Eco 'Burban

Strawberry season is over here in the lower parts of Michigan. Not so for the northern regions where my parents spend most of their summer on Lake Michigan. They are typically about 10 degrees colder and breezier due to lake winds and wacky weather.

If you recall, I managed to deal with 12 quarts of strawberries picked by my boys a couple weeks back, we ate the remainders from my freezing marathon and then thought our strawberry days were over. Not so, my boys, not so. My father just brought us about 4 quarts of the reddest, freshest, just-picked-today berries I think I have ever seen.

Sure, we have eaten strawberry sundaes, shortcake, shakes, syrup, whole, cut and preserved, but we are gearing up to do it all again. While everyone else here is long past enjoying fresh berries, or dining on Chilean substitutes, we are once again elbow deep in red berry goodness. We know that in a few months, the taste of fresh berries will be long gone from our palettes and we will wish for the day the U-pick opens or Grandpa rolls up with a carton of berries, picked just that morning and loving carted from 4 hours north. You must appreciate the fresh, organic and local produce when it's in season, no matter how long it lasts. The season seems so short during the cold, dark days of December!

Drool on, my fellow bloggers. I still have berries, berries and more berries. Alas, I still don't know how to make quick berry, quack berry jam, but I will muster through. Somehow. Strawberry shakes it is then, delicious strawberry shakes all around!