strawberry bonanza
Tradition has it that we go strawberry picking during the first two weeks of our summer holiday. This year, Richard replaced the teenager who could not be bothered for the first time ever. He used to be our most enthusiastic picker but times change.
It was rather busy on that particular Sunday. As it turned out, it was the first Sunday the farm was open. This is three weeks later than usual, due the cold and wet spring. The strawberries were not as sweet as they normally and could have done with a bit more sun. Still, they were good. These strawberries don't last as long because they are picked at their ripest.
We ate the strawberries straight from the basket, as smoothie, with sugar and lots of cream and as strawberry jam. I do love fresh strawberry jam, the colour is bright and the taste is fresh and strawberry sweet. The jam changes as it ages, it darkens quite a bit and the flavour is stronger.
The many jars of jam will not last the winter, maybe not even until Christmas. The last jar is as precious as gold and I often hide it behind less loved jam (gooseberry for example). Now, I am looking forward to raspberries. The raspberries at East Yonderton will be ready when we get back from our holiday.
Do you grow your own strawberries? How do you like yours most?
We have a PYO locally but I haven't been for ages, I will try & go next week. Not sure my teenager will be enthusiastic either. I do have some in the garden but they are new plants so not very prolific yet but I do like them picked straight off the plant & eaten whilst wandering round the garden. Not so keen on strawberry jam I prefer the tang of gooseberry myself. Hope you have a lovely week x
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of you hiding the jam to keep the last precious jar!! I wish that we had a PYO near here, but if we did I would never stop eating strawberries! xx
ReplyDeleteYes we grow our own strawberries. They are also late this year but are starting to ripen now. The weather is so dull though. Today is like winter! I love just eating the strawberries with yoghurt or ice-cream. If we get a lot of them ripening at once then I freeze some and use later in the year for smoothies or trifles.
ReplyDeleteNothing quite like home made strawberry jam. We used to grow strawberries for pick-your-own but gave up (for lots of reasons but the final straw was when a very large family turned up with a pot of cream and paid for about half a pound). My favourite way to eat them is fresh from the plant while they're still warm from the sun.
ReplyDeleteI do grow them but the bugs usually get to them before we do.
ReplyDeleteI have never been to a pick-your-own farm, but I adore home made jams. Strawberry is particularly nice X
ReplyDeleteI grow my own strawberries but we still like a visit to our local farm. Last year we picked lots of blackcurrants from the farm and made the most amazing wine. happy times... Jo x
ReplyDeleteWe have lots of delicious wild strawberries growing in our garden. When we first moved here I made wild strawberry ice cream, now we eat them with our porridge or cereal. I love gooseberry jam but unfortunately either the frost caught our plant this year or we need new plants as we only saw one gooseberry (or maybe someone pruned it at the wrong time of year?!). Hope you are having a great week. Barbara xx
ReplyDeleteI did grow some and then Max my dog ate them, yours look so yummy.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Meredith
I always hide the last jar too!
ReplyDeletehomemade strawberry ice cream a favourite in our house x
this year we got strawberries for the first time at home, I kept the plants in the greenhouse, they finally got enough sun!
Looks like a good outing and you have blue skies! I'd like to drag my idle teen out to a fruit farm this holiday too - if I can get her out of her dressing gown. I've not had much success with growing strawberries myself but have lovely childhood memories of picking strawberries my grandfather had grown in Northern Ireland. We weren't allowed to eat too many as Granny made jam - there's nothing like the taste of homemade strawberry jam.
ReplyDeleteLovely pics, that jam looks scrummy :) Hubbie gets cross with me when I ration jam but I do it anyway! We had some great strawberry plants but this year they haven't done as well, I need to get down to pick some soon! x
ReplyDeleteI've not been strawberry picking for years and never had luck growing my own. Your jam looks wonderful!
ReplyDeleteHey Christina,
ReplyDeleteOlly grows strawberries, and they have been doing very well. Enough for a small handful every day. He likes to go outside and pick them. We have a great pick your own here. It's called Trevaskis Farm, and there are lots of other things to pick too. I shall be visiting with Pops in the summer holidays. They have a lovely farm shop, a great café and a little trail where you get to see lots of different animals. It's a good beach alternative, when the weather is mixed.
Leanne xx