Strawberry Picking Tips

Strawberries are in season here in Indiana! We are for sure a strawberry loving family!! There is nothing like fresh strawberries from the field.  We have a small patch that we enjoy fresh strawberries from. I love to mash them, add a teaspoon of sugar and pour a little heavy whipping cream over them.

Each year I make strawberry freezer jam and like a large amount to do the jam all at once. Last week we went to a strawberry farm  about an hour away and picked. My farmer's grandma (she was planning to make jam also),Laner, and myself enjoyed beautiful weather while we picked berries for our freezer jam.

Strawberry picking is a great summer activity to enjoy with your kids, especially when the weather is nice! It's a great way to create fun summer memories!

Strawberry season usually starts mid-June and lasts around 3 weeks depending on the weather and how many people come to pick. U-pick farms around here began their season last week. We had just used the last of our freezer jam I put up last year, so I was anxious to get some more done.

Some tips for your strawberry picking day:

Plan before...
-Call the berry farm before you make your trip to find out hours. Some farms like to cut off entry to the strawberry fields an hour or two before closing and you want to make sure you have enough time.
-Ask their prices. Finding out their prices is nice to know. The patch we went to had a special that if you picked 6 buckets, you only paid for 5.
-Ask if the fields are plentiful. Sometimes with so many pickers, it may take longer for you to pick the quantity you'd like
-Ask if they supply containers. You'd hate to get there and they don't supply containers.

Things to bring...
-Wear sunscreen. Strawberry fields are wide open space, you will be in full sun. You might also wear a hat.
-Don't wear nice clothes and shoes. Usually their is straw between the rows, but depending on how much rain there has been the ground may be moist. If you crawl among the berry plants as your picking, you might get berry juice on your pants. With kids, most likely they will get juice on their clothes, especially if they sample some berries. Your hands will also likely get stained after picking.
-Bring water. In June-July it can get rather hot and with the sun beating down on you, you need to stay hydrated, especially if picking for a while.
-Bring your lunch. You may decide to make a day of it or a fun trip with the kids. Bring a sack lunch and enjoy at the strawberry farm.

While picking...
-Pick red berries. Pick the berries that are completely red. Strawberries ripen on the plant and won't ripen after picked. Leave the berries with some white spots for someone else to pick later.
-Look underneath. Be sure to look underneath the strawberry leaves. This is where you will find most of the strawberries.
-Be a gentle picker. Leaving the caps on helps them last longer. You also don't want to squish or bruise any berries.

When you get home...
-Wait to wash your strawberries. Wash them when you are ready to eat them. This will help them last longer as washing them makes them prone to spoiling.
-Enjoy. Make up your favorite recipes with your strawberries. Strawberry pie, jam, strawberry salads, eat them fresh, the list goes on.
-Best to use strawberries within 3-4 days from picking.
-Freeze them. Wash and hull them (take the green part off). Let them dry and put in plastic bags in the freezer. Strawberries will last for several months in the freezer.
-Freeze for later. For example, I had strawberry puree in my freezer that I was waiting until I had more to do jam all at once. When you're ready to do jam, thaw what you already have prepared and mix with new berries.

To find a local strawberry farm near you check out Local Harvest. You can choose U-pick in the drop down menu and enter strawberries and your location and find a farm close to you. Take your kids and enjoy the time picking strawberries or if time is not available, usually strawberry farms offer them pre-picked as well at a slightly higher cost.

Be sure to enjoy a few while you're there :)

Out on the town...

Today I spent most of my morning out on the town, with my 2 year old and 5 year old.

This morning I had an appointment to get new tires, alignment, and some parts replaced on my car. I was somewhat prepared for spending a few hours in town and planned to just walk with the kids to do some of our errands that were close by.

I had forgot about the parts that needed replaced. Meaning a few extra hours in town. With the two kids (our oldest was at school) and the stroller we set out to "kill time."

We visited my mom at work and on the way spotted a swarm of ants on the sidewalk that we for sure had to check out.

We went to the bakery, walked up through the drive through at the bank (Laner thought that was pretty cool, since we weren't in the car.), stopped at a local shop and ordered screen printed bags for the market, and walked across the new bridge in town to see if we could see any fish per his curiosity.

We then ended up at the park, where we enjoyed our bakery cookies and playing. 

We enjoyed lunch with my mom and then headed back to check on the car. On the way back, they called and said it was done. Our morning adventures were over. But we sure had a great time wondering about, finding things to do. It was a beautiful morning and not too hot. 

I'm not one to rest much, I feel like I'm always on the go, go, go. Which is fine with me. Sometimes. But this morning was so nice. I couldn't go anywhere (like back home to get stuff done - I live too far out of town), and I could have borrowed my mom's vehicle to run errands, but it was nice to walk. We had a lot of time to just take stuff in. Just relax and enjoy the morning. We enjoyed looking at things, visiting shops, playing, and going on an adventure just "killing time." I will make time for more mornings like this this summer.

Who's Ready for Fresh Produce?

Gardening season is well under way on our farm. How is everyone's garden going? Are you all done planting what you want to plant?

We are still working on planting more rounds of a variety of different produce. We still have more rounds of sweet corn to plant, continuing to plant summer crops, and will be planting pumpkins very soon.

Our local farmers market started the beginning of May so we have been cutting lettuce, spinach, arugula, kale, and other greens as well as picking radishes and green onions for our customers.

Today was the first pick up of our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for 2014. Our CSA members will come to our local farmers market and pick up their weekly share of produce. Our shares consist of 6-10 different vegetables/fruit each week. This is our 5th year offering a CSA at the market and although we are not a large CSA, it continues to grow every year. We do a 17 week Spring/Summer CSA and a 7 week Fall CSA. We appreciate the local customers and support.

It is always exciting for the first CSA to start. I think it is one of the highlights to our summer and growing season. When customers come back week from week and share with us how they used particular items from their CSA and what they liked in their weekly shares.

This was today's share. Our members received radish, arugula, green onions, salad mix, spinach, and kale. 

You might look for a local CSA to join where you live. To locate one check out Local Harvest

to find one near you. You can also use local harvest to find a farmers market near you. Why not buy fresh and local produce? Your local produce farmers will really appreciate it.

Enjoy the sunsets

Another beautiful Indiana sunset captured from Thursday night. I love the colors in the sky as the sun goes down and how the clouds look somewhat wispy. The silhouette of the barn and the trees in the background add nice detail to this photo. As the beauty of it was fading for the day, I wanted to be sure to capture it.

I have enjoyed capturing some of our Indiana sunsets for the promise of a new tomorrow. With each sunset, I'm thinking of what I would like to accomplish the next day. What will tomorrow bring? Embrace the beauty of the end of the day and look forward to a new tomorrow.

In Honor of Mother's Day GIVEAWAY Winner!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! I know I sure did! We spent the day working in the garden and had lunch and dinner at my husband's grandparents. It was a beautiful day outside and was nice to get some things done and be with family!

With random.org I have a winner for the In Honor of Mother's Day Giveaway!

Kelly of Old Blue Silo commented with
"I absolutely LOVE my grandmother's tulips I recently transplanted. They are my pride and joy. I also love my weeping cherry tree. It was the first tree I planted on our property. I love watching it grow and bloom." 

Enjoy your fun gardening set!

Thank you all for entering! I loved your comments and also love the same plants you do.

So You Want To Start a Garden

So you have been thinking about starting a garden this year? You have a sunny location and are excited to grow your own vegetables this summer. Well now is the time to start organizing and planting seed and plants. Here are some things to think about for planning and planting your garden.

Garden Goals. What are your goals for your garden? Do you want to have enough to eat fresh plus can or freeze some produce for winter? Do you just want to eat a salad everyday this Spring? Or do you just want to feed your family and cut down grocery bills? Once you determine your gardening goals, you can go from there. 

Location and Space Needed. You need a sunny location. The space depends on how much you want to grow and your gardening goals. You can have a garden as small as a patio garden with some vegetable plants in pots to a large garden with several different varieties of tomatoes, peppers, and so much more.

Planting Time. What is the best time to plant seed for what you want to grow where you live? To help you determine the best time to plant seeds or plants, you might review a Plant Hardiness Zone Map. For example, Northern Indiana is in Zone 5. When looking on the back of seed packets, most say when the best time to plant those seeds by going off of the Plant Hardiness Zone Map. When soil is at a certain temperature, some seeds can be planted. For example, lettuce, spinach, peas, broccoli, and cabbage are all cool season vegetables and grow best in cooler temperatures. These are some of the first vegetables you can get planted. They are ready then before the hot summer temperatures start as they don't do as well.

Soil. It is important to know what kind of soil you have. You can do a soil test by purchasing a kit. This will help you determine if you need to amend your soil for what you want to grow.

For clay soil - add sand, compost, or peat moss

For sandy soil - add aged manure, compost, peat moss, or sawdust

For silty soil - add coarse sand, compost, or manure mixed with straw

Time. What kind of time do you have for your garden. Gardening takes time and we all have busy lives. Are you going to be able to take care of the garden? When mid-summer rolls around and the garden is in full swing this will require more weeding and watering in these warmer months. 

Have Fun. Gardening is fun, relaxing, and very rewarding. Have fun setting out garden trinkets like this sign. If it doesn't feel like a chore you will have no problem taking care of it. Enjoy planting and taking care of your garden and you will soon be relishing your garden's bounty!

Now head out to go stock up on garden seed and supplies you will need. 

In Honor Of Mother's Day! GIVEAWAY

Mother's Day is this weekend! A day where we make a special point to thank our mothers and mother figures in our lives. On this day, we honor those very special women who have made us into who we are today. We recognize and show appreciation for all the time and effort our moms put into the very important role of being a mom. On this day, we also may be one of the mothers who are pampered ourselves. Whether you're a mom or not, on this day, Mother's Day, we celebrate everything wonderful about motherhood and bringing new life to the world.

Being a mom is the hardest but yet most rewarding job there is. Moms wear many hats and deserve to be pampered.
Moms are chauffeurs.
Moms are chefs.
Moms are nurses and boo boo kissers.
Moms are maids.
Moms are negotiators.
Moms are teachers.
Moms are secretaries.
            - The list goes on and on!!

The special mothers in your life, or you yourself may even be a farm mom or a gardening mom! In honor of Mother's Day, I am taking this opportunity to host my very first giveaway here on The Backroad Life. This giveaway is open to anyone, you don't have to be a mom. Just a fun way to honor Mother's Day and welcome Spring/gardening season.

To Enter:
To enter my In Honor of Mother's Day Giveaway, simply comment on this post with your favorite plant/flower in your landscape or garden and why it's your favorite? Be sure to include your email address with your entry.

One winner will be randomly chosen and announced on Monday, May 12, 2014.
The winner will receive:
-Gardening gloves,
-Watering can,
-Pruners,
-Gardening tools,
-1 packet Green bean seed,
-Peony root (one of my favorite flowers, and a favorite in my garden!)



Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful moms out there!!!