Saturday Smiles

This past weekend the kids and I went strawberry picking. As much as I've wanted to, I have never actually gone picking before, so this was a special treat for me. I chose an 8 quart basket. Tabitha and Seth each got a little green bucket to fill. Tabitha did great, she filled hers in no time at all. She kept telling everyone that we were going to make a strawberry pie and she walked all over looking for the "most perfect strawberry in the whole wide world", of which she found many.

When we went up to pay for the berries I placed my basket on the counter. Tabitha knew the drill and she followed suit. Seth saw what we did and he, in all innocency, placed his empty basket on the counter. You could see how proud he was of himself, because he was sure he was doing what was necessary. That moment made me smile. Seeing him give his empty basket, meanwhile the crime was written all over his face. Red strawberry juice had painted his mouth and fingers. It was indeed precious.

Here are the goodies we got out of our labor:

Strawberry pie This was most delicious. My only advice would be to pile on lots of strawberries.

Strawberry jam My first time making jam! I put mine in five freezer containers (1 1/2 cups each). This is definitely easy to make, just like the recipe says.

Strawberry bread I must say that this isn't the greatest sweet bread that I've had, but it is good. I have four small loaves in my freezer.

I must admit that I am thrilled with the outcome of our little adventure.