Thirty pounds of strawberries

This morning, my slaves children and me spent an hour on our hands and knees stuffing strawberries into our mouths picking strawberries. We headed to Cascadian Farm, where they not only make the most delicious organic ice cream, but also grow acres and acres of organic blueberries and strawberries. Since we are a cheap kind of family, the concept of U-pick really appeals to us.  You save a considerable amount of money when you crawl around in the dirt, picking your own fruit while sweat runs down your back.  It really puts the lives of farmworkers into perspective - they do this all day long, for months (and get paid minimum wage for it).

We picked over 30 pounds of those sweet red treasures today – enough to eat with whipping cream tonight, and enough to freeze gallons of them for smoothies. The U-pick field is the most idyllic place you can imagine – with mountains rising in the background, blue sky, and thousands and thousands of strawberries nestled among greenery. It's heaven, really. And a place for profound insight, for example Lukas commenting while picking berries, “The redder they are the better they are.” What a wise soul he is.

This week was filled with industrious food making, food growing and food gathering. It started with Saturday's cheese making class, which was absolutely packed. I even had to turn people away! Hopefully, they will sign up for the July13 class. Every time I teach this class, I am so blown away by the amazing people I meet. I swear, I get more out of these classes than they do: I end up with a clean house and all these new friends!

Talking about friends: A couple of days ago, Eva got to spend a day with her bestest, bestest friend. They were fairies together, making a home under the lilac bush, putting flowers into each others' hair, having a picnic on the lawn, attending a graduation party. The fun just didn't stop. And as they were busy entertaining each other, Steve and I worked in the garden (and taking pictures of it). We got our watermelon bed tilled, composted, and planted. Hopefully, we shall feast on watermelons in a few months. Then again, it's a gamble in our climate... but a worthwile gamble.

I will leave you with an image of Eva with the dress I knit her when she was a six month old baby.  Yesterday is the first time she wore it.