Strawberry Bliss
By KK on Jun 7, 2007 in Food trip, Eastern Shore, Stress Management, Maryland, Traditions, Rest and Recreation
Certified hand-picked by us.
Growing up in the only place in the whole tropical Philippines where fresh strawberries are accessible, I have become a strawberry connoisseur. It’s just a question of when to buy. As a local, we buy when the supply is high and the prices are low. A Baguio tourist must have a taste of the sweet, luscious and succulent berries to make their Baguio experience complete. Here in the US, where transportation of produce has gotten down into a science. Strawberries are pretty much a usual commodity at the grocery stores. It’s just a question of the quality and taste. The most I’ve seen are grown in California. Knowing that these berries ripen in just a matter of hours depending on the temperature, I can only imagine how they preserve them to look good to travel all the way from the West Coast to the East Coast. Although they may look good, they taste bland and unappetizing to me.
Strawberries in the natural setting.
Strawberry season at the Eastern Shore, Maryland is 3 weeks short, so my family and I try to make the most of it. We used to buy them from local produce markets along the Eastern Shore highways until we discovered that there are farms who let customers pick their own strawberries(u-pick for short). I am big fan of u-pick farms. It’s an fun and engaging activity for the whole family.
Little K in the strawberry field.
Mother Nature has decided that May 19 was the first day of strawberry picking season. This is third year we have headed to the strawberry fields of “How Sweet It Is” at Eastern Shore, MD every Spring and I believe that it’s officially our family tradition.
Daddy-daughter team
It was a cool and crisp late morning when we arrived at the farm, the temperature was 64.4 °-75.2F(18°C to 24°C), just perfect to be outdoors(It’s like Baguio weather, sheesh- I never realized how spoiled I was with eternal spring when I was there). We were all comfortably seated on the dirt and gorging on strawberries within minutes. Yes, it’s free taste. The best tasting strawberry is the one that we pick ourselves. We look for the plumpest and red berries, dust it off then savor the delicate refreshing flavor. We were able to fill our 10 quart sized boxes in between ‘tastes’. They normally sell the strawberries for $3.50 a quart at the store, with u-pick it’s $1 a quart plus free taste. I can understand why they put $2.5 on top because it’s heavy on manual labor. Picking for an hour is leisurely but for a whole day, it’s back breaking.
There’s even a bonus- I had fun taking pictures. Below can be entitled: “Fashion Shoot at the Strawberry Fields ” I have not asked the ladies to pose for the camera.
There was this lady in green skirt who had a string bikini top on(seen at the background) but unfortunately I didn’t bring the long lense.
Note: I had officemates before who were surprised to know that strawberries don’t come from trees.
Additional note: For my readers who were asking about strawberry picking in Baguio. My blog friend Lisa A has a post about it in her blog.
***Oh shoot! It’s 1:15AM already. Got to get some sleep.***
gailey | Jun 7, 2007 | Reply
yummy!
______-
Hey Gailey,
Thanks for dropping by.
Angel | Jun 8, 2007 | Reply
Thanks for sharing your strawberry picking experience. Great photos! The strawberries look so yummy. Would you be able to share anything about strawberry picking in Baguio? We hope to go to Trinidad in the coming years so the kids can try picking strawberries too.
__________–
Hi Angel,
Thanks. I have not experience strawberry picking in La Trinidad, I guess never had the necessity of doing so because the ones in Baguio market are good. It also costs more per kilo to pick it yourself in La Trinidad because of the “novelty” of picking it yourself. But I’m sure it’s worth the experience. Next time I call Baguio, I’ll ask where to strawberry pick in La Trinidad next time I call my folks in Baguio.
soloops | Jun 8, 2007 | Reply
Hi!
I am based in smoggy Metro Manila and just looking at your photos in that oh-so-green strawberry field, makes me soo envious. I haven’t been to Baguio for quite sometime, and I am making sure that I return to the strawberry fields there.
re: your officemates’ comment-my husband who studied at PMA as well as a lot of my friends always ask me “what was your reaction when you saw that strawberries don’t come from trees?” It seems a lot of us expected that. hahaha.
Great post and photos!
____________—
Hi Soloops,
Take a break sometime to visit farms around the suburbs of Manila or you can visit Baguio, it’s just a 5 hour Victory Liner ride away from you ;).
I guess I can’t blame people of not knowing where strawberries come from. Thanks.
julie | Jun 8, 2007 | Reply
My children love fresh strawberries. They eat these with condensed milk or we make refrigerator cake using broas. Even if he knows he is gonna have asthma later on, Julian still eats them. Yummy! Hmm..love to have a strawberry cheesecake.
____________–
Hi Teacher Julie,
Strawberries causes your Julian asthma? Wow you have alot of ideas how to dress up the strawberries
auee | Jun 8, 2007 | Reply
I’m not a big strawberry fan but I love PYO farms
nice shots
___________
Hi Auee,
Maybe if you get really good ones, you’ll like them.
Thanks,
princess | Jun 8, 2007 | Reply
Those strawberries are so lusciously inviting!!! Next time, please bring all your lenses (chuckle)…. Little K is so pretty in that solo shot. Crepe with creme, chocolate and strawberry? - heavenly!!!
.
Great camera, you have there…..
______________
Hi Princess,
Kapit-bahay lang tayo, I’ll bring the strawberries and you make the crepes
Didn’t expect anything that I needed the long lense, next time I’ll be more prepared ;).
lovelyn | Jun 8, 2007 | Reply
Sure looks you all had fun. I like the idea of picking it yourself. Reminded me when we used to steal it from our neighbors farm back then hahaha. My skirt got stuck on a barbed wire when we were being chased by the owner. Crazy childhood memories…not good, not good!
Same here in Italy, strawberries are in season. Its actually on sale. I made a cake for my husband out of it last May and my sister made the same recipe last Sunday for our lunch at their house.
Tina, compared to our strawberries back home, which one is sweeter? For me Baguio ‘pa rin’. Here, its just bigger and daintily packed.
_____________-
Hi Lovelyn,
I have not tried picking strawberries back home. I’ve picked mallberries from my grandma’s neighbor before too, hehehe. Bangad tayo idi.
Wow, a strawberry short cake? I just buy angel food cake and serve the strawberries with whipped cream. Short cut ;).
Which one is sweeter? hmmm. This variety is small and sweet. Can’t really beat anything picked right off the vine.
specially with free taste.
ate marie | Jun 9, 2007 | Reply
eeewwww, sarap! mmmmmm……………favorite ko strawberries with condensed milk.
_____________________
Hi Ate Marie,
Try mo rin with vanilla ice cream.
Belle | Jun 9, 2007 | Reply
i have never tried picking strawberries in the farm. that must be fun doing that. and i am sure i will chomp the first kilo i pick. so, were you able to eat all those strawberries that you picked? did you make a jelly out of it?
for lunch today, i bought a quart of strawberries for $1.50, 2 quarts of cherries, 3 avocados, and 1 quart of carrot juice to nibble on over the weekend.
your daughter makes a perfect model.
_________________________
Hi Ate Belle,
It’s difficult to eat a kilo of strawberries specially on empty stomach, it’s full of vitamin C which is acidic. We ate them for desserts and breakfasts. I made strawberry syrup to be mixed with yogurt. I didn’t make preserves, jam or jelly. I had to put equal amount of sugar or more to make them. I got turned off looking at 4-7 cups of sugar in the recipe. Malapit ka lang, binigyan na kita ng strawberry.
Thanks for the compliment on the little one.
Wow, fruit lunch. We also bought some cherries and blue berries.
chateau | Jun 10, 2007 | Reply
My daughter Patch loves strawberries. No other “Baguio stuff” matters to her more than strawberries. This post reminds me though that I have not taken them strawberry picking yet.
Nakakamiss ang Baguio, no?
Oo nga, the challenge is always in transporting them intact down to Manila!
______________-
Hi Chateau,
Patch- such a unique name. Try bringing them strawberry picking one time you go to Baguio. The last time I tried to transport strawberries from Baguio to Cavite overnight, I bought the strawberries at 4PM, took the 12midnight trip on Victory Liner, when I brought them to the office the next day they are almost over ripe.
Francesca | Jun 11, 2007 | Reply
OH DEAR, to look at strawberries, nakakalaway! its my favorite!
grabeh, i like that experience too! punta ako dyan! lol
_____________
Hi Ate Amy,
They are also your favorite? You come over mid-May. Mag-sasawa ka sa strawberries.
SexyMom | Jun 11, 2007 | Reply
my girls love strawberries, while my boys like them in ice cream form. how lucky you are and Little K to have that experience in that “Strawberry Fields” (a song from the Beatles?). it must be a captivating experience. wish they offer that same experience in La Trinidad. thanks for sharing your experience and the photos.
___________
Hi Sexymom,
Yes, Beatles had a song Strawberry Fields. Next time you and your kids go to Baguio drop by La Trinidad to pick some strawberries. I’ll ask my younger sister to visit one of the fields. You’re welcome :).
Girlie | Jun 12, 2007 | Reply
whenever in Baguio as long as there’s available strawberries, i’d really buy. I eat it with sugar, heavenly!
o nga naka pose, kakatuwa.
_________
Hi Ate Girlie.
Lisa | Jun 16, 2007 | Reply
hi tina,
am finally able to visit your blog again (internet connection here was faulty for almost 2 weeks). it’s funny that just when I was writing about the end of our strawberry season, yours is at its height. I’m sure you know this, but for the benefit of your readers, Baguio’s season starts in November and ends in May.
great photos!
_____________
Hi Lisa,
It’s not even typhoon season and it’s Internet connection is faulty already? Thanks for writting about the strawberry season in Baguio. I will link your post to give info about the strawberry season in Baguio. Thanks!
Rach | Jun 19, 2007 | Reply
I love strawberries but I’ve never tried picking my own strawberries before. Great photos! It’s nice to see that everyone had a lovely time.
________
Hi Rach,
Thanks! You should try picking