On Sunday E and I stayed home while W and S went mountain biking. I thought E and I would go strawberry picking because we haven't been yet this year (and we are pretty serious about strawbery picking) but, when I phoned one of the picking places, I was told that there was no U-pick this year. I assume it is due to a poor crop because of all the rain we've been having. There haven't been any ads in the paper for U-pick either so I emailed my friend in the next city up the road to see if she knew of any U-pick spots. In the meantime, E and I decided to make good use of an unexpected day at home to do some cleaning and some woodcarving and take some time to read together on the deck. E enjoyed one of the popsicles that he had made and I read aloud The Cricket in Times Square.
When my husband arrived home his arms were loaded with goodies from my friend. Since she is also a gardener and a lover of fresh, homegrown food she must have felt how keenly we were missing our strawberry patch and fresh berries. S had stopped off at her house to pick up some Cleavers for tincture for a friend of mine and she sent along a big bucket of strawberries and a bucket of picked flowers. Well...what can you say about such a generous friend other than to give thanks to have such a person in your life. She knows that when I say I am missing strawberries that it isn't Just the berries: it's the ritual, the mark of the season (Strawberries proclaim, "Here we are, now Summer can begin!".), the scent, the fresh taste, the smell of jam simmering, the red fingers... it's Everything about them that we are missing. And how lucky am I to have a friend who wants to share some of her own homegrown Strawberry joy with my family!!
We used her homegrown strawberries for strawberry shortcake and It Was Divine!
The flowers were promptly arranged in a vase and looked and smelled delightful - oh how we love the scent of sweet peas.
6 comments:
Thought of you this morning as I mulched and mulched! Weeds, begone!
Love the colours in the flower arrangement...my eyes get drunk on colour at this time of year, and I can hardly believe that in 6 months all will be white again...drink it in while it lasts...
The flowers are gorgeous! And so are the strawberries. We don't have a u-pick for strawberries around here either. Where I used to live they did, but one year the gal told me that most folks just breeze through and pick the easiest and reddest, leaving too many others unpicked. The next year they stopped u-pick and I always wondered if that was why.
Strawberry appreciation is serious here too, an affliction even;-)We have yet to pick more for freezing and jamming. The first 40 pounds were inhaled in a variety of ways ;-)
Love that you have kindred hearts close at hand to bring such goodness.
What is in that popsicle?!? The color is stunning. Will E share his recipe??
This is a delightful post! Thank you for sharing.
Erin, I'm not sure what exactly E put in that particular one. We usually put a banana, some berries and some juice in the vitamix and then pour that into the moulds. I think he may have used some lime-aid we had in the freezer for that one. I'll ask him about it and let you know.
Not to worry, Heather. Thanks! xx
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