Friday, July 4, 2008

Strawberry season

Every year we pick a lot of strawberries, I've done this since I was very little. A happy memory for me is taking a little ferry across the river each year to go and pick strawberries and then waking up the next morning to the smell of strawberry freezer jam. Yum.

For the last few years the boys and I have gone on our own but this year I wanted S to come with us. We went two weekends ago and came away with 7 buckets but I have been sick for the last week and wasn't up to going again. The boys and S went and picked on their own and came home with this batch - some picked and some bought from the farm stand.The next day they went back and picked again and came home with these, all I had to do was wash and freeze them all.We've ended up with a little under 150 pounds, I think. Some have been eaten, some made into jam and lots tucked away for winter smoothies. Katherine turned me onto using these salad containers as freezer containers (she even gave me a bunch of them) and they work really well. Each container holds a little over 5 lbs and they stack well.Now, only another week 'til our cherries are ready to pick.

8 comments:

Mary-Sue said...

ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY POUNDS of strawberries??? So you have 30 of those salad containers in your freezer? I think that would fill my freezer up! 150 pounds? My jaw is hanging open. And ALLLLLLLLLL you had to do was wash and freeze them?
Goodness, woman, you make me tired!

Anonymous said...

I don't think she's human Mary-Sue -- HaHa!!
My kids VACUUM up strawberries. We moved our plants last year and they did not produce any berries. Store-bought are no where near as satisfying (& expensive!!)
You will enjoy them, especially on a cold wintry morning on waffles or pancakes!
Rebecca :)

denise said...

Oh. My. We did 28 pounds total so far and it took 2 days of work on cleaning, cutting, making jam, making compote, and bagging the rest to freeze. But, But, ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY POUNDS????????????????? You are one amazing lady, I tell ya! :)

I think that would cost 450 bucks or more here in our area doing u-picks, and even more if at farmstands.

Wow!

Anonymous said...

I wish my freezer was stacked up and organized like yours. Instead everything is thrown in sideways and backwards. Perhaps I will clean it out today.

Anyway, where did you pick your berries? I would like to pick some this year but don't know where to go.

Heather said...

The only reason that freezer is so organized is because I have 4 - plus my fridge freezer - and I just cleaned and defrosted them all in preparation for filling. The strawberries are key players around here so they will get a full half of that large chest freezer and those salad containers make tidy stacking so easy. You should have seen how messy it was a few weeks ago. :-0

The first time we went picking was out at Old Meadows (on Gordon road). Then the boys went to a place on Cornish rd in Rutland the last two times and also picked some up at Bilga farmstand on Rutland rd. We usually go to BenVoulin Rd as well and last year I liked Goodco berries in Glenmore. Really, fresh local berries are just such a treat I don't think you can go wrong wherever you go. The main draw for the one on Cornish road was that they were $1 a pound for U-pick. Most other places are around $1.75 a pound. When you pick the quantity we do it is nice to get a bargain.

Anonymous said...

Like Mary-Sue I was astounded to read that 'all you had to do was wash and freeze them'! Maybe I could come over one winter morning and have a smoothie?

Anonymous said...

Previous comment was from me but I forgot to enter my name!

this is my patch said...

You make it sound so effortless! How I would love a freezer dedicated to fruits. The chest freezer in our workshop is full of fishing bait! Open up that lid to find not such a pleasurable sight! x