There is nothing like biting into a strawberry while juice oozes out the sides of your mouth and drips onto your clothes. The only time that ever happens in Maine is in June. Don't get me wrong, we can purchase strawberries all year long at the local grocery store but not the juicy, dripping, oh so delicious kind.
Naturally, we savor this part of our summer...
who wouldn't? We take the kiddos to Fairwinds Berry Farm in Oxford every summer to pick buckets full of strawberries for freezing, making jam, fruit leather, smoothies, muffins, and anything else we can think of. The littlest ones get a few in their mouths while picking and the older two wait expectantly saying, "I cannot wait to have one when we get home."
Fairwinds is our farm of choice because it keeps in step with our values and ideals. We love supporting local farms and building community through that. Alan met David Knightly (the owner) when he worked at the High School. The farm is completely family run and the strawberries are kept as organic as possible with minimal spray in the spring and absolutely none after the buds form. We feel comfortable there because it has become more than just picking strawberries. Cami conversed with a chicken,
Kalli ran up and down the path exclaiming about the goats, Jeremie stood on an old box just so he could see over the counter to have a conversation with Mrs. Knightly about all the honey, syrup, and treats displayed on the counter, and Kaylynn watched intently as Mr. Knightly taught her how to wink both eyes.
While picking, I couldn't help but glance up every few seconds to watch my kiddos. They were so diligent searching for the perfect strawberry. Then running to daddy, "Come look at this one before I pick it please!" After daddy gave the approval, the berry went into the bucket and then shouts of joy (literally), "Look at this one! My bucket is almost full!" I even stopped taking pictures just so I could soak it all in.
I thought, "this moment will never be again so I want to drink it all in." And I did. No worries about the time, no thoughts about the laundry, no wondering about tomorrow.....just enjoying a very simple but meaningful summer evening.
Naturally, we savor this part of our summer...
who wouldn't? We take the kiddos to Fairwinds Berry Farm in Oxford every summer to pick buckets full of strawberries for freezing, making jam, fruit leather, smoothies, muffins, and anything else we can think of. The littlest ones get a few in their mouths while picking and the older two wait expectantly saying, "I cannot wait to have one when we get home."
Fairwinds is our farm of choice because it keeps in step with our values and ideals. We love supporting local farms and building community through that. Alan met David Knightly (the owner) when he worked at the High School. The farm is completely family run and the strawberries are kept as organic as possible with minimal spray in the spring and absolutely none after the buds form. We feel comfortable there because it has become more than just picking strawberries. Cami conversed with a chicken,
Kalli ran up and down the path exclaiming about the goats, Jeremie stood on an old box just so he could see over the counter to have a conversation with Mrs. Knightly about all the honey, syrup, and treats displayed on the counter, and Kaylynn watched intently as Mr. Knightly taught her how to wink both eyes.While picking, I couldn't help but glance up every few seconds to watch my kiddos. They were so diligent searching for the perfect strawberry. Then running to daddy, "Come look at this one before I pick it please!" After daddy gave the approval, the berry went into the bucket and then shouts of joy (literally), "Look at this one! My bucket is almost full!" I even stopped taking pictures just so I could soak it all in.
I thought, "this moment will never be again so I want to drink it all in." And I did. No worries about the time, no thoughts about the laundry, no wondering about tomorrow.....just enjoying a very simple but meaningful summer evening.
Make sure to check out Renee's blog FIMBY to see what others are saying about their summer!
1 comment:
Hey, we're doing the same thing to savor summer this week! Except that I always eat berries while picking. Your kids have some will power to wait till they get home.
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