Berry-pickin'.

We've had daily harvests of these for about a month now. Don't judge them by their size - they are sweeter than anything that comes out of a grocery store - even before they reach the ultimate ripeness. I no longer get after the kids for jumping the gun on picking them - Costco doesn't hold a candle to these suckers on flavor.

I put Anna's berry-picking skills to the test by taking her (and Eve) to a local ranch that allows you to pick your own. She was ecstatic, though her remark comparing herself to a slave didn't encourage me much. Turns out she would have done quite well circa 1860. (Out of respect to the slaves, I had to remind her that the one hour we spent in the fields was a cake walk compared with slave labor, especially when you consider the hay ride that transported us to the field - but then again, we were paying from our own pockets to sweat it out in the strawberry patch).

Well now, here's the little slave herself!


I'd say this one got her money's worth!


And now we've got 12 pints worth of homemade strawberry jam to show for it. This was the first batch.


I just might dub this the "Summer of Canning". I've got 90 or so empty quarts just waiting for peaches, pears and apples to fill them in the fall. Until then it's strawberry jam galore.