Field Hands

Today was Strawberry Picking Day in our neck of the woods. We went out to our local fruit farm and took advantage of the unseasonably cool morning, which was perfect for picking in the fields. This was a late year for berries, which are usually available the first of June. Because of a cool May, everything got pushed back a couple of weeks. But it was worth the wait.

S4 hopped right to it, getting her basket about a quarter full before giving up.

Then she announced to everyone in earshot, “I have a GREAT idea! I’m going to sit here and have a strawberry picnic!!” And she did.

O2 isn’t really crazy about picking strawberries. In fact, she’s not really crazy about the out-of-doors at all. She’s the daughter I dreaded having: a girlie-girl, who Eeeks and Icks at Nature in its many -often uncomfortable – forms. But she gave it a go. She picked one berry:

and then promptly ate it:

Gawd, she’s so cute, even being all girlie-girl. But, she did help me put the berries I picked into the baskets. So at least there’s that. Last year, she didn’t even want to stay out in the field for more than 15 minutes.

By this time, both girls were not only done picking berries, they were also finished eating them. And they started to throw clods of dirt. (Away from the other pickers, fortunately, but nonetheless…) I was pleasantly surprised to see O2 throwing big chunks of dirt. Maybe she’s not such a girlie-girl, after all.

Back in the van, we got our berry haul stashed and everyone buckled up. It was pretty obvious what we had been up to.

Yeah, well I suppose if you didn’t know us you might also guess that we were cannibals who had just finished making brunch. But you’d be wrong.

And besides, we have our haul for evidence.

Now. Who’s got some strawberry recipes?