It’s been so long since I blogged that I keep waiting for some monumental occasion to be cause enough for me to write an entry.

Though, that’s not really a good excuse, as I’ve been to a Barenaked Ladies concert, a wonderful production of the Fantasticks, and we are approaching a move to a new apartment—all major events that left me with plenty to say. But I didn’t. Mostly because blogging is definitely a discipline and I have not been a very disciplined person lately. I’m working on turning that around.

And in the meantime, I’m loving the harvests. They are in full swing now. First it was a few greens, then rhubarb, asparagus. Each week our chances of scoring some local, edible produce got a little bit better.

And this weekend we hit the jackpot with strawberries. Eighteen pounds of them to be precise, though after we had picked them, but before we had them weighed, we estimated our haul at about 8-10 lbs. We are such overachievers. All-or-nothing is kind of Ben and I’s middle name.

We have big plans for these berries. We immediately washed and froze one third of them, vowing not to touch them as long as we had in-season fruit available to us. Another third we have cooking plans for: sauces, compotes, jams, scones, and a delicious-smelling butter cake topped with berries that just came out of the oven. And the final third are ours for the munching—on granola, cereal, or just dusted with sugar.

The farm where we picked them is so close—not more than a 20 minute drive. It was so nice to be out in the sun, surrounded by the smell of the berries. With the heat, it smelled like we were in someone’s kitchen as they were finishing a big batch of jam. Warm and sweet. It’s sort of a sad statement that picking fresh berries to enjoy at our home just a few miles away seems like such a luxury, a novelty, but it does. Just goes to show you how much we depend on grocery store stuff, and how much we so don’t need to. These berries are more tasty, more fresh, and more ethical than anything in the supermarket, and they are cheaper! And they were a good excuse to be out in the sun on a beautiful day.

End soapbox.

Summer’s here. As the earth itself turns a corner and bends into a new season, so do we. Another move (groan…), and a new set of projects and activities. Time passes. Ben has been here in Columbus an entire year now, and in a month, I will have been too. Incredible, really.

Bonus shot! Penny pie in the sunshine!