Strawberry picking

Yesterday we headed north and went strawberry picking.  It was a beautiful day... sunny but not too hot... and there were plenty of ripe strawberries. 

L. was very good about holding the basket for me to put the berries in, though she liked them all to one side and screamed if we tried to even it out. 

K. did some picking, but was a bit unclear on the concept of what we were supposed to be doing with the baskets.  He would pick a berry, take a bit or two, and then store the rest in his basket.  The bottom of the basket was covered with strawberry tops and partially eaten berries before I realized what he was doing.  (And, yes, he needs a haircut desperately.)

G. was very much excited by the eating process.  And she didn't care what color the berries were.  She would carry her basket, pick a couple put them in the basket, and then sit down and eat everything in her basket plus whichever berries happened to be growing in front of her.  It's no small wonder she wasn't very hungry when it came time to eat our picnic lunch.

D. (above), TM, P., A., B., and M. were all very hard workers and picked and picked berries with nary a complaint about being too tired or too hot or too... anything.

A. found a heart-shaped strawberry.  Which she then ate.

We ended up filling six of these baskets.  It was a good morning's work... if only it stopped there.  But when you bring home that much very ripe fruit you have to do something with it.  B. and I spend a good part of last night making six pints of strawberry jam which took care of one of the baskets.

I plan to turn another basket into jam, freeze two more baskets as whole berries, and then eat the rest.  We started this morning by having strawberries and cream for breakfast.