Strawberry picking

To kick off our summer break, the Bachsters and I went strawberry picking earlier this week.  It was a nice cool morning when we left for the farm and we were well-equipped for our adventure: sunscreen, water bottle and big appetites.

It amazes me how big the strawberry fields are.  It's like they go on forever (get it.... forever.  Strawberry fields.!?).

Look at all 3 Bachsters, hard at work.  I felt bad because they actually did most of the picking, I took all of the pictures.

After a while, the heat started to rise and it became clear that it was time to go when my oldest exclaimed, "can we go, I'm dying."  Yes, that's the cue to leave.  But it's hard to just walk past all those perfect berries, so on the way out of the fields, my 5-year-old and I couldn't resist getting a handful here and there.

What to do with all those strawberries when we returned home?  Strawberry juice for starters, eating them right out of the box with the little friends from 2 doors down, a perfect topper for Mama's homemade granola, and most definitely strawberry shortcake (recipe from Favorite Comfort Food: Classic Favorites and Great New Recipes):

In fact, it's just like last year.  I think we have a new tradition, here!

-Cheryl