Tag Archives: strawberry

Maine summer’s are something to be treasured as any Mainer will tell you. After our long winters and sometimes not so great Springs, we make the most of June, July and August. We try to fit everything we want to do for our summer activities into a 2-3 month period. One of my favorite reasons for summers and I know for others is our fruit and vegetable gardens. Because we have short growing seasons we really make the most of it and plant a lot! There is nothing quite like fresh veggies and fruits out of the garden. Or in my case going to the farmers market to buy their fresh veggies just out of the garden, usually most of them harvested from that morning.

Strawberry season was just upon us and usually only lasts 2-3 weeks for really good picking. Every year I usually go with my sister and her brood but this year due to me not being able to spend much time in the sun I wasn’t able to make it out into the fields. Hayley however was my fill in for bringing back a couple of quarts of summer sweetness.

I usually clean and hull some for immediate use and then freeze the rest for a later time. Usually in winter when a little dose of the previous summer is in order to chase away the winter chill.

This year we decided to make the customary strawberry shortcake with the strawberries to be left out. Every year while I break out my small paring knife to hull the strawberries I always remember that I should have bought a strawberry huller. I know it would be much easier and quicker. Of course this is the only time I actually think to get one. As soon as I’m done hulling I forget about it until the following year.

This year as I sat at my kitchen table with my paring knife and a whole mess of strawberries. I thought again of how nice it would be to have the huller, but as I started carving out the stems I realized that it’s now something of a tradition to only use the paring knife. As I chose a strawberry and gently used my knife I thought about the past years I had done this and how it was always a slow process but one that allowed me time  to stop and sit at the kitchen table and remember past summers of strawberry picking and eating. It’s not about how quick I can get this task done its about the process of creating something and relishing in the moment and what that moment brings.

There is nothing quite like fresh strawberry shortcake at the end of a warm summer’s day. I decided to jazz up mine a bit by adding some balsamic vinegar and brown sugar to the strawberries with a little fresh cracked pepper. I set the strawberries on homemade biscuits and of course added the whipped cream.

For me, this is summer.

~ Peace ~