Independence Days Update: Strawberry Solstice
Sharon June 22nd, 2009
Better than any argument is to rise at dawn and pick dew-wet red berries in a cup. - Wendell Berry
We spent the longest day yesterday picking strawberries, which was delightful. The four kids helped to their varying capacities, and it took significantly less than an hour for us to pick 16 quarts of Strawberries. Besides the ones that will be eaten, these will be jam and dried berries - our first big harvest mostly gotten eaten straight.
Our home strawberry harvest is pretty limited this year - last year’s sheep pasturing in my garden (we had no choice) pretty much took out the strawberry patch, so while I’ve replanted, this year, the harvest is small, so we go to our favorite pick your own fruit place, Bohringers, in Middleburgh, NY for preserving quantities. It is one of the most stunningly lovely farms I’ve ever visiter, in the flats of the Schoharie Valley, which fed the American Revolution in its day. The soils are good and the hills that surround the valley (we live up on one of them) rise up above it.
The rain that was predicted held off until mid-afternoon, so there were a goodly number of people out berrying, mostly older folks, many of whom knew each other and clearly were pleased by the chance to chat, discuss recipes and baseball and ideas for using up these berries, and direct young grandchildren in the art of picking. It was lovely to overhear people discussing jam recipes and how many mason jars they have. The only sad part was how few of the folks, even on a Sunday afternoon, were young.
A few years ago, I wrote a post about picky eating that began with strawberry picking, and observed that really, only Simon of all my children seriously did any actual work at picking. But what a difference two years makes - Simon filled 3 quarts in 45 minutes, Isaiah nearly 2, and even Asher and Eli filled most of a quart basket, with only moderate scavenging out of it. Bohringers makes its own ice cream from its own fruit, and the reward for disciplined work is an ice-cream cone, and the right to debate whether raspberry or peach, strawberry or blueberry is better, so this is a powerful incentive.
Historically speaking, berrying is children’s work, or the work of adults on a celebratory day like Father’s Day/Solstice. Light enough to be pleasurable, with plenty of opportunities for self-indulgence by eating, wandering off to collect rocks or chase toads, it is one of those borderline play/work activities that is of real and serious use, and yet not too terribly onerous, like watching animals in fields near home, tending younger siblings, etc… Thus, children were given the merits of work, while also integrating in play and imagination. We will need more of that in times to come.
Beyond berrying, we also stopped at the local animal shelter, and managed to not adopt any more cats, even though there were plenty that needed homes. We stopped to visit a 1 year old Great Pyrenees/Golden Retriever mix. He’s a beautiful dog, and we liked him a lot, but are not sure he’s the dog for us - and someone else may have first dibs. I hate to say it, but I think we’re going to find a breeder and buy an LGD or LGD cross puppy - we’ve simply had no luck finding a suitable dog through either breed rescue or shelters, and we’ve tried quite a number of times. The problem is that we are looking for something truly specific - a farm/family dog, and I think that achieving that mix is going to involve having a dog from the right lines grow up with us. If anyone knows a good breeder in the Northeast, we’re somewhat flexible about which LGD breed, although we’re leaning towards Pyrs, Anatolians or Tibetan Mastiffs.
Ok, on to the update:
Planted something - Not a bleeding thing, actually. We’ve had so much rain that I haven’t been out to the garden at all. I’ve weeded a fair bit, but this week there’s nothing to report here - although I should start the next crop of greens and kale indoors - perhaps today.
Harvested something: Strawberries, obviously. Rhubarb, beets, mustard greens, bok choy, chard, very small carrots, peas (snap, snow and shelling), valerian root, elecampane root, milk, eggs, peonies, sorrel, chinese cabbage, lettuce, edible flowers, chives, mint.
Preserved something: Dried strawberries, strawberry syrup (to be mixed with seltzer on special occasions), dried valerian root (ugh, smells like dirty socks, of course), elecampane root, froze beaten eggs.
Waste Not: Turned the drawers of our old crib into instant raised beds by knocking out the bottom and filling with compost. Turned broken cinder blocks into drainage for raised herb bed for mediterranean herbs getting grumpy because all it does is rain. Canned up the last turkey from last year into soup and meat. Scavenged some really big industrial sized cans to be used for making a bigger rocket stove. Experimented with brine pickling the thick stems of nettles and lambsquarters - results not yet apparent.
Want Not/Preps: Nothing, really. Oh, wait, I did buy organic dried cranberries and pears, since they were on sale at my bulk supplier, and add them to storage.
Build Community Food Systems: Offered to teach workshops to low-income folks on how to build up food storage through adult education program - awaiting answer, did a bunch of radio interviews for ANOF.
Eat the Food: Discovered that lightly sweetened strawberry juice mixed with seltzer is considered an amazing treat by my children. Made fresh spring rolls filled with every imaginable green and herb - were readily devoured.
How about y’all?
Sharon