strawberries!

Sometimes you just have to put other things on hold and shift your attention to something more immediate. Like when it's strawberry season. I do really love that this area is a berry mecca. It starts with the strawberries.

the hose and salad spinner - great cleaning combo!

 Last year I tried picking them myself. After realizing that that is much more work and not a lot of cost savings, I decided to just buy the flat this year. When I picked up the bucket of veggies and fruits from our CSA (community supported agriculture) I went ahead and got the strawberries too. This meant, of course, that I had to deal with them!

I've spent the day cleaning, hulling, and finally, boiling the berries into a preserve. Tonight, they are plumping which helps make the fruit tender and keeps it from floating up in the jar. Okay. Tomorrow I'll finish putting it in jars. I'm also freezing a bunch for later. The rest will just find their way (quickly) into our mouths. Many already have, and they are tasty!