Last year, I filled a garden bed with strawberry plants.1 After removing the flowers and letting them send out as many runners as they liked, we now have a bed that's fully packed with them. And with all those plants come an amazing quantity of ripe, delicious strawberries.
I picked the first quart about a week and a half ago, after working to remove the protective netting and yank the weeds. Every other day or so, it was time to pick again, until we ended up with this for yesterday's picking:
Nine quarts, which brings the total for the season to seventeen. These nine, it's worth noting, were those that had ripened since we'd picked on Friday, two days earlier. Strawberry season is officially in full force.
In addition to devouring them fresh, we've been doing what we can to limit the number taking up fridge space by preserving them.
Strawberry-rhubarb jam? Check. Straight strawberry's going to be the next batch - quite possibly tomorrow, given the rate at which the plants are producing.
Dried strawberries? Check. Especially good in scones; their flavor really seems to sing in baked goods.
Strawberry ratafia? Check. I'm planning to try a strawberry liqueur shortly, too.
We'll freeze some, too. They're perfect for summer smoothies, especially after coming home following a good run on a hot and humid morning.
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1I also planted some alpine strawberries, which are doing quite well in their second year, but they're a pleasure of a different sort.
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