had a day that pulled me home and I'm glad I don't have too many tiny ones. The plans for these babies- strawberry short cake- short cake made from flour and is more biscuit than cake- yum. I like mine with milk not whipped cream, maybe I'll splurge and by cream....I put a number in the freezer for smoothies. I don't make jam. I will try to do some roasted for a sauce...Jeni's inspired me....So that is they why about today's very fun traditional June activity in my life on Newark-Granville Road.
Bonus- the drive- love a ride in the country- in the convertible as bonus! Today we were behind a horse and buggy. I love the shadow that was cast and how it was in motion- I think of shadows as stationary things for some reason. I was struck by the simplicity of the spoke and wheel's movement, the horse's jaunts. Beauty all around in this life and today it was everywhere!
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