Have you been pickin’ yet?  Strawberries have a short season here in the Hudson Valley, so we’re in the final weeks where you can pick-your-own or find a roadside farmer’s markets to gather these sweet red beauties.  Last year I missed out, so this year my daughter and I, during our birthday week road trip, found a pick-your-own farm to stop at.  So we gathered our containers and headed up the hill to the strawberry patch where an ominous looking sky reminded us to hurry up before we were pounded by rain.  Well, we managed to, collectively, gather about 10 berries before that sky opened up.  We probably would have pressed on had the thunder and lightning that followed, stayed away.  So with sad and wet faces, we ran back down the hill to the market where we gathered berries that were harvested by staff earlier that morning.  Oh well, we tried!

You just can’t beat the sweetness of berries you pick yourself.  If you’re looking for something different to try with those strawberries, I’d like to suggest one of my new favorite recipes – Strawberry Caprese Salad.  Yep, you heard me right, the same salad you make with tomatoes, can be substituted with strawberries! I was a little skeptical at first too, but it was fantastic.  You can chop and throw all the ingredients in a bowl (add some walnuts if you’d like), or my favorite – skewer them.  It makes a great presentation when you entertain.  You can find the recipe here.

So, what are you waiting for?  For those local Hudson Valley peeps, here’s a great resource for local pick your own farms.  This is a great outdoor activity for kids too.  Happy picking!