Strawberries!

We have a bit of a family tradition every May. An old MOPS friend and her family own a gorgeous strawberry farm just at the foot of Pilot Mountain. We made our annual trip up there last week, and came away with tons of strawberries.





This was on the car ride up. I sincerely hope they always love each other this much. Doubtful, but I'm still hoping.



Ben, will you grow up and pin your sister down only to drool saliva into her face?



No, he wouldn't dare because that's disgusting, and only big jerks do that to their sisters. Do you hear me Jesse, Seth, and Zach???! Do you?!


Ahem . . .

Ben, scoping the scene.

Claire, wasting no time filling her bucket. Check out the rain boots. They are perfect for picking in a muddy field.

Ben, why is your bucket empty?

Oh, this is why.

Caught ya!

Though I often feared that more berries were going into tummies instead of into buckets, we did finally manage to fill them up.

That's 4 gallons of berries, people!!

Why I think that 4 gallons of berries is a good amount to have is beyond me. Do you know how quickly rained soaked berries start to rot? I was in panic mode baking, freezing, and canning to get all those berries used up.

No doubt next year we will return and do the exact same thing. After all, everyone has to have his/her own bucket. It just wouldn't be fair otherwise.

And we wouldn't dare miss out on the happy, berry-stained faces that the day brings.