Friday, June 4, 2010

Very strawberry

On my way to get groceries this afternoon, I spotted the OPEN flag at Shelburne Farm. I had time to pick a few strawberries before getting my groceries, so I pulled in.

This is what the strawberry plants looked like last time I visited.
"Just a couple of weeks now", the owner had told me. Back then, that was hard to believe, but she was right. A couple of weeks was all it took.

The farm was fairly empty. Not many people are yet aware that they are open.

But the strawberry field was not empty. Lots of big beautiful red berries were waiting for me in the straw.

Here are the only other customers. A mom with her three girls. The mom literally had to pull the youngest from the field when they were leaving. The little girl couldn't get enough of the juicy, super-sweet strawberries.

Ever wonder why they are called straw-berries? I've heard three different versions.
  1. Farmers use straw to protect the berries from the dirt
  2. Children used to take a straw to thread the berries on them and sell them as "straws of berries."
  3. The berries are "strewn" about on the plant, and the word strewn eventually turned in to straw.
In Sweden they are called "jordgubbar" which means soil- or dirt- berries. Not quite as romantic.

This rusty tractor has seen its best days. I think it's pretty handsome though.

My little basked of freshly picked strawberries.

At home, I mixed fresh strawberries, lemonade and ice in my blender to make a cool refreshing drink for my kids as they got off the hot school bus.

For me, a splash of Tequila was added. After all, it was Friday afternoon and it was five O'clock somewhere. Yummy start to the weekend with lot's of vitamin C!

15 comments:

  1. Yum, they look great. I'll start the fight with the birds again in a few months. They do try to beat me to the fruit, but can you blame them? :)

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  2. my grandparents had a strawberry farm, so any post about them is a joy to me...takes me right back to my youth...the polish name for strawberries has nothing to do with straw...'truskawki'...comes from the word meaning 'noise of breaking stems or leaves'...go figure...

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  3. Vilket härligt inlägg Annelie!

    Färska jordgubbar...nu?! Vilken lyx.... Minns när jag var liten och följde mamma och mormor på självplocks-turer. Helt underbart. Här i Norrland känns de dock som att dessa helt har försvunnit. Man får allt köpa sig sina lådor på ICA.... Om man inte har dem i trädgården förstås....

    Håller med om att 'strawberry' är mycket finare än 'jordgubbe'...Visste dock inte alls om det tre förklaringarna till ordet.... Kul info!

    Jordgubbs-drinken ser riktigt god och läskande ut.... Brukar också göra lite sånt på sommaren...

    Traktorn är en prydnad :-)

    Ha en skön dag!
    Kramar från Norrland till Boston....
    /Charrlotte

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  4. Hej igen....

    Skrattade också när jag insåg att vi kommenterade varandra samtidigt i går.... :-)

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  5. Your drink sounds delicious! Sounds like a great day.

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  6. we are very jealous of your Shelburne Farm strawberry picking, your fresh strawberries, and, oh, your gorgeous poppy too! nice work Annelie :-)

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  7. Färska självplockade jordgubbar är godast - vilket språk man än använder!! Ska prova drinken du föreslog!
    Ha det så bra.
    Ingrid

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  8. Hej Annelie,

    Oh yes strawberries! Så gott! Mmm..vi har massor av plantor i landet - de förökar sig fort om man inte håller efter dom. Hoppas på många röda söta gubbar i år! Jag gillar dina inlägg om Shelburne Farm - ser så idylliskt ut tycker jag. Vi har några gårdar här omkring också men eftersom vi har gubbarna i vår egen trädgård blir det aldrig att vi åker dit. Till midsommar hoppas vi att vi får njuta av dom och om vädret håller i sig blir det nog så :)

    Ha det gott,
    Sanna

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  9. Sarah-I was once told that the birds always know the day before you do, that the fruit is ripe. I think it's true.
    Hillevi- Ja, helsmarrigt.
    Kathryn- I'm still trying to figure out what the polish might have been thinking when giving the berry its name.
    Charlotte- Kram!
    A write life- My boys sure enjoyed it, hot and thirsty as they were getting off the bus.
    Michelle- Plant some strawberries! :)
    Ingrid- Hoppas du tycker om drickat! Tack för titten.
    Sanna- Ja visst är de snabba att föröka sig. De sprider sig snabbt de små rackarna. Hoppas att vädret håller i sig för er.

    Annelie

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  10. That drink sounds really delicious, I'll have to keep it in mind when the strawberries come out here later in the year...

    Beautiful photos as always.

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  11. Jordgubbar, åh, jag börjar längta..om några veckor är de klara här. Och ja strawberry låter liksom bättre än JORDgubbe..ha en bra vecka!/Sophia

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  12. Berries are a solid two weeks ahead of usual this year. Tell all your friends to get out there or a lot of them will just rot in the field if folks who don't think about picking berries until the end of June don't start getting out there soon.

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  13. The Weekend Island- The drink was delicious, thank you very much.
    Sophia-skynda sakta.
    Craig-Agree, peach blossoms were too. Told my friends on Facebook. This year's crop just can't go to waste too. Last year it rained too much and no one came to pick. That's such a shame.

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  14. Så gott det ser ut. I år ser jag fram mot att få plocka egna. Plantorna blommar riktigt mycket just nu.
    Ha det gott
    Birgitta

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Thanks for leaving me a little note!

Annelie