Here Come the Strawberries

Our shareholders start arriving next Monday to pick up their first weekly share of vegetables and fruits grown on Appleton Farms, and things are really starting to heat up. Anticipation is to the forefront of my farm mind now, as a quick walk about our fields will yield many things that look pretty much ready to eat. We have a couple beds of beautiful bok choy, looking big and bountiful. I snagged a healthy piece of leaf to munch on, and it was fleshy and moist, mildly flavored of the color green with a bit of bitterness. A small, narrow red radish was sharp and spicy. Our lettuce is almost too beautiful to bear, but I haven’t taken the plunge yet (though I did some considerable munching last week on tiny lettuce seedlings as I was thinning out a tray in the greenhouse). I’ve already mentioned our ongoing affair with spinach.

But the most exciting thing right now is the strawberries. A couple of our beds are simply loaded, drooping on all sides with plump berries. Many of them are starting to color, blushing pink. I saw a few today that had a full rosy face looking upward, but the undersides were still mostly yellowish or white. I pulled a couple off to try, expecting them to still be firm and sour, and was stunned to find them delicious, sweet and soft, better than any supermarket strawberry that I’ve had in years. I almost can’t imagine how tasty they will be once they become fully ripe, which at least a handful should be within a couple days. I think in two weeks you’ll be able to just pick a spot, sit down, and eat to your heart’s content without moving an inch.

I think it might finally be time to splurge on an ice cream maker. Nothing beats fresh strawberry ice cream.