On Sunday, Tobie and I went strawberry-picking at Remlinger Farms in Carnation. Madamecacoon had posted about going picking earlier in the week and how amazingly delicious and worthwhile her excusion was, and I’ll be damned if I wasn’t going to get in on some wonderful strawberries at a dollar a pound.
At first we were a little disappointed; the area seemed picked-over and not worth the trip, but we found a row that had been virtually untouched, and we went to town.
I picked seven-odd pounds of strawberries and ended up with a lot of schmutz on my hands; Tobie remarked that if space aliens were watching us, they would think we were an unbearably cruel species, given that we were plucking the genitals off of another species. Which I suppose means my hands were full of junk-juice.
These strawberries are amazing. They’re tiny and odd-shaped, but unlike the enormous, gorgeous berries sold in the supermarket, these are wonderfully juicy and flavorful. Tonight, I’ll be making strawberry jam and at least one pie.
I need to use the word “schmutz” more often. That will be my goal for the week.
I will hold you accountable via LJ.
I would enjoy your sweet pie.
…what?
ahahahaha, well hello, fireman dickey!
You spent $1/lb for u-pick strawberries????
pls confirm/deny
If so, I know what I’m going to be doing soon!!
paying the neighbor kid $1.50/lb for freshly picked strawberries?
hahaha sadly that one neighbor kid is totally annoying and would probably eat them all. He’s the one who chases his cat with a stick. Sadly I think they got foreclosed on so they’re moving out soon (sad as in I don’t like hearing about people having hard times even if they are irritating).
Hello. I have teenage boys that would totally do this.
And I live in Skagit Valley: home of the strawberry fields.
Just sayin
Clearly I need to get on the good side of these teenage boys.
Bring your funny. There is nothing that will make them like you more than your sense of humor (seriously…they love the stuff that is SO WRONG)
Excellent, because I am no good at leaving that SO WRONG sense of humor behind when I go places.
don’t fart the alphabet. that’s my party piece.
Burping the alphabet is more my speed. Perhaps we could work in concerto?
hmmmmm
Confirm! However, it’s getting near the end of the season, another week (or less!) and they’re going to be grody. Raspberry season is next!
I love strawberries.
I HATE strawberry picking, though. Too much of it as a teenager (hey, you gotta make money somehow, right?) and older body parts that don’t like to crouch for 5 hours tells me that it’s okay to go buy them already picked.
Oh, and I might be lazy.
Why do you think I stopped at seven pounds? Total laziness.
Trying to stand up would create some serious knee-cricking-noises.
I don’t know how age caught up with me but DAMN
Juice junk FTW! I adore strawberries. Too bad I can’t stuff myself to gluttony on them any more without ill effect. Damn thyroid. Just watch me start crying when August peaches hit the stores. They’re on the no-no list, too. So I shall live vicariously through your red juicy nugget berry adventures.
I didn’t realize that strawberries and peaches had such an effect on the thyroid! Is it the sugar?
No, it’s the goitrogen level in them. Too much ingestion of foods on the goitrogen list can cause a goiter in my thyroid. Goiter in thyroid could equal surgery and partial/complete thyroid removal.
Uh, no thanks. So I shall have my ongoing tantrums like a three-year old when I encounter strawberries and peaches. Apparently cooking them kills off the goitrogenic effect, but I just can’t say I’m a big fan of cooked strawberries or peaches. /cry
Yiiiikes, yeah, that’s worth skipping strawberries and peaches.
I like them cooked in pie, but just cooked on their own? Not so much.
Dude! We picked blueberries last week! Then, there’s raspberries, and apples, and…and…and….!!
Is it blueberry season already? I thought that wasn’t for another month or so! I’m stoked for raspberries and especially blackberries.
It is down here. That’s my best answer. 😉
You’re right, blueberries in about a month.
YES. I hereby declare this the summer of u-pick fruit!
OK! U-pick it for me, will ya?
😐 That does not sound like a great deal for me.
You with your wacky critical thinking skills.
It’s either critical thinking or exceptional laziness.
I am in danger of eating myself retarded on berries.
Also, I have nice arms. When did this happen?
You should come over tomorrow and have strawberry rhubarb pie and hasten the retardation process.
I dunno about tomorrow. Thurs looks better.
Yeah, Thursdays are better in general for me. The pie should keep until then!
Those strawberries look great.
I have high, high hopes for this strawberry-rhubarb pie.
Awwwwww crap.I missed this. Will have Togo by myself sometime before the crop runs out.
There’s plenty of picking seasons. We can do raspberries! Or blueberries!
Strawberries for $1 a pound? I’m in! Strawberries are my weakness – can’t refuse them. OM NOM NOM!
U-pick farms are such a great deal! 🙂
We make assloads (ha, Firefox doesn’t think assloads is a real word — it does NOW!) of jams and jellies every year. Strawberry freezer jam is how we roll, though, ’cause we like the freshness of it, rather than cooked jam. Although my Mom did just make some combo jams that had to be cooked because of their rhubarb content, but that’s OK. Straw-rasp-rhubarb is FAB, and so is the straw-blue-rhubarb.
It’s incredibly easy to can jellies and stuff like apple butter. No pressure cooker or canner required, because you don’t have to process it. Just put hot fruit into hot jars/lids/rings, seal ’em up, and wait for the POINK! noises to tell you they’re sealed.
Freezer jam? Does it have to be stored in the freezer, then? Because my freezer is full of booze and is thus short on space.
Yeah, it does, hence the name, and that’s its only drawback. Not an issue here. My parents seem to think they’re stocking up for blizzard season — THREE freezers! :-/ I just saw a wee chest freezer on sale SOMEwhere for $129, which would totally be worth the investment, IMO.
Maybe for people with a slightly larger kitchen. I can’t even squeeze out a suitable amount of room for a microwave. :\
oooOOOOooooo yummy looking strawberries!
Tobie makes me lol!