The Strawberry Crawl

Conditions were perfect: the farm report said tons of big, ripe, juicy berries; the weather was the most bearable it would be in days; the fields were dry; it was a school day for almost everyone else but our whole family was together.

So we went strawberry picking.

For a year, Sis has said she'd only eat strawberries that she herself picked and then only right off the bush. Well, yesterday, she ate her weight in big juicy berries and still managed to contribute to our 15 lbs of strawberries.

They really were the most gorgeous berries I've ever picked or eaten, warmed by the midday sun. I would gently lift the huge, almost heart-shaped leaves to reveal bright red surprises, with dozens more pink and green berries ripening for our next visit. And the berries were so ready, broke right off the bush, with a bit of stem, just like they're supposed to. So I crawled on juice-stained red hands and knees (we always wear pants to go fruit picking) along three rows of berries, filling our big baskets. The kids carried their little pints, filling and then emptying their contents, occasionally bringing me or Mama a choice berry, all with similarly red-stained fingers. I couldn't help humming Sarah McLachlan's version of "Ordinary Miracles" to myself.

"It's not that usual

When everything is beautiful

It's just another ordinary miracle today

"The sky knows when its time to snow

You don't need to teach a seed to grow

It's just another ordinary miracle today

"Life is like a gift they say

Wrapped up for you everyday

Open up and find a way

To give some of your own."

Of course, the strawberries are almost gone, just two days later: we ate them plain, with cream, with pancakes, with cereal, dipped in chocolate; I made 6 pints of freezer jam and an adaptation of our favorite Fresh Strawberry Pie. There are just enough left to either make another batch of jam or to freeze to eat later in the year, but I don't think they'll keep much longer unprocessed somehow.

And so we'll go back, with our playgroup friends, or maybe even with Mama depending on how long the season lasts. But I'm not sure anything could match the perfection of yesterday's miracle.

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My Own New Fresh Strawberry Pie

1 1/4 cups graham crackers, crushed

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

1-1/2 quarts fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
16 oz sour cream

Make graham cracker crust but combining melted butter and sugar, then stir into crushed graham cracker crumbs until they stay together when pressed. Press into lightly greased pie plate, bake at 375 for 4-5 minutes. Cool. (BH&G recipe)

Cap strawberries; reserve half of the best ones. Mash the other half and add sugar and cornstarch which have been mixed together. Cook 5 or 6 minutes until clear and thick. Stir in lemon juice. Cool. (This takes longer than you expect and is the hardest part).

- Add whole strawberries to the cooled mixture, save some for garnish. Pour into baked pie shell. Top with sour cream and garnish with fresh whole strawberries, if desired.

Mommy Hungry