Strawberry season in Southern Indiana

School is finally out for all of us! We celebrated the first official day of summer vacation today by getting up early and heading out to Huber's. For those who don't know, Huber's is a Southern Indiana institution, and well worth a trip down here. They are a family owned farm that has been around for over 100 years. They have wonderful farm markets, a superb restaurant with homestyle cooking, a winery, just to name a few. They also have U-pick specials on all the fruits and vegetables as they come into season. Strawberries are big around here, so we picked up my mom and headed out to pick some. We arrived early before it got hot and jumped on the tractor out to the fields:
Sophie was the only one among us who was not a seasoned strawberry picker. She behaved well, and didn't squash too many berries. She kept picking them up and saying "ball" and trying to throw them. Notice she was dressed for the occasion, with embroidered berries on her shirt to match the strawberry juice she applied.
We filled two boxes of berries between the five of us. I took home a box with about eight and half pounds. Yumm!
After we finished picking, we rode the tractor back and took time for some pictures. Then we headed into the farm market where we picked up some fresh baked strawberry bread and paid for our berries.
It was still a little too early for lunch, so we went to the playground for a little bit.
Sophie's favorite part was the ducks. She absolutely loved them. She chased them, cheered for them, and fed them. It was entertainment for a long time. In fact, when we headed back to the winery for lunch, she cried all the way back and hollered "duck duck!".

We had a yummy lunch at the winery, and of course left with a bottle of strawberry wine. I brought the kids home for naps (and for me, too!)

After naps, mom came down to meet us. We grabbed dinner and headed to the Relay for Life. A life-long friend of mine was walking as a survivor. Her mom took some pictures, so if she puts them on her blog, I'll "borrow" them for mine and post them later! We are certainly glad that Krishana is on the road to recovery and will continue praying for her.

After we left, the boys and I tried our hands at making strawberry jam. It hasn't set up yet, so it remains to be seen whether or not we were successful. Here are the "fruits" of our super day:
Homemade jam, strawberry wine, fresh berries waiting for shortcake and to be dipped in chocolate and strawberry bread. I also have frozen some to use for pancakes and muffins later in the fall. I love strawberry season in Southern Indiana! Next up - peaches!