weekend adventures: strawberry picking

Well, Gravy, you win. The fencing, the netting, the yelling - none of it deterred Gravy from enjoying breakfast, lunch, and dinner in my strawberry patch on a daily basis. In fact, last week, I was horrified to discover what appeared to be a bloody wound on Gravy's neck. Further investigation revealed that it was actually a ring of strawberry juice. You win, Gravy, you win. I surrender!

But just because all the homegrown strawberries went down Gravy's gullet, doesn't mean that I'm going to have a strawberry-less spring. I'm crazy for berries - strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, wineberries - you name it, I'll destroy it. This weekend's perfect weather was just another good reason to head out to my favorite berry farm for a day in the strawberry fields. I called up my mother and invited her to come with us and was shocked and delighted when she accepted. A perfect day:

My two favorite people.

Me and Mom.

Larry and I first went blueberry picking at Butler's Orchard in 2010. We picked raspberries and blackberries in 2011. This year, we were finally able to make it out there before the strawberry season ended. This was the last week for strawberries, so a lot of the berries were overly ripe. Next year, I'll have to remember to get out there in May.

I've always wanted to try some other local u-pick farms just for variety, but the truth is, Butler's is so gorgeous that I can't make myself go anywhere else:

Strawberry picking is not easy on the knees. Also, there is high risk of exposing accidental butt crack. (I hope no one else out there was taking pictures!) At least there weren't any stink bugs like there were on the raspberries last year. Swarming stink bugs and exposed butt cracks are not a good combination, in my opinion.

Also, pro tip: Don't wear your cute new strawberry-colored pants. Most definitely don't wear a white shirt. Strawberry picking is messy - as demonstrated by Larry:

Thank you, Neutrogena sunscreen for consistently keeping the color of my skin equivalent to the color of raw chicken. Note similarity between shirt color and flesh tone:

Once we got home, I proceeded to photograph our bounty:

Would you believe that this happened?!:

"FOR ME?!"

After just a few hours, the strawberries are already getting jammy. I think I might have to go on a strawberry fast for the next 48 hours. First recipe: Strawberry Shortcake. Done! (Related: Guess what I'm having for breakfast tomorrow???)

Delicious!