Berry Run!

Remember how there was a gas shortage after Hurricane Katrina?  And how when snow is coming, there is a clearing out of bread and milk at the store?  Well, it's like that around these parts right now ... except in terms of strawberries. 

Like, the Portland Strawberry Festival ... had no strawberries to be seen after the first hour, I hear.  And our patches we visit all strawberry season are closing after half a day open because they are cleaned out and the plants need more time to produce and ripen.  After the psychotic early spring freezes and then hellish jumps into the 90s and then rain and then none, the poor berry plants are worse for the wear and the supply is just NOT meeting the demand all over middle Tennessee.  And time is ticking!  Strawberry season only lasts a couple more weeks!

Which is why, when Cooper Creek opened up again this morning, after closing mid-Monday and all of Tuesday, with no promises of being able to be open again tomorrow, I knew there would be a bum rush at the berry patch today.  So I contributed to the husteria and got my non-morning person out there bright and early!  Like, we were there with bells on at 8 a.m.  I wouldn't even wait to meet up with friends who were going at 10:30.  I didn't trust there would be any berries left by then.  Seriously! 

Anyway, we got our hands on as many red luscious berries as we could.  I have no high and lofty goals that we will get to pick again after this.  It'll likely be store-bought and less delicious from here.

But today - today! - we will relish the warm, sweet goodness of local berries we picked ourselves and I will be up to my elbows in freezer jam for Josh and Anna's year-long supply. 

Good day!