This was to be a post about my famous strawberry freezer jam. Unfortunately, the strawberries at the organic farm where we went to u-pick were slim pickings. The strawberries were in desperate need of sunshine to ripen them. Our family usually heads to Sauvie Island, just outside of Portland for our fruit and vegetable picking adventures. On Saturday, we went to Bella Organic Farm and the weather was beautiful. Finally!
Trips to u-pick farms are an excellent way to teach kids where food comes from. Fruit and vegetables don’t just magically appear at the grocery store or farmer’s market. It’s also a fun family outing. Keep the picking time short and you won’t hear too many complaints.
Strawberry picking season started 3 weeks later this year than last, according to the folks at the farm. Please don’t tell my tomato plants that this summer may be worse than last!
Between the four of us, we only picked 7 pounds of strawberries.
While we didn’t end up with many strawberries, we had a lovely morning. That’s my strawberry picking crew below, heading back to the car.
Our trip also included a discussion about how the pioneers must have felt when weather conditions were harsh and no food grew in the summer, which meant no food in the winter. What did they do? How did they survive with no grocery store down the street?
When we got home, we had a delicious strawberry smoothie with lunch. When my daughter finished her smoothie, she asked if we had eaten all the strawberries. Not quite. We did freeze two trays of strawberries for future use but none of my famous strawberry jam got made. We did enjoy spending the morning at a farm, having conversations that otherwise would not have happened, had we simply gone to the grocery store and bought strawberries. This year, we may all have to settle for my famous raspberry jam instead.
Do you go to u-pick farms for fruit and vegetables? What’s your favorite way to eat strawberries? Do you have a favorite jam recipe?
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