In the winter it’s easy to get into the doldrums of routine and forget about the new growth hidden in the ground ready to appear in the spring. I’ve looked at the pictures of strawberries I took last summer, scrolled through Google’s Image Search on the subject, and even bought some “fresh” California strawberries in a fit of impatience, but there’s really nothing that gets me close to the feeling of reaching down, brushing aside a few leaves and finding a beautiful, bright red strawberry looking back at me begging, "Choose Me, Choose Me!!". The berries we grew here at The Berry Basket Farm last summer were hands down the best I’ve ever had! Ok, I’m biased, but knowing how much work went into the patch, how much time, energy and anticipation there was bringing those little starts to the point where they could do the thing they were made to do – bear good fruit... Knowing that made those berries of our first season just so delicious. My wife, Kristina, and I were glad so many folks could come and join us for a few hours, put in a little work themselves and taste the fruits of their labor. We’re looking forward to meeting more friendly folks this year and will hopefully see some faces we recognize from last year. If by June when you come back we've forgotten your name, don’t be shy, tell us again! We love making new friends but it's tough when we only see each other a few times a year. Last year we did our best to keep ahead of the weeds and dry spells on our “West Patch” which was tucked behind the windbreak but we also put in another patch that wasn’t ready to be harvested last year. Our goal in this new “East Patch” was to try different varieties and see how they do in our soil here on the farm. Most varieties survived the summer heat well enough and though we don’t know what the winter chill did or what the spring weather will bring, we’ve put in many more strawberries and so hope to have plenty to share. Maybe you have a friend or two that LOVE strawberries, or appreciate local agriculture, or know someone who might just need a outing to get away from things. If that's the case, tell them about The Berry Basket Farm and send them our way, or better yet, bring them with you this June. You can chat as you pick together, snap some photos and have something to keep you going next winter when the cold doldrums set in again next year. If you have any questions or want to know how you can get involved here at The Berry Basket Farm give us a call: 319-325-7542 - Mark
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AuthorsMark & Kristina Gingerich Archives
June 2020
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